Today some of you are going to be initiated. This is the beginning of your spiritual life. But if you don't take care for farther development, then that is up to you. You may fall down. Because māyā is very strong. Māyā will place so many impediments. She does not like that so easily you go back to home, back to Godhead. That is māyā's business. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī (BG 7.14). Just like police. Police business is to see the criminal that is actually, he is in his original consciousness to become law-abiding citizen. Otherwise police will go on punishing him. That is police affair. Similarly, this māyā is the police agent. Her business is to chastise you. Every moment this is going on. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151).
So this material life means within the jurisdiction of māyā, and she's always punishing us. Anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela ataeva māyā tare gola bhagiya. Because we have tried to forget Kṛṣṇa, that is not good for us. That is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
- ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād
- ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
- avajānanti na bhajanty
- sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ
- (SB 11.5.3)
I'll give you practical example. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body, your body, but if it becomes diseased, then it cannot act as my finger. It becomes a source of pains only.