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Effect of Maya religion

CHENNAI: Every individual has to fight hard to overcome the powerful sway of ego that stands in one’s way to God realisation. This is the most difficult hurdle and only the true Jnana of the Absolute can bring about a total self effacement in one. But even such Jnana can be eclipsed temporarily by one’s self esteem as is seen in the case of Arjuna who had beheld the grand cosmic vision of the Lord and yet succumbed to pride after emerging victorious in the war, when he expected Lord Krishna to alight from the chariot and wait on him as he descended, said Sri Ramana Chaitanya in a lecture.

Arjuna had the unique experience of the direct physical manifestation of the ultimate truth before his eyes after the Lord had patiently explained the Karma, Jnana and Bhakti yogas to him in the battlefield. The Lord then spoke of His absolute powers and on his request endowed Arjuna with divine eyes to behold His transcendent form. Arjuna realised that his playmate, friend and cousin is none other than the Supreme Being.

Arjuna then experienced the hitherto unheard of and unseen spectacle — an infinite form with many heads, mouths, stomachs without any beginning, middle or end, with the celestials, Rudra, Vishnu, Brahma, the divine snakes, etc. He saw the Lord as the abode of the entire universe, holding everything within Him, blazing forth fire and flames, as the essence and embodiment of unlimited potential.

Arjuna was overwhelmed with wonder and awe at the immeasurable and indescribable greatness of the Lord — a glory in which is subsumed the complexities of both the finer and terrible aspects. He seemed to have lost his valour and courage and was bereft of any sense of direction either. His heart trembled with fear as the true wisdom that the Lord contains both evil and good within Him dawned on him.

Yet, after the war Arjuna saw Lord Krishna as a mere charioteer and forgot the truth of the Lord. Finally Lord Krishna ordered Arjuna to get out first against the protocol and after both of them got out, the chariot burst into flames. The blinding effect of Maya can rob us of good sense and one needs to pray to God for the true wisdom to be able to lead life with care.

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