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Two Types of Maya (Part Two)

A spiritual discourse on the two forms of māyā and the danger of miraculous powers.

"If you master the worldly māyā, you then encounter this second form. These siddhis become very pleasant to you, and they are the best friends of your ego."

"I realized the greatest cheater is māyā."

The speaker explains the two faces of illusion: worldly attachment and the siddhis (miracles) that tempt advanced practitioners. Citing Patanjali and Kabir Das, he warns that demonstrating these powers enslaves one to māyā and ego, leading to spiritual downfall. True mastery is when miracles happen spontaneously through one's presence, not by willful demonstration. The talk concludes with a teaching from Swami Lalānandji, emphasizing that seeking the guru's grace is the only refuge free from illusion.

Recording location: Croatia, Umag, Weekend seminar

The second form of māyā is the siddhis, the miracles. If you master the worldly māyā, you then encounter this second form. These siddhis become very pleasant to you, and they are the best friends of your ego. You begin to perform them. For a yogī, this again becomes a pattern of distraction. Such a yogī is known as a yog-bhraṣṭa—one who was unable to be successful in yoga. The māyā that attacks a spiritual sādhaka, a spiritual practitioner, creates the same conditions as material māyā. But that second kind of māyā, the miracles, is also not easy to attain. We have no ability to reach that level; we are already victims of others on the path. Therefore, Mahāṛṣi Patañjali writes in his Patañjali Yoga Sūtras about the siddhis and yogīs: do not utilize them, do not demonstrate them. If a miracle happens automatically, through your mere presence, through your words, or through your blessing, then you are the king. It means māyā is your slave. If you are demonstrating and utilizing māyā, then you are the slave of māyā. Māyā is a great temptation. Both kinds of māyā are a great temptation. It is very, very hard. But nothing is hard for those who want to come out of it. Spiritual awakening in the human body or in human consciousness is accompanied by miracles. And with the first small miracle, we often fail. Because then we begin to think, "Oh, I know everything now. My kuṇḍalinī is awakened. I know how it practices. I don't need the master. I myself am the master." These thoughts are not your thoughts. It is somebody else who is speaking in you, and that is māyā. Therefore, the great saint Kabīr Dās said, "I realized that māyā is the greatest cheater." "Tīno guṇo kī phāṁsī, bole madhurī bānī"—constantly carrying in hand the rope of the three guṇas to hang you up, only waiting for some chance. Like a fisherman throws the hook, and the fish is caught. If the fish knew it was a hook and that it would die, the fish would not come. If the fish knew it was a trick of the net, the fish would run far away from human reach. In our language, net means jāl, jālī. Jālī means trick. If someone is playing with a trick, we say this person is a jālī. You try to catch that person through so many things, and they speak such sweet language to you. No one speaks such sweet words to you as māyā. "Niko vam neće tako slatunavo, tako vam se slatkim riječim obraćati kao māyā." "Māyā mā thaganī ham jānī." Kabīr Dās says, "I realized the greatest cheater is māyā." In the altar, suddenly she becomes the statue or idol of God. At a holy place, she becomes the holy water. For the king, she becomes the queen. For a yogī, she becomes a very close disciple. That māyā enters without your knowing. So, when some person plays a trick on you, you should know it is māyā. Those who are blinded or tempted by that māyā will one day be disappointed. Māyā, as the victor, will laugh at you, stand far away, and say, "Ha, ha, ha, ... ha. You want to come up? No, no, no. Remain there." Therefore, for spirituality too, there is a warning: do not fall for those miracles—showing something, materializing something. That becomes māyā for you, and the person who is doing it is assured 100,000% destruction after this life. So what do we want to realize? If we have siddhi, why would we demonstrate it? To show people that we have power? To become famous? That supports your ego. Do not be the slave. Therefore, Swāmī Lalānandjī Mahārāj, disciple of Mahāprabhujī, says very clearly in his bhajana: "What should I ask of my Gurudev, for what?" "I am not asking for the enjoyment of heaven, nor do I desire wealth and villas," "nor do I desire the kingdom of the entire universe," "nor the power and wealth of the entire earth." "Also, I don't ask for a technique for mokṣa. But I ask only one thing:" "The dust of thy lotus feet." Why that? Because that is free from māyā. It is very hard to serve the master. It is like going through fire, and yet the most joyful and beautiful thing is to serve—if you know, if you realize what it means. Recording location: Croatia, Umag, Weekend seminar

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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