Māyā-Śhakti  =  The Lords Power of Illusion    

Krishna's illusory energy

The right conclusion of dovetailing everything in relationship with the Lord is called yoga-māyā, or the energy of union, and the wrong conception of detaching a thing from its relationship with the Lord is called the Lord's daivī māyā, or mahā-māyā. Both the māyās also have connections with the Lord because nothing can exist without being related to Him. As such, the wrong conception of detaching relationships from the Lord is not false but illusory. [SB 2.9.34]

O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.

In the previous verse it has already been concluded that in any stage of the cosmic manifestation—its appearance, its sustenance, its growth, its interactions of different energies, its deterioration and its disappearance—all has its basic relation with the existence of the Personality of Godhead. And as such, whenever there is forgetfulness of this prime relation with the Lord, and whenever things are accepted as real without being related to the Lord, that conception is called a product of the illusory energy of the Lord. Because nothing can exist without the Lord, it should be known that the illusory energy is also an energy of the Lord. The right conclusion of dovetailing everything in relationship with the Lord is called yoga-māyā, or the energy of union, and the wrong conception of detaching a thing from its relationship with the Lord is called the Lord's daivī māyā, or mahā-māyā. Both the māyās also have connections with the Lord because nothing can exist without being related to Him. As such, the wrong conception of detaching relationships from the Lord is not false but illusory.

Misconceiving one thing for another thing is called illusion. For example, accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false. The rope, as it exists in the front of the illusioned person, is not at all false, but the acceptance is illusory. Therefore the wrong conception of accepting this material manifestation as being divorced from the energy of the Lord is illusion, but it is not false. And this illusory conception is called the reflection of the reality in the darkness of ignorance. Anything that appears as apparently not being "produced out of My energy" is called māyā. The conception that the living entity is formless or that the Supreme Lord is formless is also illusion. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.12) it was said by the Lord in the midst of the battlefield that the warriors standing in front of Arjuna, Arjuna himself, and even the Lord had all existed before, they were existing on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and they would all continue to be individual personalities in the future also, even after the annihilation of the present body and even after being liberated from the bondage of material existence. In all circumstances, the Lord and the living entities are individual personalities, and the personal features of both the Lord and living beings are never abolished; only the influence of the illusory energy, the reflection of light in the darkness, can, by the mercy of the Lord, be removed. In the material world, the light of the sun is also not independent, nor is that of the moon. The real source of light is the brahma-jyotir, which diffuses light from the transcendental body of the Lord, and the same light is reflected in varieties of light: the light of the sun, the light of the moon, the light of fire, or the light of electricity. So the identity of the self as being unconnected with the Supreme Self, the Lord, is also illusion, and the false claim "I am the Supreme" is the last illusory snare of the same māyā, or the external energy of the Lord.

Accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false

The Vedānta-sūtra in the very beginning affirms that everything is born from the Supreme, and thus, as explained in the previous verse, all individual living entities are born from the energy of the supreme living being, the Personality of Godhead. Brahmā himself was born from the energy of the Lord, and all other living entities are born from the energy of the Lord through the agency of Brahmā; none of them has any existence without being dovetailed with the Supreme Lord.

The independence of the individual living entity is not real independence, but is just the reflection of the real independence existing in the Supreme Being, the Lord. The false claim of supreme independence by the conditioned souls is illusion, and this conclusion is admitted in this verse.

Persons with a poor fund of knowledge become illusioned, and therefore the so-called scientists, physiologists, empiric philosophers, etc., become dazzled by the glaring reflection of the sun, moon, electricity, etc., and deny the existence of the Supreme Lord, putting forward theories and different speculations about the creation, maintenance and annihilation of everything material. The medical practitioner may deny the existence of the soul in the physiological bodily construction of an individual person, but he cannot give life to a dead body, even though all the mechanisms of the body exist even after death.

The psychologist makes a serious study of the physiological conditions of the brain, as if the construction of the cerebral lump were the machine of the functioning mind, but in the dead body the psychologist cannot bring back the function of the mind. These scientific studies of the cosmic manifestation or the bodily construction independent of the Supreme Lord are different reflective intellectual gymnastics only, but at the end they are all illusion and nothing more. All such advancement of science and knowledge in the present context of material civilization is but an action of the covering influence of the illusory energy. The illusory energy has two phases of existence, namely the covering influence and the throwing influence.

By the throwing influence the illusory energy throws the living entities into the darkness of ignorance, and by the covering influence she covers the eyes of men with a poor fund of knowledge about the existence of the Supreme Person who enlightened the supreme individual living being, Brahmā. The identity of Brahmā with the Supreme Lord is never claimed herein, and therefore such a foolish claim by the man with a poor fund of knowledge is another display of the illusory energy of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (16.18-20) that demoniac persons who deny the existence of the Lord are thrown more and more into the darkness of ignorance, and thus such demoniac persons transmigrate life after life without any knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The sane man, however, is enlightened in the disciplic succession from Brahmājī, who was personally instructed by the Lord, or in the disciplic succession from Arjuna, who was personally instructed by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā. He accepts this statement of the Lord:

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo / mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ / budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

The Lord is the original source of all emanations, and everything that is created, maintained and annihilated exists by the energy of the Lord. The sane man who knows this is actually learned, and therefore he becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. (BG 10.8)

Māyā-manuṣyasya (10.1.17). Because of being covered by yogamāyā (nāhaḿ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg. 7.25]), Kṛṣṇa is sometimes called māyā-manuṣya, indicating that although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He appears like an ordinary person. A misunderstanding arises because yogamāyā covers the vision of the general public. The Lord's position is actually different from that of an ordinary person, for although He appears to act like an ordinary man, He is always transcendental.

The word māyā also indicates "mercy," and sometimes it also means "knowledge." The Lord is always full of all transcendental knowledge, and therefore although He acts like a human being, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of knowledge. In His original identity, the Lord is the controller of māyā (mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram [Bg. 9.10]). Therefore the Lord may be called māyā-manuṣya, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead playing like an ordinary human being, although He is the controller of both the material and spiritual energies. The Lord is the Supreme Person, Puruṣottama, but because we are deluded by yogamāyā, He appears to be an ordinary person. Ultimately, however, yogamāyā induces even a nondevotee to understand the Lord as the Supreme Person, Puruṣottama. In Bhagavad-gītā we find two statements given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For the devotees, the Lord says:

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ / bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ / yena mām upayānti te

"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me." (Bg. 10.10) Thus for the willing devotee the Lord gives intelligence by which to understand Him and return home, back to Godhead. For others, for nondevotees, the Lord says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: "I am all-devouring, inevitable death."

Kṛṣṇa's Yoga-māyā curtain

TRANSLATION: I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-māyā]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible. [Bg 7.25]

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya / yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho 'yaṁ nābhijānāti / loko mām ajam avyayam

PURPORT: It may be argued that since Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth and was visible to everyone, then why isn't He manifest to everyone now? But actually He was not manifest to everyone. When Kṛṣṇa was present there were only a few people who could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the assembly of Kurus, when Śiśupāla spoke against Kṛṣṇa being elected president of the assembly, Bhīṣma supported Him and proclaimed Him to be the Supreme God. Similarly, the Pāṇḍavas and a few others knew that He was the Supreme, but not everyone. He was not revealed to the nondevotees and the common man. Therefore in the Gītā Kṛṣṇa says that but for His pure devotees, all men consider Him to be like themselves. He was manifest only to His devotees as the reservoir of all pleasure. But to others, to unintelligent nondevotees, He was covered by His eternal potency.

In the prayers of Kuntī in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.8.18), it is said that the Lord is covered by the curtain of yoga-māyā and thus ordinary people cannot understand Him. Kuntī prays: "O my Lord, You are the maintainer of the entire universe, and devotional service to You is the highest religious principle. Therefore, I pray that You will also maintain me. Your transcendental form is covered by the yoga-māyā. The brahmajyoti is the covering of the internal potency. May You kindly remove this glowing effulgence that impedes my seeing Your sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, Your eternal form of bliss and knowledge."

This yoga-māyā curtain is also mentioned in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Gītā. The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His transcendental form of bliss and knowledge is covered by the eternal potency of brahmajyoti and the less intelligent impersonalists cannot see the Supreme on this account. Also in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.7) there is this prayer by Brahmā: "O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O Supersoul, O master of all mystery, who can calculate Your potency and pastimes in this world? You are always expanding Your eternal potency, and therefore no one can understand You. Learned scientists and learned scholars can examine the atomic constitution of the material world or even the planets, but still they are unable to calculate Your energy and potency, although You are present before them." The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is not only unborn, but He is avyaya, inexhaustible. His eternal form is bliss and knowledge, and His energies are all inexhaustible.

"You are the supreme controller and superintendent of the material nature's activities. The atheistic class of men simply observe the activities of material nature, but cannot find You as the original background. A devotee, however, can immediately see Your hand in every movement of material nature. The curtain of yogamāyā cannot cover the eyes of the devotee of Your Lordship, but it can cover the eyes of the nondevotee. The nondevotee is unable to see You eye to eye, just as a person whose eyes are interrupted by the covering of a cloud cannot see the sun, although persons who are flying above the cloud can see the sunshine brilliantly, as it is. My dear Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. My dear self-effulgent Lord, I am Your eternal servitor. Therefore, kindly order me--what can I do for You? The conditioned soul feels the pangs of material contamination as threefold miseries as long as You are not visible to him. And as soon as You are visible by development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all miseries of material existence simultaneously become vanquished." [KB 2-31]

Two kinds of Māyā

There are two kinds of māyā -Yogamāyā and Mahāmāyā. Mahāmāyā is an expansion of Yogamāyā, and both these māyās are different expressions of the Lord's internal potencies. (SB 4.16.2)

As stated previously, yogamāyāṁ samādiśat. To give service to the Lord, yogamāyā appeared along with mahāmāyā. Mahāmāyā refers to yayā sammohitaḿ jagat, "one who bewilders the entire material world." From this statement it is to be understood that yogamāyā, in her partial expansion, becomes mahāmāyā and bewilders the conditioned souls. In other words, the entire creation has two divisions — transcendental, or spiritual, and material. Yogamāyā manages the spiritual world, and by her partial expansion as mahāmāyā she manages the material world.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead ordered yogamāyā to bewilder His associates in His pastimes and bewilder demons like Kaṁsa. As stated previously, yogamāyāṁ samādiśat. To give service to the Lord, yogamāyā appeared along with mahāmāyā. Mahāmāyā refers to yayā sammohitaṁ jagat, “one who bewilders the entire material world.” From this statement it is to be understood that yogamāyā, in her partial expansion, becomes mahāmāyā and bewilders the conditioned souls. In other words, the entire creation has two divisions—transcendental, or spiritual, and material. Yogamāyā manages the spiritual world, and by her partial expansion as mahāmāyā she manages the material world. As stated in the Nārada-pañcarātra, mahāmāyā is a partial expansion of yogamāyā.

The Nārada-pañcarātra clearly states that the Supreme Personality has one potency, which is sometimes described as Durgā. The Brahma-saṁhitā says, chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā [Bs. 5.44]. Durgā is not different from yogamāyā. When one understands Durgā properly, he is immediately liberated, for Durgā is originally the spiritual potency, hlādinī-śakti, by whose mercy one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead very easily. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād [Adi 1.5].

The mahāmāyā-śakti, however, is a covering of yogamāyā, and she is therefore called the covering potency. By this covering potency, the entire material world is bewildered (yayā sammohitaṁ jagat). In conclusion, bewildering the conditioned souls and liberating the devotees are both functions belonging to yogamāyā. Transferring the pregnancy of Devakī and keeping mother Yaśodā in deep sleep were both done by yogamāyā; mahāmāyā cannot act upon such devotees, for they are always liberated. But although it is not possible for mahāmāyā to control liberated souls or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she did bewilder Kaṁsa. The action of yogamāyā in presenting herself before Kaṁsa was the action of mahāmāyā, not yogamāyā. Yogamāyā cannot even see or touch such polluted persons as Kaṁsa. In Caṇḍī, in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Eleventh Chapter, Mahāmāyā says, “During the twenty-eighth yuga in the period of Vaivasvata Manu, I shall take birth as the daughter of Yaśodā and be known as Vindhyācala-vāsinī.”

The distinction between the two māyās—yogamāyā and mahā-māyā—is described as follows. Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā with the gopīs and the gopīs’ bewilderment in respect to their husbands, fathers-in-law and other such relatives were arrangements of yogamāyā in which mahāmāyā had no influence. The Bhāgavatam gives sufficient evidence of this when it clearly says, yogamāyām upāśritaḥ.

On the other hand, there were asuras headed by Śālva and kṣatriyas like Duryodhana who were bereft of devotional service in spite of seeing Kṛṣṇa’s carrier Garuḍa and the universal form, and who could not understand Kṛṣṇa to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This was also bewilderment, but this bewilderment was due to mahāmāyā. Therefore it is to be concluded that the māyā which drags a person from the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called jaḍamāyā, and the māyā which acts on the transcendental platform is called yogamāyā. When Nanda Mahārāja was taken away by Varuṇa, he saw Kṛṣṇa’s opulence, but nonetheless he thought of Kṛṣṇa as his son. Such feelings of parental love in the spiritual world are acts of yogamāyā, not of jaḍamāyā, or mahāmāyā. This is the opinion of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. [SB 10.1.69 Purport]

Regarding your questions: "Are great sages put under yogamaya or maya? Also are all the eternally liberated souls under yogamaya?"
Yogamaya means the mercy of the Supreme Lord which connects a devotee in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and mahamaya means the external potency of the Lord which puts a conditioned soul into illusion that he will be happy by material adjustment. So great sages who are impersonalists are also under the spell of mahamaya, because a conditioned soul in the material world wants to improve his material position as exalted as possible, and the concept of becoming one with the Supreme Lord is the greatest illusion for them. Because it is a fact that nobody can be equal or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such, anyone desiring to become one with the Supreme means that he is still in the trap of maya. On the other hand, a humble devotee who may not be a great sage, but simply by his implicit acceptance of the Lotus Feet of the Lord as the goal of his life means that he is under the protection of yogamaya. [Letter to Aniruddha - LA 14 Nov. 1968]

Attacked by Māyā

My dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 8.3.67. Don't be afraid of my being attacked by maya. When there is fight between two belligerent parties, it is always expected that there will sometimes be reverses. Your country and the western world is mostly under the grip of Maya and the modes of nature in passion and ignorance, and my declaration of war against the maya is certainly a great battle.

Maya saw me very successful within one year, so that I got so many sincere young flowers like yourself and others, so it was a great defeat to the activities of maya: western country youngsters giving up illicit sex, intoxication, meat eating and gambling is certainly a great reverse in the activities of maya.

Therefore she took advantage of my old age weakness and gave me a death dash. But Krishna saved me; therefore we should thank more Krishna than eulogize maya. So far my present health is concerned I think I am improving; at least I am taking my lunch better than in N.Y. So as soon as I am a little fit to return to the field of battle I shall again be in your midst. [Prabhupada Letter, Aug. 4, 1967, India]

Jaya-gopāla: How did Māyādevī acquire her position?

Prabhupāda: She has not acquired. She's given that position by Kṛṣṇa. Because there are many individual souls who will defy Kṛṣṇa; therefore Māyādevī is required to punish them. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). "It is very difficult to surpass the stringent laws of My māyā." So laws..., the māyā is not independent. Just like police force. What is the value of police force unless government gives the power? Does it mean... Suppose a Mr. John, he comes as a policeman. He's Mr. John. What power he has got? But because government has given him power, he can arrest you. Similarly, Māyā has no powers. Kṛṣṇa has given her power to chastise these individual souls who are defying the authority of Kṛṣṇa. They should be punished. It is Māyā's thankless task, but Māyā is obedient servant of Kṛṣṇa. Mama māyā. He says, "My māyā." So Māyā is not degraded. Māyā is faithful servant of Kṛṣṇa. She is faithfully serving. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. You should read. So many nice books you have got. What is Māyā doing? That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā is Māyā. Now what is the position of Māyā? Māyā is so strong, that sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya. She can perform creation, maintenance, and dissolution of this whole universe. She's so powerful. The material nature is so powerful. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhan a-śaktir ekā. Alone, she can do this as good as Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva (Bs. 5.44). But she is just like shadow. Chāyeva yasya. Chāyeva yasya... She is working just like shadow. Just like here is shadow of my hand. If I shake my hand, the shadow also shakes. The Māyā is acting like that. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "Under My superintendence, prakṛti, the nature, or Māyā, is acting." Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā. And next line, icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā. That Māyā is acting under the direction of the Personality. And who is that personality? Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi *. "That personality is Govinda, the Supreme Person. I am offering my respectful obeisances." So Māyā is acting under the direction of Kṛṣṇa just like the shadow is moving under the movement of the original. So Māyā's position is not degraded. Don't think like that. Therefore Vaiṣṇava offers all respect to Māyā because she is working under Kṛṣṇa. She is Vaiṣṇavī. She is also energy of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore she is also Vaiṣṇavī. [Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- LA, Nov. 27, 1968]

viṣṇor māyā bhagavatī / yayā sammohitaṁ jagat
ādiṣṭā prabhuṇāṁśena / kāryārthe sambhaviṣyati

TRANSLATION: The potency of the Lord, known as viṣṇu-māyā, who is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will also appear with Lord Kṛṣṇa. This potency, acting in different capacities, captivates all the worlds, both material and spiritual. At the request of her master, she will appear with her different potencies in order to execute the work of the Lord. [SB 10.1.25]

In the Vedas it is said that the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are called by different names, such as yogamāyā and mahāmāyā. Ultimately, however, the Lord’s potency is one, exactly as electric potency is one although it can act both to cool and to heat. The Lord’s potency acts in both the spiritual and material worlds. In the spiritual world the Lord’s potency works as yogamāyā, and in the material world the same potency works as mahāmāyā, exactly as electricity works in both a heater and a cooler. In the material world, this potency, working as mahāmāyā, acts upon the conditioned souls to deprive them more and more of devotional service. It is said, yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. In the material world the conditioned soul thinks of himself as a product of tri-guṇa, the three modes of material nature. This is the bodily conception of life. Because of associating with the three guṇas of the material potency, everyone identifies himself with his body.

Thus the Lord’s potency, viṣṇu-māyā, has two features—āvaraṇikā and unmukha. When the Lord appeared, His potency came with Him and acted in different ways. She acted as yogamāyā with Yaśodā, Devakī and other intimate relations of the Lord, and she acted in a different way with Kaṁsa, Śālva and other asuras. By the order of Lord Kṛṣṇa, His potency yogamāyā came with Him and exhibited different activities according to the time and circumstances. Kāryārthe sambhaviṣyati. Yogamāyā acted differently to execute different purposes desired by the Lord. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.13), mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. The mahātmās, who fully surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord, are directed by yogamāyā, whereas the durātmās, those who are devoid of devotional service, are directed by mahāmāyā.

Choose between Yogamāyā and Mahāmāyā

viṣṇor māyā bhagavatī / yayā sammohitaṁ jagat
ādiṣṭā prabhuṇāṁśena / kāryārthe sambhaviṣyati

TRANSLATION: The potency of the Lord, known as viṣṇu-māyā, who is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will also appear with Lord Kṛṣṇa. This potency, acting in different capacities, captivates all the worlds, both material and spiritual. At the request of her master, she will appear with her different potencies in order to execute the work of the Lord. [SB 10.1.25]

PURPORT: Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8). In the Vedas it is said that the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are called by different names, such as yogamāyā and mahāmāyā. Ultimately, however, the Lord’s potency is one, exactly as electric potency is one although it can act both to cool and to heat. The Lord’s potency acts in both the spiritual and material worlds. In the spiritual world the Lord’s potency works as yogamāyā, and in the material world the same potency works as mahāmāyā, exactly as electricity works in both a heater and a cooler. In the material world, this potency, working as mahāmāyā, acts upon the conditioned souls to deprive them more and more of devotional service.

It is said, yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. In the material world the conditioned soul thinks of himself as a product of tri-guṇa, the three modes of material nature. This is the bodily conception of life. Because of associating with the three guṇas of the material potency, everyone identifies himself with his body. Someone is thinking he is a brāhmaṇa, someone a kṣatriya, and someone a vaiśya or śūdra. Actually, however, one is neither a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya, a vaiśya nor a śūdra; one is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord (mamaivāṁśaḥ), but because of being covered by the material energy, mahāmāyā, one identifies himself in these different ways. When the conditioned soul becomes liberated, however, he thinks himself an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya—kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa.’ [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. When he comes to that position, the same potency, acting as yogamāyā, increasingly helps him become purified and devote his energy to the service of the Lord. In either case, whether the soul is conditioned or liberated, the Lord is supreme. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: it is by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the material energy, mahāmāyā, works upon the conditioned soul.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni / guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā / kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Bg. 3.27) Within conditioned life, no one has freedom, but because one is bewildered, being subject to the rule of mahāmāyā, one foolishly thinks himself independent (ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]). But when the conditioned soul becomes liberated by executing devotional service, he is given a greater and greater chance to relish a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in different transcendental statuses, such as dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa and mādhurya-rasa.

Thus the Lord’s potency, viṣṇu-māyā, has two features—āvaraṇikā and unmukha. When the Lord appeared, His potency came with Him and acted in different ways. She acted as yogamāyā with Yaśodā, Devakī and other intimate relations of the Lord, and she acted in a different way with Kaṁsa, Śālva and other asuras. By the order of Lord Kṛṣṇa, His potency yogamāyā came with Him and exhibited different activities according to the time and circumstances. Kāryārthe sambhaviṣyati. Yogamāyā acted differently to execute different purposes desired by the Lord. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.13), mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. The mahātmās, who fully surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord, are directed by yogamāyā, whereas the durātmās, those who are devoid of devotional service, are directed by mahāmāyā.

Embracing maya

There is a story which happend in Maharaja Janaka's (Sita's father) palace.
Once Janaka was sitting in his court and a sadhu came to the court. The king got up and welcomed the sadhu and did his respects by serving him in various ways. After everything was over, Maharaj Janak put a question to the sage, asking why the people are in the clutches of maya. Instead of answering to this question, the sadhu went to a pillar and hugged the pillar tightly, not letting go, crying: "o leave me, o leave me". Everyone in the court got stunned. Some thought that the sadhu had gone crazy or he is a mad sadhu. Then the sadhu asked Maharaj Janak if he got the answer.  The king said no. Then the sadhu said: it is the living entity who go volunterely and catch the maya, holding on to her, not the maya catches them. If they want to be free, they have to leave maya and let go from her. So by this story, we can understand, that we are holding on to maya, out of ignorance and bodily attachement.

When the living entity puts himself under the direction of yogamāyā instead of mahāmāyā, he gradually becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 30: In the spiritual world, there is another energy, the superior spiritual energy, or internal energy, which acts under the direction of yogamāyā. Yogamāyā is the internal potency of the Supreme Lord; she also works under the Lord's direction, but she works in the spiritual world. When the living entity puts himself under the direction of yogamāyā instead of mahāmāyā, he gradually becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Yet those who are after material opulence and material happiness place themselves under the care of the material energy, mahāmāyā, or under the care of material demigods like Lord Śiva and others. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is found that when the gopīs of Vṛndāvana desired Kṛṣṇa as their husband, they prayed to the spiritual energy, yogamāyā, for the fulfillment of their desire. In the Sapta-śatī it is found that King Suratha and a merchant named Samādhi worshiped mahāmāyā for material opulence. Thus one should not mistakenly equalize yogamāyā and mahāmāyā.

Is Maya the same as Durga?

Yes and no. The engineer of the universe, Brahma, mentions Durga as Krishna's illusory energy—Maya—in his collection of prayers to Krishna known as the Brahma-samhita. The commentary to Srimad-Bhagavatam, 11.2.48 discusses this:

". . .the Brahma-samhita (5.44) says, sristhi-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-shaktir eka chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga. Maya is like a shadow of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who serves Him in the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this world. Just as a shadow has no independent power of movement but follows the substance that casts the shadow, the illusory energy of the Lord has no independent power, but bewilders the living entities according to the Lord's desire. One of Krishna's opulences is that He is supremely detached; when a living entity wants to forget Him, Krishna immediately employs His illusory energy to facilitate the foolishness of the conditioned soul."

Srila Prabhupada also identifies Durga-devi as Maya in his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.23.57:

"Actually, the illusory, material energy is cheating everyone. People do not know what they are doing when they worship the material energy in the form of goddess Kali or Durga for material boons. They ask, "Mother, give me great riches, give me a good wife, give me fame, give me victory." But such devotees of the goddess Maya, or Durga, do not know that they are being cheated by that goddess. Material achievement is actually no achievement because as soon as one is illusioned by the material gifts, he becomes more and more entangled, and there is no question of liberation."

However, the name "Durga" doesn't always refer to Krishna's illusory energy by which we're all bewildered in the material world. For example, the cowherd girls of Vrindavan, the gopis, prayed to Durga in order to get Krishna as their husband. The gopis are well known as Krishna's dearest devotees, and certainly aren't ignorantly seeking illusory happiness. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.22.4, Purport, we see this commentary on Durga and Maya:

"According to various acharyas, the goddess Durga mentioned in this verse is not the illusory energy of Krishna called Maya but rather the internal potency of the Lord known as Yoga-maya. The distinction between the internal and external, or illusory, potency of the Lord is described in the Narada-pañcaratra, in the conversation between Sruti and Vidya:

'The Lord’s inferior potency, known as Durga, is dedicated to His loving service. Being the Lord’s potency, this inferior energy is nondifferent from Him. There is another, superior potency, whose form is on the same spiritual level as that of God Himself. Simply by scientifically understanding this supreme potency, one can immediately achieve the Supreme Soul of all souls, who is the Lord of all lords. There is no other process to achieve Him. That supreme potency of the Lord is known as Gokulesvari, the goddess of Gokula. Her nature is to be completely absorbed in love of God, and through Her one can easily obtain the primeval God, the Lord of all that be. This internal potency of the Lord has a covering potency, known as Maha-maya, who rules the material world. In fact she bewilders the entire universe, and thus everyone within the universe falsely identifies himself with the material body.'

From the above we can understand that the internal and external, or superior and inferior, potencies of the Supreme Lord are personified as Yoga-maya and Maha-maya, respectively. The name Durga is sometimes used to refer to the internal, superior potency, as stated in the Pañcaratra: “In all mantras used to worship Krishna, the presiding deity is known as Durga.” Thus in the transcendental sound vibrations glorifying and worshiping the Absolute Truth, Krishna, the presiding deity of the particular mantra or hymn is called Durga. The name Durga therefore refers also to that personality who functions as the internal potency of the Lord and who is thus on the platform of suddha-sattva, pure transcendental existence. This internal potency is understood to be Krishna’s sister, known also as Ekanamsa or Subhadra. This is the Durga who was worshiped by the gopis in Vrindavan. Several acaryas have pointed out that ordinary people are sometimes bewildered and think that the names Maha-maya and Durga refer exclusively to the external potency of the Lord."

"The Brahma-samhita says, chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga. Durga is not different from yogamaya. When one understands Durga properly, he is immediately liberated, for Durga is originally the spiritual potency, hladini-sakti, by whose mercy one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead very easily. Radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktir asmad. The mahamaya-sakti, however, is a covering of yogamaya, and she is therefore called the covering potency. By this covering potency, the entire material world is bewildered (yaya sammohitau jagat). In conclusion, bewildering the conditioned souls and liberating the devotees are both functions belonging to yogamaya." (SB 10.1.69)

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Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura:

In order to charm the eternal devotees and bewilder the enemies like Kamsa, Krishna gave orders to Yogamaya and Mahamaya. Being ordered by the lord Yogamaya and her expansion as the external energy Mahamaya, which bewilders the world, will appear.

The sruti-vidya of Narada Pancharatra states that Mahamaya is an expansion of Yogamaya, Yogamaya is the swarupa-shakti of lord Visnu. She is completely surrendered and unswerving in devotion to the lord. Her nature is Prema (love) and she rules over Gokula like a queen. One immediately attains the lord by her mercy. Her avaranika-shakti is Mahamaya, the controller of the material realm. By her influence all Jivas identify with their material bodies and become bewildered. Mahamaya is also called Durga. 

There are two types of activities: those of Yogamaya and those of Mahamaya, Yogamaya came to the prison when Krishna was born, transferred the seventh child from Devakis womb and put Yasoda into deep sleep to exchange the two children. These are activities of Yogamaya, not Mahamaya. Mahamaya does not have the power to transfer her master Balarama to another womb. Yasoda's sleep is not the work of Mahamaya because the scriptures say that beyond the fourth state of consciousness is the fifth state of Prema. The dreaming of Krishna's eternal associates occurs  in the state of Prema. Their sleep and dreaming are not caused by the modes of nature. Mahamaya can't exert any influence over the eternal associates of the lord. 

The form of Devakis daugher that Kamsa tried to kill, was Mahamaya not Yogamaya, Yogamaya does not  involve herself with such sinful people. Mahamaya slipped from Kamsas  hands, rose up in the sky and then settled in many places with different names after saying "I will be born from the womb of Yasoda in Nandas house in the twenty eighth Yuga-cycle  at the end of Vaivasvata Manvantra. As a resident of Vindya-mountain, I will kill your evil companions.

The bewilderment of the husbands and mother in law of  the married Gopis joining the rasa-lila was an action of Yogamaya not Mahamaya, because the husbands were not atheistic or  unfavourable towards the lord. If they were under  the influence of Mahamaya, then one would certainly observe in them hostility towards Krishna. On the other hand  demons like Duryodhhana and Salva never gave respect to the lord, even though they saw Krishnas Viswarupa and Garuda, Vishnu's carrier. They thought Krsna was one of the  wicked Yadavas. This is the action of Mahamaya not Yogamaya, because their actions show hostility towards the lord. Yogamaya means which connects to Krishna.

The bewilderment of the demons is the action of Mahamaya and the bewilderment of the devotees is the action of Yogamaya. When Yasoda saw the universal form in Krishnas mouth and when Nanda Maharaj saw Krishna in Visnuloka, they were completely unaffected by it because of their intense vatsalya-bhava parental affection, even though they saw such majestic aspects of the lord. This is neither  the action of Yogamaya nor Mahamaya. It is the nature of Prema (love) itself. 

Prema (love) covers ones knowledge of the lords power and majesty aishwarya mayi gyan, and binds up Krishna in the hearts of his Prema-bhaktas more and more with the ropes of spiritual possessiveness, as affection for Krishna increases, Prema completely submerges the devotees in the great ocean of relishing Krishnas sweetness. To convey this unique quality of Prema the Tantra-shastra says, Krishna spread his vaisnavi-maya in the form of parental affection. Extreme affection  for the son is the unique quality of Vatsalya-prema. In this verse Yogamaya is refereed to as Maya since it shares the quality of spreading illusion with Mahamaya.

Prayers of the gopis to goddess Kātyāyani

TRANSLATION: Each of the young unmarried girls performed her worship while chanting the following mantra. "O goddess Kātyāyanī, O great potency of the Lord, O possessor of great mystic power and mighty controller of all, please make the son of Nanda Mahārāja my husband. I offer my obeisances unto you." [SB 10.22.4]

Goddess Kātyāyanī

kātyāyani mahā-māye / mahā-yoginy adhīśvari
nanda-gopa-sutaḿ devi / patiḿ me kuru te namaḥ
iti mantraḿ japantyas tāḥ / pūjāḿ cakruḥ kamārikāḥ

The unmarried gopīs used to prepare the deity of goddess Durgā and worship it with candana pulp, garlands, incense lamps and all kinds of presentations--fruits, grains and twigs of plants. After worshiping, it is the custom to pray for some benediction. The unmarried girls used to pray with great devotion to goddess Kātyāyanī, addressing her as follows: "O supreme eternal energy of the Personality of Godhead, O supreme mystic power, O supreme controller of this material world, O goddess, please be kind to us and arrange for our marriage with the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa."

The Vaiṣṇavas generally do not worship any demigods. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākur has strictly forbidden all worship of the demigods for anyone who wants to advance in pure devotional service. Yet the gopīs, who are beyond compare in their affection for Kṛṣṇa, were seen to worship Durgā. The worshipers of demigods also sometimes mention that the gopīs also worshiped goddess Durgā, but we must understand the purpose of the gopīs. Generally, people worship goddess Durgā for some material benediction. Here, the gopīs prayed to the goddess to become wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The purport is that if Kṛṣṇa is the center of activity, a devotee can adopt any means to achieve that goal. The gopīs could adopt any means to satisfy or serve Kṛṣṇa. That was the superexcellent characteristic of the gopīs. They worshiped goddess Durgā completely for one month in order to have Kṛṣṇa as their husband. Every day they prayed for Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, to become their husband. [Krishna Book 1.22]

"Praying to the demigods to achieve the favor of Kṛṣṇa is not irregular, and Rukmiṇī was fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa." Krishna Book 1-52:

PURPORT: According to various ācāryas, the goddess Durgā mentioned in this verse is not the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa called Maya but rather the internal potency of the Lord known as Yoga-māyā. The distinction between the internal and external, or illusory, potency of the Lord is described in the Nārada-pañcarātra, in the conversation between Śruti and Vidyā:

jānāty ekāparā kāntaḿ / saivā durgā tad-ātmikā
yā parā paramā śaktir / mahā-viṣṇu-svarūpiṇī
yasyā vijñāna-mātreṇa / parāṇāḿ paramātmanaḥ
mahūrtād deva-devasya / prāptir bhavati nānyathā
ekeyaḿ prema-sarvasva / svabhāvā gokuleśvarī
anayā su-labho jñeya / ādi-devo 'khileśvaraḥ
asyā āvārika-śaktir / mahā-māyākhileśvarī
yayā mugdaḿ jagat sarvaḿ / sarve dehābhimāninaḥ

"The Lord's inferior potency, known as Durgā, is dedicated to His loving service. Being the Lord's potency, this inferior energy is nondifferent from Him. There is another, superior potency, whose form is on the same spiritual level as that of God Himself. Simply by scientifically understanding this supreme potency, one can immediately achieve the Supreme Soul of all souls, who is the Lord of all lords. There is no other process to achieve Him. That supreme potency of the Lord is known as Gokuleśvarī, the goddess of Gokula. Her nature is to be completely absorbed in love of God, and through Her one can easily obtain the primeval God, the Lord of all that be. This internal potency of the Lord has a covering potency, known as Mahā-māyā, who rules the material world. In fact she bewilders the entire universe, and thus everyone within the universe falsely identifies himself with the material body."

Kātyāyanī Vrata

"My dear gopīs," Kṛṣṇa continued, "your desire to have Me as your husband will be fulfilled because with this desire you have worshiped
goddess Kātyāyanī. I promise you that during the next autumn season you shall be able to meet with Me, and you shall enjoy Me as your husband."   

From the above we can understand that the internal and external, or superior and inferior, potencies of the Supreme Lord are personified as Yoga-māyā and Mahā-māyā, respectively. The name Durgā is sometimes used to refer to the internal, superior potency, as stated in the Pañcarātra: "In all mantras used to worship Kṛṣṇa, the presiding deity is known as Durgā." Thus in the transcendental sound vibrations glorifying and worshiping the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, the presiding deity of the particular mantra or hymn is called Durgā. The name Durgā therefore refers also to that personality who functions as the internal potency of the Lord and who is thus on the platform of śuddha-sattva, pure transcendental existence. This internal potency is understood to be Kṛṣṇa's sister, known also as Ekānaḿśā or Subhadrā. This is the Durgā who was worshiped by the gopīs in Vṛndāvana. Several ācāryas have pointed out that ordinary people are sometimes bewildered and think that the names Mahā-māyā and Durgā refer exclusively to the external potency of the Lord.

Even if we accept hypothetically that the gopīs were worshiping the external Māyā, there is no fault on their part, since in their pastimes of loving Kṛṣṇa they were acting as ordinary members of society. Śrīla Prabhupāda comments in this regard: "The Vaiṣṇavas generally do not worship any demigods. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has strictly forbidden all worship of the demigods for anyone who wants to advance in pure devotional service. Yet the gopīs, who are beyond compare in their affection for Kṛṣṇa, were seen to worship Durgā. The worshipers of demigods also sometimes mention that the gopīs also worshiped goddess Durgā, but we must understand the purpose of the gopīs. Generally, people worship goddess Durgā for some material benediction. Here, the gopīs could adopt any means to satisfy or serve Kṛṣṇa. That was the superexcellent characteristic of the gopīs. They worshiped goddess Durgā completely for one month in order to have Kṛṣṇa as their husband. Every day they prayed for Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, to become their husband."

The conclusion is that a sincere devotee of Kṛṣṇa will never imagine any material quality to exist in the transcendental gopīs, who are the most exalted devotees of the Lord. The only motivation in all their activities was simply to love and satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and if we foolishly consider their activities to be mundane in any way, it will be impossible for us to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Following the example of the gopīs, the devotees sometimes worship the goddess Kātyāyanī, but they understand that Kātyāyanī is an incarnation of Yogamāyā. The gopīs worshiped Kātyāyanī, Yogamāyā, to attain Kṛṣṇa as their husband. On the other hand, it is stated in the Sapta-śatī scripture that a kṣatriya king named Suratha and a rich vaiśya named Samādhi worshiped material nature in the form of goddess Durgā to attain material perfection. If one tries to mingle the worship of Yogamāyā with that of Mahāmāyā, considering them one and the same, he does not really show very high intelligence. The idea that everything is one is a kind of foolishness indulged in by those with less brain substance. Fools and rascals say that the worship of Yogamāyā and the worship of Mahāmāyā are the same. This conclusion is simply the result of mental speculation, and it has no practical effect. In the material world, sometimes one gives an exalted title to an utterly worthless thing; in Bengal this is known as giving a blind child a name like Padmalocana, which means "lotus-eyed." One may foolishly call a blind child Padmalocana, but such an appellation does not bear any meaning. If one tries to mingle the worship of Yogamāyā with that of Mahāmāyā, considering them one and the same, he does not really show very high intelligence. [CC Madhya 8.90, Purport]

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Prayer to Yogamāyā Devi (Durga-devi)

by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
(Kalyana Kalpataru 38)

Text 1
āmāra samāna hīna nāhi e soṁsāre
asthira ha'yechi poḍi' bhaba pārābāre 

In this world no one is fallen like me.
Drowning in the ocean of birth and death, I am very anxious.

Text 2
kuladebī jogamāyā more kṛpā kori'
ābaraṇa sambaribe kabe biśwodarī

O Goddess Yogamāyā, O the mother of the worlds,
when will you be merciful to me and remove this veil of illusions?

Text 3
śunechi āgame bede mahimā tomāra
śrī-kṛṣṇa-bimukhe bāndhi karāo soṁsāra

In the Vedas and Agamas I have heard your glories. The souls who have turned away from Lord Kṛṣṇa you imprison in the world of birth and death.

Text 4
śrī-kṛṣṇa-sāmmukhya jā'ra bhāgya-krame hoya
tā're mukti diyā koro' aśoka abhoya

To the fortunate souls who try to turn toward Lord Kṛṣṇa you give liberation. You free them from fear and grief.

Text 5
e dāse janani kori' akaitaba doyā
bṛndābane deha' sthāna tumi jogamāyā

O mother, please be merciful to this servant. Please don't cheat him. O Yogamāyā, please give him a place in Vṛndāvana.

Text 6
tomāke laṅghiyā kothā jībe kṛṣṇa pāya
kṛṣṇa-rasa prakaṭilo tomāra kṛpāya

How can a person who neglects you find Lord Kṛṣṇa? It is by your mercy that the nectar of Lord Kṛṣṇa is openly visible.

Text 7
tumi kṛṣṇa-sahacarī jagata-jananī
tumi dekhāile more kṛṣṇa-cintāmaṇi

You are Lord Kṛṣṇa's companion. You are the mother of the worlds. You showed me the cintāmaṇi jewel that is Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Text 8
niṣkapaṭa ho'ye mātā cāo mora pāne
baiṣṇaba biśwāsa bṛddhi ha'ka prati-khaṇe

O mother, I sincerely desire that my faith in the Vaiṣṇavas will grow moment after moment.

Text 9
baiṣṇaba-caraṇa binā bhaba-parābāra
bhakatibinoda nāre hoibāre pāra

Without taking shelter of the Vaiṣṇavas' feet, Bhaktivinoda has no power to cross to the farther shore of the ocean of birth and death.

Māyā - the deluding power of God

The vedic texts explain Māyā (illusion) as being the energy of Lord Krishna, appearing two-fold as Yogamāyā and Mahamāyā. The Lord’s potency acts in both the spiritual and material worlds. In the spiritual world the Lord’s potency works as Yogamāyā, and in the material world the same potency works as Mahāmāyā.

Mahamāyā controlls Prakriti or material nature and acts as the deluding power of the lord, putting all living entities in illusion. Maha-Maya therefore causes ignorance and through ignorance perpetuates the notion of duality, which is responsible for our bondage upon earth. It conceals our true nature and makes us wrongly believe that we are mere physical and mental beings. Through its powerful pull, it draws us forcefully into the subjective reality of this mundane world in which we live, binding us to worldly things and events through our thoughts and desires.

Māyā causes delusion in many ways. Under the influence of Maya an individual loses his intelligence and power of discrimination. He forgets his true nature. He loses contact with his true inner self and believes that he is the physical self with a mind and body that are subject to constant change, instability, and birth and death. In that delusion, he believes that he is doer of his actions, that he is responsible for his actions, that he is alone and independent, that he cannot live with or without certain things and so on, where as in truth he is an aspect of God, who has concealed himself, who is actually the real doer, and for whose experience all this has been created. Because of his ignorant thinking, he develops attachment with worldly objects and wants to possess them. He spends his life in the pursuit of unworthy objectives in the world considering them to be imperative for his success, survival, happiness and personal pride.

When we know that maya is the power that binds us and deludes us, we become aware of the extent of her actual influence and role in our lives. Out of this awareness comes a sense of caution and discriminating, which ultimately leads to Yoga-Maya, who helps and frees us from material ignorance. But till we reach that stage, we remain in the grip of Maha-Maya, like fish, caught helplessly in a net of material entanglement.

When the living entity puts himself under the direction of yogamāyā instead of mahāmāyā, he gradually becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Yet those who are after material opulence and material happiness place themselves under the care of the material energy, mahāmāyā.

Yogamāyā means the mercy of the Supreme Lord, which connects a devotee in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and Mahamāyā means the external potency of the Lord which puts a conditioned soul into illusion that he will be happy by material adjustment.

Prabhupāda: Yogamāyā? Yogamāyā means that which connects you. Yoga means connection. When you are being gradually advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the action of yogamāyā. And when you are gradually forgetting Kṛṣṇa, that is the action of mahāmāyā. Māyā is acting upon you. The one is dragging you, and one is pushing you opposite way. Yogamāyā. So, just like the example, that you are always under the laws of government. You cannot deny. If you say, "I don't agree to abide by the laws of government," that is not possible. But when you are a criminal, you are under the police laws, and when you are gentleman, you are under the civil laws. The laws are there. In any situation, you have to obey the laws of government. If you remain as a civilized citizen, then you are always protected by the civil law. But as soon as you are against the state, the criminal law will act upon you. So the criminal activities of law is mahāmāyā, threefold miseries, always. Always putting in some sort of misery. And the civil department of Kṛṣṇa, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. You simply go on increasing the, I mean to say, depth of the ocean of joy. Ānandambudhi-vardhanam. That is the difference, yogamāyā and mahāmāyā. Yogamāyā is... Yogamāyā, the original yogamāyā, is Kṛṣṇa's internal potency. That is Rādhārāṇī. [Prabhupada Lecture -- Seattle, October 18, 1968]

Kṛṣṇa ordered the appearance of His Yogamāyā, or His internal potency. This Yogamāyā is the principal potency of the Personality of Godhead. In the Vedas it is stated that the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has multipotencies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. All the different potencies are acting externally and internally, and Yogamāyā is the chief of all potencies. He ordered the appearance of Yogamāyā in the land of Vrajabhūmi, in Vṛndāvana, which is always decorated and full with beautiful cows. In Vṛndāvana, Rohiṇī, one of the wives of Vasudeva, was residing at the house of King Nanda and Queen Yaśodā.

The Lord thus informed Yogamāyā: "Under the imprisonment of Kaṁsa are Devakī and Vasudeva, and at the present moment, My plenary expansion, Śeṣa, is within the womb of Devakī. You can arrange the transfer of Śeṣa from the womb of Devakī to the womb of Rohiṇī. After this arrangement, I am personally going to appear in the womb of Devakī with My full potencies. Then I shall appear as the son of Devakī and Vasudeva. And you shall appear as the daughter of Nanda and Yaśodā in Vṛndāvana.

"Since you will appear as My contemporary sister, people within the world will worship you with all kinds of valuable presentations: incense, candles, flowers and offerings of sacrifice. You shall quickly satisfy their desires for sense gratificiation. People who are after materialistic affection will worship you under the different forms of your expansions, which will be named Durgā, Bhadrakālī, Vijayā, Vaiṣṇavī, Kumudā, Caṇḍikā, Kṛṣṇā, Mādhavī, Kanyakā, Māyā, Nārāyaṇī, Īśānī, Śāradā and Ambikā."

Kṛṣṇa and Yogamāyā appeared as brother and sister--the Supreme Powerful and the supreme power. Although there is no clear distinction between the Powerful and the power, power is always subordinate to the Powerful. Those who are materialistic are worshipers of the power, but those who are transcendentalists are worshipers of the Powerful. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Powerful, and Durgā is the supreme power within the material world. Actually people in the Vedic culture worship both the Powerful and the power. There are many hundreds of thousands of temples of Viṣṇu and Devī, and sometimes they are worshiped simultaneously. The worshiper of the power, Durgā, or the external energy of Kṛṣṇa, may achieve all kinds of material success very easily, but anyone who wants to be elevated transcendentally must engage in worshiping the Powerful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When Yogamāyā was thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she circumambulated the Lord and then appeared within this material world according to His order. [Krishna Book 1-2]

The Lord comes to this material world through the agency of His internal potency, and similarly, when a devotee or associate of the Lord descends to this material world, he does so through the action of the spiritual energy. Any pastime conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is an arrangement by yogamāyā, not mahāmāyā.

Yogamāyā - director of loving spiritual pastimes

The principle of lila (spiritual pastimes) is the unique vedic contribution to the worlds mundane, dry theology. God is often imagined as a judge who rewards the pious and penalizes the impious. If that’s all that God had to do eternally, God’s personal life would be quite boring. But the devotional vedic texts like Shrimad Bhagavatam explain that being a judge is only a tiny part of God’s multifaceted, nay omnifaceted, personality. God as Krishna has his own life of eternal love with his devotees in his kingdom. There, Krishna delights, not in the exhibition of his godhood, but in the reciprocation of love with his devotees. In Krishna’s abode, Vrindavana, Yoga-Maya covers the devotees so that they are no longer conscious that Krishna is God; they see him just as the most special, sweet member of their village. Krishna too plays that role to perfection. For example, with those devotees who love him in vatsalya-rasa (parental affection), Krishna becomes an endearing, naughty child, who steals butter from their houses. The elderly gopis complain to Krishna’s mother, Yashoda, Krishna artfully feigns innocence and Yashoda is mystified till the telltale butter on Krishna’s lips incriminates him.

Lilas like these are so celebrated that hundreds of sweet songs have been composed about them and millions of Krishna devotees delight in singing them. Indeed Bilvamangala Thakura, the great Vaishnava-poet, glorifies Lord Krishna as the ultimate thief, “My dear Lord, O best of thieves, you, who are celebrated as butter-thief in the glorious land of Vrindavan, please steal away all my sins that have accumulated over many lifetimes.”

Skeptics who ask why God steals, miss the essence of the lila – love. Krishna being God owns everything; there’s no question of his stealing anything when everything belongs to him. Yet Krishna “steals” to have fun-filled loving exchanges with his devotees.

To appreciate the dynamics of lila, let’s compare a lila with a drama. Of course, unlike a drama, Krishna’s transcendental lila is not unreal; rather it is the highest reality – the reality of the intimate love between the Lord and his devotees.

In the eternally real drama of Krishna-lila, Yoga-Maya is the director and Krishna is the hero. But the special twist is that Krishna is also the scriptwriter, so that Yoga-Maya directs Krishna according to his own script. Thus in his lila, Krishna is simultaneously in control being the scriptwriter, and not in control being the perfect actor who forgets himself while playing his role. This is Krishna’s extraordinary world of love. Krishna-lila reveals the import of the saying “God is love” in the personality of Krishna, who is the supremely loving and lovable person.

Just as Yoga-Maya causes forgetfulness of Krishna’s divinity among those souls who want to enjoy with Krishna in His lila, the counterpart of Yoga-Maya in the material world, Maha-Maya, causes forgetfulness of Krishna’s divinity among those souls who want to enjoy separate from Krishna. However, there is a big difference between the two kinds of forgetfulness; Yoga-Maya’s forgetfulness furthers the ecstasy of love in the spiritual world, whereas Maha-Maya’s forgetfulness perpetuates the agony of repeated birth and death in the material world.

To attract us back from Maha-Maya to Yoga-Maya, Krishna reveals his loving lila to us, in form as transcendental patimes. The same Krishna who appeared on this earth 5000 years ago in Vrindavan, is still available to us us today, in his holy names, like the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, which purify and soften our hearts and redirect our heart’s love back to him. When our heart becomes soft with love for Krishna, soft like butter, then makhana-cora Krishna will come and steal our hearts. Devotees pray and long for that ultimate love-theft.

Please also see:

Nava-Durgā - The nine forms of Goddess Durgā
The Gopīs worship Goddess Kātyānanī

German translation
Māyā-Śhakti  =  Die illusionierende Energie Gottes