Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.6
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Vṛndāvana, April 18, 1975
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is also māyā, yoga-māyā, and Durgā is also māyā, expansion of Rādhārāṇī. But Durgā's business is different than Rādhārāṇī's business. Durgā's business is yayā sammohito jīvaḥ, to keep the living entities covered not to become awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is māyā's duty. So Vyāsadeva saw this māyā, this mahā-māyā, who is keeping the living entities under the cover of illusion. So it is said, "This māyā." "He saw the Supreme Person, and back of that Supreme Person he saw this māyā." Which māyā? Yayā sammohito jīva: "that māyā which is keeping the living entities in illusion." What is that illusion? That is also here: yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam [SB 1.7.5]. Tri-guṇa, tri-guṇa means the sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So, under the influence of māyā, we are identifying with the different guṇas or qualities of this material world. So sattva-guṇa, yes, sattva-guṇa is the brahminical qualification. So one is thinking that "I am brāhmaṇa." One is thinking, who is under the control of rajo-guṇa, "I am kṣatriya." Or in other words, this is, this identification, is all over the world. Now you may not think, "I am brāhmaṇa," but you may think, "I am American." Or I may think, "I am Indian." There is some sort of identification. And therefore the whole world is full of anarthas, unnecessary, unnecessary thing. I am not brāhmaṇa; I am not Indian; you are not American; you are not kṣatriya; or... This is all false identification. So this is the work of māyā, that all the living entities they are under certain impression that "I am this. I am this." And this "I am this. I am that," they cannot make any solution.
They have created the United Nations, but there is no solution because everyone is under the grip of the māyā, material energy, and they are simply creating problems. This is their business. Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam [SB 1.7.5]. Ātmānam. I am spirit soul, but I do not belong to these material qualities; still, I am thinking, ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. One cannot go beyond these three guṇas, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, or mixed. Three into three equal to nine, and again mix, nine into nine equals eighty-one. Therefore there are 8,400,000 species of living entities under the impression that "I am this; I am plant; I am fish; I am mosquito; I am man; I am demigod; I am tiger; I am Indian; I am American." In this way there are 8,400,000's of different types of identification. Therefore we find so many forms of life. Ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakaṁ manute. Yayā... This is all the work of māyā, to keep us under certain impression. And we work under certain impression and create another situation, and we get, "tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [Bg. 2.13]." Now, this life, if I create a situation like a dog, then I will get the body of a dog. That's all. Or if I create a situation like the demigod, then I can go to the heavenly planets. But if I create a situation that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," then you go to Kṛṣṇa. This is wanted. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Create a situation. Don't create a situation that "I am this. I am that." Simply create a situation that you completely understand that "I have no other business than to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and my only duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa." This is wanted. That is called anartha upaśamam.