Sloka: naprathimethetwani madadivyatha tat mayan mada bhasha tatatmana
 
What appears to be the truth without me is certainly is my illusory energy, wherever nothing can exist without me. It is like reflection of real light to the shadows with in the light. There is no shadows nor reflections.
 
This verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam is in essence explains the nature of the illusory energy. In the Isopanishad it is said that only one can learn the process of neisance and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full bliss of immortality.
 
So, one must understand the relative truths or the illusory energy Maya; inorder to understand the absolute truth. And this morning we are going to discuss briefly the very essential points of the nature of maya and each of these points should be known and understand carefully.
 
Maya means illusory- that which is not. Maya – when we say that which is not, it doesnot mean that she doesnot exist. There is a philosophy – Brahman satyam jagan mithya : that Brahman is truth and this universe is mithya or in illusion. But how is this possible. Because Krishna says that Mayadakshena Prakruthi Suchita sachidaneya – that this material nature or Maya is working under his direction and in Isopanishad, it is said that “Om purnam midapurnam that the supreme absolute truth is perfect and complete and all things eminating from Him are also perfect and complete including this Maya or material energy. So, therefore, we must know that maya is illusory but it is real.
 
How is it illusory – we have defined that Maya as that which is not. When you have mistaken something for what it isnot – that is illusory.
 
Its like the example is – if someone sees a snake and then one goes to another place and sees a rope on the ground and thinks that this rope is a snake and becomes frightened. It is true that rope is not the snake but it does not mean that the idea of snake is an illusion, because there is a real snake and the rope is also a real thing. But when you misunderstand and take one to be the other – that is illusion, that is illusory. Maya has no separate independent existence out side of Krishna. When we see how maya or this material energy is the energy of GOD and you see the relationship between the material energy and Krishna then we see the reality of this world. But when we separate Krishna from material energy then it becomes a great illusion. The absolute truth is the substance and the relative truth or maya depends on its relationship with the absolute truth for its existence.
 
Therefore maya means the energy of the absolute truth. Maya means energy. And an example is given by Srila Prabhupad – that the absolute truth is compared to the SUN and the sun is appreciated in terms of two relative truths – reflection and darkness. Darkness is the absence of sun; reflection is a projection of sunlight into darkness. Neither darkness nor reflection can have an independent existence from the sun.
 

Shadow – is relative to the existence of the sun, it is within the sun. When you turn your back to the sun, you see your shadow, but when you turn your face to the sun, you see no shadow. So, similarly when we turn towards to Krishna, there is no darkness anywhere, that can possibly exist, but when we turn ourface away from Krishna, then we see a shadow, that shadow of darkness is created, maintained and dependent on the sun. Therefore, it is relative to the sun.
 
The spiritual world is compared to the sunshine and the material world is compared to the darkness in which the sun is not visible. And it is explained hereby that when the material manifestation appears very wonderful, this is to the second principle of reflection of the supreme sunshine. We described that there is two principles within this relative truth – darkness and reflection. Krishna says in the Gita that all beautiful, all wonderful things are spark of my splendor. Anything we are attracted to in this world is a projection of the beauty and the glory of GOD with in this world. To not see how these reflections are coming from Krishna is the illusion. To appreciate and connect everything we experience in this world to its source of Krishna is truth.
 
The vedic literatures direct us not to be captivated by the darkness of these material regions, but to try to reach the shiny regions of the absolute truths. Truth is light; knowledge is light; it is ignorance that creates darkness.
 
The spiritual world is effulgently illuminated, therefore in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that in the spiritual world there is no need for sun or moon or any artificial electricity, everything is self effulgent because everything is truly connected to the truth. There is no ignorance, but this material world or maya is a place of darkness.