(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1)
If we become purified, we can see Krsna, otherwise naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah (Bhagavad-gita 7.25), for the conditioned soul, Krsna remains avrtah, he remains covered. We cannot see him. Even those who are trying to become free from the influence of material nature, even they cannot see him. Even devotees who chant Hare Krsna, sometimes cannot see him. Sometimes we do and sometimes we do not. There are moments when we cannot see him and that is the difficulty, then doubt sets in.
avrtam jnanam etena
jnanino nitya-vairina
kama-rupena kaunteya
duspurenanalena ca (Bhagavad-gita 3.39)
It is explained that the influence of lust causes this covering. It is due to lust, due to the desire to exploit the material energy, atmendriya-priti-vancha — tare bali ‘kama’ (Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 4.165). When we think, ME and MY senses and everything is meant to serve ME and I am meant to be king!
There was an old film which I still remember. It was called Midnight Cowboy and in that film, there is this man who was living in an old squat house somewhere behind a construction site, in an empty building and he is cripple. In the middle of film, his name is Ratso. In the middle of the film, Ratso has a dream. In this dream, he is in the middle of a five star hotel, he was smoking, lying on some sort of fancy cushioned bed next to the swimming pool while five girls are attending to him. One is filing his nails, another one massaging his shoulders, other one pouring drinks and so on, in Ratso’s dream. So he is dreaming, dreaming so much enjoyment. So many varieties of dreaming are there and of course, his dream never comes true. (laughter)
So many dreams in the material world may not come true – atmendriya-priti-vancha – because we are interested in putting ourselves in the centre. As a result, we are covered. Then when we are covered, we come into a difficult situation.