Sheltered from maya

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 January 2018, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 8.12.17-21)

No one is so powerful that he is not influenced by maya, the illusory energy. Even Lord Brahma can sometimes become bewildered by illusory energy. Therefore we can never think, “Oh well, now I have been a devotee for ninety-nine years and maya cannot touch me. What can maya do to me? It does not affect me. I am a bhakti yogi.”

No. We should understand what Srila Prabhupada mentions about Ajamila – Ajamila was a qualified brahmana, Ajamila went through gurukula, Ajamila was properly trained, he was highly learned but when Ajamila came face-to-face with maya, Ajamila fell down. Srila Prabhupada said, “If Ajamila fell down then what is our chance? How can we not fall down?”

But we are chanting the holy name. Ajamila was at namabhasa (the clearing stage of chanting Hare Krsna); not at a sadhana like how we are chanting and that protects us but that is not all. We have the mercy of Lord Caitanya who interferes, who is right there. Every time maya attacks us then Lord Caitanya gets in-between and blocks it, he is protecting us. In that way, we are somehow or other able to stand in the face of maya, weak as we are.