Maya and Jnana The nature of the mind is such that it can
generate as many as a hundred desires in the course of an hour.
What is the capacity of the body to fulfil those desires?
What is the time required for their fulfilment?
If one goes on piling up more and more desires without fulfilment, what will be the condition
of one's mind?
Will it not become weaker and weaker due to disappointment and failures?
Any desire, if it is to lead to happiness, must be in consonance with one's physical
harmony, the sentiments of society, and the law of Nature.
A sensible person should learn to restrict his desires to suit the capacity and harmony
of the physical body and mind.
Not only that, he should also respect the views of society while seeking fulfilment
of his desires.
Man is always a member of society.
Whatever he wants or needs comes from society, and what he produces also returns to the society.
Hence, every individual should think, act and enjoy in a manner that is agreeable to
society and conforms to the sentiments of society.
Otherwise the individual will certainly come to harm and suffer when he proceeds to fulfil
his desires.
The third angle he has to keep in view is the law of Nature.
If a desire happens to be in conflict with, or in contravention of, the law of Nature,
it cannot be fulfilled.
Persistence in such a desire can only spoil the life of the person.
Every manifestation, appearance or action in the universe is a part of Nature.
The natural and divine force, which is called Consciousness, starts in man from a limited
sphere and extends its dimension step by step, stage by stage, toward a further understanding
of its own existence and functions in the shape of the universe.
It finally merges with its fullness in the infinite state.
This is the nature of the mind.
The mind is the most peculiar and adorable phenomenon in the universe.
All the values in the universe are assessed only by the mind.
And, all the existence and functions of the universe are within the mind.
It can shrink its focus to the most minute size, and in no time expand to any vast dimension,
even up to the extent of the universe and beyond- even to the infinite state.
The functioning field of the mind is the universe.
The base of the mind is the soul.
The origin of the soul is the Almighty-the Infinite-God.
Therefore, the origin as well as the goal of the mind is The Infinite.
In the course of development of the understanding of the functions and beauties of the universe,
a diversion of the mind's activity is produced by the experiences of pleasure and pain sensations.
In such a condition, the soul, in its psychic extension as mind, forgets its existence,
greatness and its aim.
This stagnation of the soul embodied in man is called Maya (Sanskrit) or illusion.
When man develops the force of his mind and self-awareness, thereby achieving success
over this stagnation, he reaches the ultimate goal of the Infinite-the state of perfection
of the mind.
He leads his life in this light of perfection of realization.
This state is called Jnana (Sanskrit) or wisdom.
A man can enjoy material pleasure in the self-forgetful state or Maya as well as in the state of awareness
or Jnana.
When a person enjoys any commodity or facility with soul-consciousness, he gets both satisfaction
and psychic detachment from it.
On the other hand, when he enjoys the same commodity or facility in the state of illusion,
he gets attached to that object.
Whatever the activity of man, that activity gets registered as an imprint in four ways:
(1) In the limbs and senses; (2) In the brain cells; (3) As hereditary quality in seed cells;
and (4) In each and every ethereal particle of life-energy.
In the forgetful state, the soul succumbs frequently to emotions and errs repeatedly.
By the force of needs, habits and environmental conditions, the activities of the soul continue
on the same worn path because of old imprints.
So the attachment with worldly imprints becomes deeper and deeper, day by day.
These imprints of the activities of man, which lead to pain and misery, are not conducive
to the free journey of his soul, since they obstruct or delay its spiritual advancement.
All such imprints are called sins.