dhūmenāvriyate vahnir
yathādarśho malena cha
yatholbenāvṛito garbhas
tathā tenedam āvṛitam “
- Bhagavadgita 3:38
“ Just as a fire is covered by smoke, a mirror is masked by dust, and an embryo is concealed by the womb, similarly one’s knowledge gets shrouded by desire “ said Paramatma in Geeta.
Vedanta declares, ' vAsanamaayyO druSya veechayah '— meaning, the waves of the visible world are composed of *vasanas* (subtle impressions/tendencies). The *vasanas* from past lives constantly stir up waves. Depending on the karma of past lives, waves of happiness and sorrow arise one after another.
If there is a stain or dirt on a mirror, our reflection does not appear clearly; the fault, however, does not lie with the eye. The mind is inherently pure, yet it becomes clouded by the *vasanas* resulting from past karma.
For instance, consider watching a TV serial. We know that the characters and dialogues are merely fictional constructs. Yet, we remain anxious to know what happens next, eagerly awaiting the same time the following day. We feel pity for some characters, while harboring anger or revulsion toward others. All these reactions are self-created—illusions conjured by the mind. We experience joy, sorrow, anger, and hatred over things that do not even exist.
Ignorance lies in failing to recognize one's true self and instead identifying with what one is not. We boast about knowing this person or that person, yet we fail to acknowledge that we are heirs to the Divine and that God belongs to us.
Ignorance does not vanish easily. We neither recognize nor admit to the mistakes we make. It is neither a matter of inherent nature nor fear; rather, the veil of *Maya* (illusion) shrouds us due to the *vasanas* of past lives.
Both Mareecha and Sitamma commented “ it seems there is noone on your side to give a good and useful advice to you “.
We continue to cultivate unnecessary attachments and succumb to illusion.
Subhamastu