मायाचरण : हो जाती है मानव-बुद्धि भ्रष्ट

Summary

The text discusses the concept of "maya" (deception or fraud) as one of the four primary passions (krodha, mana, maya, lobha) in life. It explains that a person who deceitfully cheats others can also be deceived themselves, using the analogy of a wooden pot that can only be heated once. Maya has many forms, including taking support of falsehood (mayamrisha), where one's words and actions do not align. The text emphasizes that humans are social beings dependent on mutual cooperation, as expressed in the ideal "parasparopagraho jivanam" (mutual support). However, some individuals take cooperation as their right but avoid giving it, sometimes resorting to maya. The story of King Mahabala illustrates how even a devout ascetic engaged in deceitful practices during severe penance, binding karmic consequences like "strived" due to his cunning behavior. Maya is described as a "shalya" (thorn) that deeply embeds itself in life, causing suffering over many births. A deceitful person uses maya to acquire wealth, leading to mental, verbal, and physical crookedness, draining their vital energy and causing illness. The text contrasts the crooked scissors (symbolizing maya) that separate connected hearts with the straight needle that mends broken ones. It states that a deceitful person burns internally like a furnace melting iron, unable to achieve spiritual purity. True purification requires repentance, confession, and straightforwardness (rijuta). Quoting the Uttaradhyayana Sutra, it asserts that purity comes to the straightforward, and dharma resides in the pure, leading to supreme liberation. The text concludes by citing Jesus Christ and Swami Vivekananda, emphasizing that only those with a pure and simple heart can attain divine vision, urging the abandonment of maya for simplicity and straightness to achieve ultimate peace.