Section 22
Mäyä is Activated by the Lord.

           The goddess of Earth spoke similarly in her prayers to Lord Varahädeva (Çrémad Bhägavatam 5.18.38):

          O Lord, You do not desire the creation, maintenance, or annihilation of this material world, but You by Your glance activate Mäyä who performs these activities for the conditioned souls exactly as a piece of iron moves under the influence of a magnet." I bow down to You, O Lord, who is the witness of the modes and activities of the living entity.

           Çrédhara Swämé comments: For the benefit of the living entity the Lord who glances over the material nature desires the creation. With absolute lack of desire, He would not glance. He does not desire creation for Himself. The Mäyä does the creation and so on of the universe through her modes. Although Mäyä is inert, being close to and supported by the Lord she functions. This is illustrated by  a the example of magnet causing the movement of an iron piece. Tadäçrayam means towards the magnet. I pay my obeisances unto Him, the witness of the modes and activities--the accumulated karma of the living entities.

 PURPORT

          In the previous anuccheda it was explained that Mäyä functions under the Lord's control.  Although she is inert, she performs acts of creation and so forth.  This text explains how inert Mäyä can perform such acts.

          Mother earth spoke  this verse to Lord Varäha.  She says that the Lord has no purpose in the material creation and it is not meant for His own enjoyment.  He has His personal abode where He sports eternally with His loving devotees.  He creates the material world only for the conditioned souls.  But the question comes that if He has no desire, why does he create it? No one acts without a desire. The answer is that He does not desire it for Himself; He desires it for the welfare of the jévas.  That's why He glances over the material energy, which results in the creation of the universes. This is stated in the Chändoyya Upaniñad (6.2.3),  tadaékñata bahu syäm prajäyeyieti,  This creation comes about by the Lord's glance and its annihilation takes place when He closes His eyes.

          Lord Kåñëa says (S.B. 11.24.20):

One should never lose sight of the actual goal of mental activities, but rather, conquering the life air and senses and utilizing intelligence strengthened by the mode of goodness, one should bring the mind under the control of the self.

          A doubt is raised.  In the material world living entities are suffering in the cycle of birth and death.  Is this the purpose of creation?  Does the Lord relish seeing the jévas suffering?  Çré Çuka answers (S.B. 11.87.2): 

"The Supreme Lord manifested the material intelligence, senses, mind, and vital air of the living entities so that they could indulge their desires for sense gratification, take repeated births to engage in fruitive activities, become elevated in future lives, and, ultimately, attain liberation."

          The real purpose is ätmane' kalpanäya ca, to attain liberation. Lord personally comes to teach this message to the conditioned living beings. He also gives the Vedas for the welfare of humanity. A further doubt is raised.  If such is the case, why does the Lord not give an equal chance to everyone?  Why is it that some enjoy in heaven and some suffer in hell?  The answer is in the phrase guëa-karma-säkñine (S.B. 5.18.38), "The witness of the modes and activities of the living entities."  The meaning is that the Lord awards the result according to every one's karma.  He is not biased.  Everyone suffers or enjoys the results of his karma. This does not mean that He is impersonal or indifferent however, nor that He is forced to give the results of karma or that He has no discrimination. He gives knowledge how to become free from suffering and  He certainly favours His devotees.  When He sees that a person has realized the purpose of the creation, the Lord takes personal interest in helping Him.  Such a surrendered soul is no longer under the indifferent laws of karma.  This Lord Kåñëa revealed to Arjuna (B.g. 9.29):

"I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone.  I am equal to all.  But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him".

          Another doubt is raised.  Mäyä is inert so how can she create the universe?  In Bhagavad-gétä (14.3) Lord Kåñëa says that He impregnates the material nature-mama yonir mahad-brahma tasmin garbhaà dadhämyaham, and then all the living entities take birth. He places the seed. The meaning is that by His potency inert Mäyä becomes active. She performs the work of udayam or creation sthiti or maintenance and satyam or dissolution by her modes of passion, goodness and ignorance respectively. The Çrémad Bhägavatam explains that the Lord does not contact her personally but she is energized or impregnated by proximity to Him just by His glance, just as an iron piece is energized in the proximity of a magnet. This is the significance of glance. When one glances at an object he does not have to personally contact it. The example of magnet conveys both meanings--not coming in contact yet making iron move. Inert piece of iron cannot move by itself.

 Similarly, Mäyä is dependent on the energy of the Lord to energize her activities.  In this way activities of Mäyä are always under the control and impelled by the Lord's internal potency.  She is not capable to act independently.  This certainly defies the dualistic Säëkhya philosophy of Kapila Muni, who considers material nature an independent agent.

          In the following Text Çréla Jéva Gosvämé further explains how Mäyä cannot influence the Lord but that does not mean that Mäyä is illusory. It is real like the other energies of the Lord.