Maya in our daily lives

Once Narada Muni who is very intimate devotee of Krishna, visited the Lord.

“My dear Krishna, can you please explain to me the secret of this magic called Maya and how she acts?”

Krishna hesitated but Narada insisted to see the acts of Maya.

OK Narada I will show you, but let's walk for a while. After they walked sometime in the forest, he said to Narada: “Let’s lie down here in the shade, it’s terribly hot; would you get me a glass of water?”

“Right away,” Narada promised and set out across the fields. He reached the nearby village and ran to the first house. The door opened – and there stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She smiled up at Narada through long, dark lashes and something happened to him that had never happened before. All he could do was to look at her beautiful face.

He instantly fell in love with the girl and proposed to marry her.

The girl went and brought her father who put a condition that Narada must work at the farm before he could marry the girl.

He started to work for the father, the father admiring his good work, thought he will be a good husband for his girl, and finally, after a couple of years Narada’s wish become a reality, and he was married to the beautiful girl.

The couple settled down to a life of family bliss. After a while, children began to arrive. Narada’s home became a very animated household. Narada and his wife became engrossed in their private little world, quietly building their dreams. he worked tirelessly, and good fortune favored him.

Years passed. The children grew up, went to school, got married; in time, grandchildren arrived.

Narada became the patriarch of a great family, respected by the whole village; his lands stretched to the horizon. He and his wife would look at each other fondly and say, “Don’t you think being grandparents is the greatest thing on earth?”

Then after so many years, of working and farming, one day the sky darkened ominously, and it rained days, and nights for days, then a torrential flood came.

First the village fields became a raging river, then his servants told him the cattle was gone.

The water started reaching his house, so he took his treasures, and his numerous family to the top floor of his house, but the water keep reaching higher and higher, finally he climbed to the roof with his children and family, until the water reached up to him, graving his wife and his favorite little grandchild, he was swept by the current, in the struggle he lost both, he almost drowned, and lost consciousness.

When he woke up on top of a high rock, before Narada’s helpless eyes, everything that he loved and lived for – his lands, his cattle, his house, but especially his beloved wife and all their children and grandchildren – were swept away. Of all the village, only he remained.

Unable to watch the destruction, Narada fell to his knees hurt to the core of his being, and cried for help from the very depths of his heart.

As he cried in utter despair, suddenly the heat of the sun was unbearable, at once, the raging floods disappeared and a voice came from somewhere.

“Narada,” the voice of Krishna came out, “You have been gone for half an hour, where is my water?”

"Half an hour", Narada exclaimed. All the years, my wife, children, grandchildren…. half an hour?

That is Maya!

The story ends here for Narada and Krishna, but not for us.

Whatever we do in life will sum up to few memories - good and bad. If there are more good memories that experience will bring smiles every time we think of it. If bad memories dominated the experience, we mostly get angry every time we think of it.

What if we apply the philosophy of "Maya" to our daily lives? That does not mean stop all the work thinking that everything is an illusion.

Let's apply "Maya" principle in simple ways, let's take one day at a time because this day will vanish soon.

Let's ensure a task or an interaction starts and ends in absolute terms - does not carry forward.

We talk to a person or persons, discuss the agenda and close the meeting with certain outcome, done, nothing more than that. You are talking to him/them for the first time and last time.

We get into a cab, take the ride (not rude), reach the destination, done. You have taken ride with that person for the first time and last time.

A worker or maid comes home (first time everyday), does the work and leaves, will never come back (take it that way).

In the end, our whole life story is summed up in half-an-hour for someone else. All our years, struggles, achievements, arguments, fun is half-an-hour for others - funny, isn't it?

It is funny and let's keep that way. If we also take it as fun ride, everything is music in life.