Text 16]
Understanding Material Nature
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pure knowledge of understanding that he is an eternal servitor of the Lord, his own real position is revived. A living entity can never be lost. When one forgets his identity in deep sleep, he becomes absorbed in dreams, and he may think himself a different person or may think himself lost. But actually his identity is intact. This concept of being lost is due to false ego, and it continues as long as one is not awakened to the sense of his existence as an eternal servitor of the Lord. The Māyāvādī philosophers' concept of becoming one with the Supreme Lord is another symptom of being lost in false ego. One may falsely claim that he is the Supreme Lord, but actually he is not. This is the last snare of  māyā 's influence upon the living entity. To think oneself equal with the Supreme Lord or to think oneself to be the Supreme Lord Himself is also due to false ego.
TEXT 16
एवं प्रत्यवमृश्यासावात्मानं प्रतिपद्यते । साहङ्कारस्य द्रव्यस्य योऽवस्थानमनुग्रहः ॥१६॥
evam pratyavamṛśyāsāv ātmānam pratipadyate sāhaṅkārasya dravyasya yo 'vasthānam anugrahaḥ
evam—thus; pratyavamṛśya—after understanding; asau—that person; ātmānam—his self; pratipadyate—realizes; sa-ahaṅkārasya—accepted under false ego; dravyasya—of the situation; yaḥ—who; avasthānam—resting place; anugrahaḥ—the manifester.
TRANSLATION
When, by mature understanding, one can realize his individuality, then the situation he accepts under false ego becomes manifest to him.
PURPORT
The Māyāvādī philosophers' position is that at the ultimate issue the individual is lost, everything becomes one, and there is no distinction between the knower, the knowable and knowledge. But by minute analysis we can see that this is not correct. Individuality is never lost, even when one thinks that the three different principles, namely the knower, the