Text 16] Understanding Material Nature 1153
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 Mayavadi
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 mdya’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
ud serra = afar |
MEENA FTA TMsAraragwMe: 124i
evam pratyavamrsydsav
dtmdnam pratipadyate
sahankarasya dravyasya
yo “vasthadnam anugrahah

evam—thus; pratyavamrsya—after understanding; asau—that person;
atmanam—his self; pratipadyate—realizes; sa-ahankarasya—accepted under
false ego;dravyasya—of the situation; yah—who ;avasthanam —resting place;
anugrahah—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 Mayavadi 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
