Prakriti, the magician

Sastras explain that the embodied jiva is a complex subject associated with Prakriti comprising the three gunas, and its attendants the sarira, indriyas, and so on. As a result, the jiva is subject to

Sastras explain that the embodied jiva is a complex subject associated with Prakriti comprising the three gunas, and its attendants the sarira, indriyas, and so on. As a result, the jiva is subject to ignorance, karma, vasana, etc. These are obvious obstacles for the jiva’s attainment of moksha. Why has the jiva come to be associated with Prakriti? The main reason is that the jiva has not heeded the Lord’s advice since time immemorial and this is the punishment meted out for this transgression, according to Vedanta Desika, pointed out Asuri Sri Madhavachariar in a discourse. The sins of the jiva prevent him from following the Lord’s code.

Though the jiva has attained human birth when he has the sense to discriminate and understand the sastras, his mind is sullied to such an extent that he rejects it and instead believes in those ideas opposing the sastras. Ramanuja, in his Saranagati Gadya, speaks of the Tirodana power of the Lord. By this, the jiva is not only prevented from knowing the true swaroopa of the Lord, but is led to believe in distorted versions of the supreme truth. This also creates the impression that the jiva is independent and moves around thinking he is his own master in this world during the life tenure. Prakriti, though inanimate, controls the jiva’s senses and indriyas just as a magician conjures make believe worlds for his audiences with his magic wand.

The jiva does not realise that whatever he is undergoing, birth, growth, old age, disease and death, through countless births, in varied sariras such as animal, bird, human being or celestial being, is the price he has to pay for not abiding by the sastras. The enslavement by prakriti is so strong that he remains in ignorance of truth, believing that the world of senses and sarira sukha are the be-all and end-all of his existence.