Essays on the Gita, First Series (Arya Publishing House, 1922)
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The Gita explains the ordinary imperfect action of the ^e^ure by its subjection to the mechanism of Prakri ti an d its limitation by the self- representations of Maya. These two terms are on ly com plementary aspects of one and the same ^ective force of divine consciousness. Maya is not essentially illusion, — the ele ment or appearance _qf illi^ipn only emers in by the ignorance_pf the lower Maya of the three modes of Nature, — it is the divine consciousness in its power of various self-representation of its being, while Prakriti is the o effective Jorce o f that c onsciousness. .operates t^work out each such sey-represen^ion according to its own law and fund ame ntol idea, swabhdva and swadh^ma^lji its ovm propei^quality and particular force of working, guna-karma. “Leaning — pre ssing down jipon my owiT Nat ure (Prakriti) I ^eate (lod^ fortlT into various being) all thiT muititude of exme.nces, all helplessly suhj^cl to jJ^_ODn^ pi NaTure.*’ Those^whp know not the Divine lodged in ^the^ human ^dy, m'e^ignorant^f. it because they ^ grossly subject. .tiLJhis mechanism of P rakrit i, helplessly subject to its n^ntar iimi^^^ acquiescent in them, arid ^weU in an Asuric nature that deludes with desire and„bewilders with egqi^ the win and the i ntellig ence, mohintm prakritim dgritSJi, For the Purushottama within is not readily manifest to any and every being ; he , conceals himself in a thick cloud of darkn^s or a bright cloud of light, utterly he envelops and \vrap&,him- self in his Yogamaya.* “All this wor ld** says the Gita “because it is bewildered by the three states of being determined by the modes, of_ Nature, to jreiXJgnise, me ; for this my divine- Maya of the modes of Nature is, hard to get beyond ; those cross beyond it who approach Me ; but those who dwell in the Asuric nature of being, have their knowledge reft from them by Maya/' In other words, there is the inherent consciousness of the divine in all, for in all jhe Divine dwells ; but he dwUs there
Nâham prakdgah sarvasya yogamdyd^samAvritah. THE POSSIBILITY AND PURPOSE OF AVATARHOOD covered by Ins Maya and the essential self- knowledge o£ beings is r eft from ^em, turned imp the error^ egois m by jhe action of Maya, the action of the mechanism of Prakriti. Still ^ back from the melanism of Nature to her inner and secret JVlaste rj ma n can become consciou^„pf the indwelling I)ivini0. \ (^ow it is notable that with a slight but im^rtant variation of language the Gita describes in the same way both the a ction o f the Divine in bringin g about the ordinary birth of creatures and lilsaction in his birth as the Avatar.) ''Leaning upon my own Nature, prakritim svdm avashtabhya/^ it will say later “I loose forth variously, visrijdmi, this multitude of creatures helplessly subject owing to the control of Prakriti, avagam prakriter vagdt!* '^Standing upon_my own Nature,” it says here, "I am b orn by my self-Maya, prakritim ^hishth^q^, ,(U t^ Foose . forth myself,
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