Divine Influence of Yogamāyā

The divine influence of yogamāyā is a central concept in understanding the intimate dynamics of the spiritual world as taught by Śrīla Prabhupāda. Unlike the material energy, or mahāmāyā, which covers the living entity's knowledge to keep them in ignorance, yogamāyā covers the pure devotee's knowledge of Kṛṣṇa's majesty to facilitate sweeter, more spontaneous exchanges of love. Through this internal potency, the Lord allows His devotees to forget His position as the Supreme Godhead, enabling relationships defined by parental affection, friendship, or conjugal love.

Dual Nature of Māyā

Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the Lord directs two distinct energies, which act as different phases of His potency. While mahāmāyā keeps the living entities bound in the material world through identification with the body, yogamāyā facilitates spiritual life and the return to Godhead.

• Now we are under the influence of mahamaya. When we put ourselves under the influence of yogamaya, then we again go back to home, back to Godhead.
• Two mayas are working under the direction of Krsna: the mahamaya, this material world; and yogamaya, the spiritual world. So this uncommon thing was happening on account of yogamaya's influence.

Transcending Awe and Reverence

A devotee under the protection of yogamāyā acts differently than a nondevotee under the sway of material nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while a devotee naturally respects the laws of God, the influence of yogamāyā allows them to transgress formal reverence to love the Lord more deeply and spontaneously.

• A devotee is directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and comes under the influence of yogamaya. Consequently there is a gulf of difference between statements made by a devotee and those made by a nondevotee.
• A devotee naturally does not like to transgress the laws of reverence for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but by the influence of yogamaya he is prepared to do anything to love the Supreme Lord better.

Intense Parental Affection

To foster the sweetness of the parent-child relationship, yogamāyā covers the parent's knowledge of Kṛṣṇa's divinity. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how Mother Yaśodā and Vasudeva are inspired to treat the Supreme Lord as their dependent child, fearing for His safety and forgetting His omnipotence.

• Mother Yasoda, by the grace of the Lord, could understand the real truth. But then again, the supreme master, by the influence of the internal potency, yogamaya, inspired her to become absorbed in intense maternal affection for her son Krsna.
• When Lord Krsna saw Vasudeva and Devaki standing in a reverential attitude, He immediately expanded His influence of yogamaya so that they could treat Him and Balarama as children.
• Unless she (Yasoda) took care of her son Krsna, she thought, how could He be protected? She could not think otherwise, and thus she forgot all her philosophical speculations. This forgetfulness is described as being inspired by the influence of yogamaya.

Sentiment of the Gopis

The highest exchange of love in the conjugal rasa is also arranged by this internal potency. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that the gopī's apparent paramour love is a spiritual arrangement by yogamāyā to increase the Lord's transcendental pleasure, entirely distinct from mundane interactions.

• Lord Krsna thought: "The influence of yogamaya will inspire the gopis with the sentiment that I am their paramour".
• Such feelings (which are something like the attraction of a married woman for a man other than her husband) between the devotee and the Lord are presented by the influence of yogamaya.
• By the influence of such forgetfulness (due to spiritual loving sentiment induced by the yogamaya potency), the attractive beauty of the gopis plays a prominent part in the transcendental satisfaction of the Lord, who has nothing to do with mundane sex.

Facilitating Divine Pastimes

Yogamāyā also arranges the practical details of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, such as ensuring secrecy or safety during His appearance. Śrīla Prabhupāda illustrates this with the example of the guards falling asleep during Kṛṣṇa's birth and the Pāṇḍava's humble perception of their position, which allowed them to interact intimately with the Lord.

• By the influence of this internal potency, Yogamaya, all the residents of Kamsa’s palace, especially the doorkeepers, were overwhelmed with deep sleep, and all the palace doors opened, although they were barred and shackled with iron chains.
• Although the Pandavas, because of the influence of Krsna's yogamaya, could not think of their fortunate position, every saintly person, including the great sage Narada, could understand it, and therefore they constantly visited Maharaja Yudhisthira.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the influence of yogamāyā is essential for the enactment of Kṛṣṇa's divine pastimes. By acting as a curtain that hides the Lord's supreme opulence, yogamāyā allows pure devotees to approach Kṛṣṇa with intense, uninhibited love. Whether in the form of parental affection or conjugal sentiment, this spiritual forgetfulness is the foundation of the highest transcendental bliss in the relationship between the Lord and His devotees.

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