When we become addicted to some unhealthy habit, we may try to give it up, but may keep relapsing. The illusion of pleasure may be so overwhelming as to seem irresistible. Being disheartened, we may say that illusion has stolen our determination.
However, the reality can be even more sobering. Illusion doesn’t just rob our determination but also misappropriates it. That is, it makes us determinedly do things that increase our illusion.
The Bhagavad-gita (16.10) states that under the spell of illusion, the ungodly accept the ephemeral as eternal and take unholy vows to enjoy the ephemeral. As an example of unholy vows, some people resolve to drink the most bottles of liquor in a drinking competition. Even if they sense that they will soon have to throw up and will eventually fall terribly sick, they still keep drinking.
While this example may be extreme, the principle of bingeing on illusory pleasures is universal. Even when the pleasure keeps decreasing with each indulgence, illusion captivates us so thoroughly that we keep indulging. Such tragically misdirected determination drives us deeper and deeper into illusion till we end up courting self-destruction.
Normally, when our determination is led by illumination, we persevere in doing something good even if it is difficult. In contrast, when our determination is misled by illusion, we keep doing something bad even when it hurts us.
By recognizing illusion’s scary determination-inverting power, we can zealously strive to avoid its clutches. The best way to transcend illusion is to use whatever determination we have to engage in purposeful positive activity. The most potent such activity is devotional service to Krishna, the all-attractive whole whose parts we are.
When our determination is thus devotionally guarded and guided, we become not just securely protected from illusion, but also joyfully absorbed in Krishna.
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