When people get captivated by an illusion, such as a bottle of alcohol or a good-looking person, what is the cause of their illusion? A usual answer is, “The cause is the object they perceived; after all, only on perceiving that object, they went into illusion.” 

But are things that simple? Others may perceive the same object and not be deluded. Why not? Maybe because their minds aren’t that prone to illusion. Echoing this point, the Bhagavad-gita (03.40) states that sensual desire is situated inside us, not outside us. What does this mean for those of us seeking to resist illusion? We need to focus on curing our mind’s vulnerability to illusion by purification rather than on condemning tempting objects. 

To understand, here’s a metaphor. Suppose we find ourselves in a war. To defend ourselves properly, we need to identify our enemies precisely. Otherwise, we will target those who are not our enemies while our enemies sneak in on us and slaughter us. Similarly, when we find ourselves attacked by illusion, we may waste our energy in naming and shaming tempting objects while our mind remains prone to illusion. Even if we succeed in naming and shaming those tempting objects — something increasingly difficult in today’s liberalized culture — we will soon end up deluded by other tempting objects. 

Does that mean we do nothing about tempting objects? We can keep a safe distance from those objects as much as is practically possible (03.41) — but without blaming them and without downplaying our need for purification. 

How can we purify ourselves? By practicing bhakti-yoga to connect our mind with the all-pure divine, Krishna, thereby increasing our immunity to illusion. 

One-sentence summary:

What the mind perceives is not the primary cause of illusion; the mind that perceives is. 

Think it over:

  • Illusion is caused by the tempting object we perceive — why is this idea wrong?
  • Illusion is caused by the tempting object we perceive — why is this notion counterproductive?
  • How can we purify our mind?

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03.40: The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.

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