Prabhupada: If you are respectful to Krsna, you are respectful to
everyone. That is the qualification of a devotee. You are respectful
even to an ant and what to speak of maya? Maya is one of the important energy of Krsna. Why should you not respect maya? Maya, Durga, we pray, "Durga" - srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka chayeva yasya [Bs. 5.44] - when we pray Durga, we pray Krsna immediately. Because we have to see Krsna everywhere. We see the activities of maya. So we have to see Krsna immediately - "Oh, this maya is acting so nicely under the direction of Krsna." So offering to the police officer means offering respect to the government. So long the man is in the office, we offer respect. And without office. A gentleman offers respect either in office or not office. That doesn't matter. But actually if you offer to a policeman, maya means acting as police force. That means you offer to the government, respect to the government. This is the offering of respect. (Bhagavad-gita 6. 46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969)
So we are praying to Krsna and Krsna's energy. If we pray to Krsna's
energy, she is Krsna's energy, she will understand, "Now, he is now
correct." So she gives facilities. She gives facilities, "Yes, now you
can serve Krsna. I give you... I give you freedom. You are no more
under my clutches." Mayam etam taranti te. Immediately you surrender to Krsna, you are immediately liberated. We haven't got to search out liberation separately. Immediately surrender to Krsna, immediately you are liberated, immediately, simultaneous. Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah [Bg. 9.13]. At that time maya takes another feature. That is called yoga-maya. The same maya. Just like the same government laws acting in the prison house differently, and acting in the university differently. But the potency is the same. If we take protection of the civil laws, then you are happy. And if we take protection of the criminal laws then you are unhappy. That's all. So Krsna consciousness movement is that you have to take shelter of one of the potencies of Krsna. Better take the shelter of the spiritual potency. Then you become happy. You cannot be free. That is not possible. Just like you cannot defy the government laws. That is not possible. If you defy civil laws then you become subjected to the criminal law. You cannot say that "I defy government." That is not possible. Similarly, you cannot defy Krsna and Krsna's potencies. Better you take shelter of Krsna's spiritual potency and be happy. Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah [Bg. 9.13], that is mahatma, who takes shelter of the spiritual potency of Krsna. And what is the sign? Bhajanty ananya-manaso. That is mahatma. He has no other business than to serve Krsna twenty-four hours. Then he is immediately mukta. That is not difficult. (Lecture on Science of Krsna -- Hyderabad, April 14, 1975)
Maya is very strong (BG 7.14). Who can fight with her? We will be
defeated. But if we pray to her she will release us. Maya-sakti is an
expansion of Sri Radha and we should pray also to Radha and Krsna for the same. This is the meaning of Hare Krsna mahamantra: to be removed from Maya's service and to enter Their service. Its influence depends on the depth of our realization. A renunciate especially should also have a respectful attitude to women understanding them to be representatives of Laksmi (married ones) (as per Manu samhita 9.26) and Devi (unmarried ones). Their blessings keep him free from maya, disrespect toward them causes his falldown.
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