The energy of the Lord called avidya is the bewildering fact or of the conditioned souls. The material nature is called avidya, or ignorance, but to the devotees of the Lord engaged in pure devotional service, this energy becomes vidya, or pure knowledge. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. The energy of the Lord transforms from mahamaya to yogamaya and appears to pure devotees in her real feature. (SB 3. 10. 17p)
The Supreme Lord has two energies, material and spiritual. The living entities are marginal energy. As marginal energy, a person may be under the control of the material energy or the spiritual energy (yogamaya). (SB 3. 23. 10p)
In the Vedas it is said that the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are called by different names, such as yogamaya and mahamaya. Ultimately, however, the Lord's potency is one, exactly as electric potency is one although it can act both to cool and to heat. The Lord's potency acts in both the spiritual and material worlds. In the spiritual world the Lord's potency works as yogamaya, and in the material world the same potency works as mahamaya, exactly as electricity works in both a heater and a cooler. In the material world, this potency, working as mahamaya, acts upon the conditioned souls to deprive them more and more of devotional service. (SB 10. 1. 25p)
Thus the Lord's potency, visnu-maya, has two features--avaranika and unmukha. When the Lord appeared, His potency came with Him and acted in different ways. She acted as yogamaya with Yashoda, Devaki and other intimate relations of the Lord, and she acted in a different way with Kamsa, Shalva and other asuras. By the order of Lord Krishna, His potency yogamaya came with Him and exhibited different activities according to the time and circumstances. Karyarthe sambhavisyati. Yogamaya acted differently to execute different purposes desired by the Lord. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (9. 13), mahatmanas tu mam partha--daivim prakritim ashritah. The mahatmas, who fully surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord, are directed by yogamaya, whereas the duratmas, those who are devoid of devotional service, are directed by mahamaya. (SB 10. 1. 25p)
Yogamaya is the spiritual potency of the Lord. Out of affection for His devotees, the Lord always stays in spiritual touch with them, although otherwise His maya potency is so strong that she bewilders even exalted demigods like Brahma. Therefore the Lord's potency is called yogamaya. Since the Lord is Vishvatma, He immediately ordered Yogamaya to give protection to Devaki. (SB 10. 2. 6p)
Both Yogamaya and Mahamaya act in all material activities (prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvashah), but although the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead acts under the Supreme Lord's direction (mayadhyakshena prakritih suyate sa-caracaram), doglike watchmen such as politicians and diplomats think that they are protecting their neighborhoods from the dangers of the outside world. These are the actions of maya. But one who surrenders to Krishna is relieved of the protection afforded by the dogs and doglike guardians of this material world. (SB 10. 4. 1p)
Kamsa addressed his sister and brother-in-law as maha-bhagau because although he killed their ordinary children, the goddess Durga took birth from them. Because Devaki bore Durgadevi in her womb, Kamsa praised both Devaki and her husband. (SB 10. 18p)
The Vedic scripture Candi describes maya, the energy of the Supreme Lord, as nidra: durga devi sarva-bhuteshu nidra-rupena samasthitah. The energy of Yogamaya and Mahamaya keeps the living entities sleeping in this material world in the great darkness of ignorance. Yogamaya, the goddess Durga, kept Kamsa in darkness about Krishna's birth and misled him to believe that his enemy Krishna had been born elsewhere. (SB 10. 4. 29p)
The commentary of Madhva on Shrimad-Bhagavatam mentions that the following sixteen spiritual energies are present in the spiritual world: (1) shri, (2) bhu, (3) ila, (4) kanti, (5) kirti, (6) tushti, (7) gih, (8) pushti, (9) satya (10) jnanainana, (11) jaya utkarshini, (12) vimala, (13) yogamaya, (14) prahvi (15) ishana and (16) anugraha. In his commentary on the Laghubhagavatamrta, Shri Baladeva Vidyabhushana has said that the above energies are also known by nine names: (1) vimala, (2) utkarshini (3) jnana, (4) kriya, (5) yoga, (6) prahvi (7) satya, (8) ishana and (9) anugraha. In the Bhagavat-sandarbha of Shrila Jiva Gosvami (verse 117) they are described as shri, pushti, gih, kanti, kirti, tushti, ila, jaya, vidyavidya, maya, samvit, sandhini, hladini, bhakti, murti, vimala, yoga, prahvi, ishana, anugraha, etc. All these energies act in different spheres of the Lord's supremacy. (Cc Adi 5. 84p)
Following the example of the gopis, the devotees sometimes worship the goddess Katyayani, but they understand that Katyayani is an incarnation of yogamaya. The gopis worshiped Katyayani, yogamaya, to attain Krishna for their husband. On the other hand, it is stated in the Sapta- sati scripture that a kshatriya king named Suratha and a rich vaishya named Samadhi worshiped material nature in the form of goddess Durga to attain material perfection. If one tries to mingle the worship of yogamaya with mahamaya, considering them one and the same, he does not really show very high intelligence. (Cc Mad 8. 90p)
It is a known fact that Maya is very strong, but one who associates with Krsna in the above mentioned ways, Maya can show no strength or Maya converts herself from Maha Maya to Yoga Maya. (Letter to Upendra, 18 August 1970)
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