The Night and Day Dream (Srila Prabhupada quotes)

Its all a temporary creation in the material world ... 

Hare Krsna - Below we have 3 items that will help us understand Illusion, Maya as Srila Prabhupada explains it all very clearly in terms of dreaming-both day and night.

The Night-and-day Dream

LA. January of 1974.
Student: In your books you say this world is like a dream.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. It is a dream.
Student: How is it a dream?
Srila Prabhupada: For example, last night you had some dream, but now it has no value. It is gone. And again, tonight when you sleep, you’ll forget all these things and dream. You won’t remember, when you are dreaming tonight, “I’ve got my house; I’ve got my wife.” You’ll forget it all. So all of this is a dream.
Student: Is it true, or is it not true?
Srila Prabhupada: How could it be true? At night you forget it. Do you remember when you sleep that you’ve got your wife and you’re sleeping on a bed? When you have gone some three thousand miles away and seen something totally different in your dream, do you remember that you’ve got a place to reside in?
Student: No.
Srila Prabhupada: So this is a dream. Tonight, what you are seeing now will become only a dream, just as what you saw last night— now you know it was only a dream. So both are dreams. You are simply a visitor, that’s all. You are seeing this dream and that dream. You, the spirit soul, are factual. But your material body and the material surroundings you are seeing— this is a dream.
Student: But I have the impression that this experience is true and my dream is not true. What is the difference—
Srila Prabhupada: No. This experience is all untrue! How could it be true? If it were true, how could you forget it at night? How could you forget it, if it were true? At night do you remember all this?
Student: No. I don’t remember.
Srila Prabhupada: Then—how could it be true? Just as you don’t remember the dream you saw last night and so you call it a “dream,” similarly this experience—because you forget it at night—this is also a dream….
Student: But I have the impress—
Srila Prabhupada: This is a daydream; that is a night dream. That’s all. When you dream at night, then you perceive that as being real. Yes. You think that is real. It is a dream, but you are crying, “There is a tiger! Tiger! Tiger!” Where is the tiger? But you are seeing it as fact—a tiger. “I’m being killed by a tiger.” But where is the tiger? … Or you dream you are embracing some beautiful girl. Where is that beautiful girl? But actually it is happening.
Student: It is happening?
Srila Prabhupada: In one sense it is happening, because there is discharge of semen. Nocturnal emission. But where is that girl? Is it not a dream? But similarly, this so-called real-life experience is also a dream. You are getting the impression of factuality, but it is a dream. Therefore it is called maya-sukhaya, illusory happiness. 

Your night time happiness and your day time happiness are the same thing. At night you are dreaming you are embracing a nice beautiful girl, and there is no such thing. Similarly, in the daytime also, whatever “advancement” you are making—this is also like that. Maya-sukhaya: you are dreaming, “This process will make me happy” or “That process will make me happy,” but the whole process is only a dream. 

You are taking this daydream as reality because the duration is long. At night when you dream, the duration is just half an hour. But this daydream lasts for twelve hours or more. That is the difference. This is a twelve-hour dream, and that is a half-hour dream—but actually both of them are dreams. Because one is a twelve-hour dream, you are accepting it as real. That is called illusion.
Student: Illusion.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes…. You are making a distinction between an animal and yourself, but you are forgetting that just as the animal will die, you will also die. So where is your advancement? Will you remain forever? You will also die. So where is your advancement over an animal? 

That is stated in the Vedic literatures. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca/ samanam etat pasubhir naranam: this business—eating, sleeping, sex life, and defending—this is also the animal’s business, and you are doing the same. So how are you distinct from an animal? You will die; the animal will die. But if you say, “I will die after one hundred years, and this ant will die after one hour,” that does not ‘mean that you are in reality. It is a question of time. 

Or take this huge universe—it will all be destroyed. As your body will be destroyed, this universe will also be destroyed. Annihilation. Dissolution. Nature’s way—the whole thing will be dissolved. Therefore, it is a dream. It is a long-duration dream, that’s all. Nothing else. But the advantage of having this human body is that in this dream, you can realize the reality—God. That is the advantage. So if you don’t take advantage of this dream, then you are missing everything.
Student: So I’m half-asleep?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. This is the situation. Therefore, the Vedic literatures say, uttistha: “Get up! Get up! Get up!” Jagrata: “Become awakened!” Prapya varan nibodhata: “Now you’ve got the opportunity, utilize it.” Tamasi ma jyotir gama: “Don’t stay in darkness, come to the light.” These are Vedic injunctions. And we are teaching the same thing. “Reality is here—Krsna. Don’t remain in this dark place. Come to this higher consciousness.”.

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Below is another example of dreaming in this material world
Tokyo April 20 1972---

Prabhupada: Try to understand. Have questions and answer. It is very important thing. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan.Except ātma-māyā, the illusory energy... It is the maneuver or handling of the illusory energy ofKṛṣṇa. This illusory energy develops when we forget Kṛṣṇa. That's all. It is...

In other words, this illusory identification of me with the body is simply due to my forgetfulness. We wanted to forget, we wanted to give up Kṛṣṇa and wanted to enjoy this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is giving us...Just like when you play some part in a drama, if you feel that "I am king," then you can talk very nicely. And if you feel that "I am Karandhara," then you cannot play nicely king. Is it not?

Feeling must be there. If you are playing the part of a king, then you must have the same courage and belief that "I am king." You have to forget that you are Karandhara. Then your part will be very nicely played. It will be appreciated. But if you think simultaneously that "I am Karandhara. Iam taking, playing the part of the king," then you cannot play. 

So because we wanted to play the part of Kṛṣṇa, enjoyer, Kṛṣṇa is giving us chance that "You feel like Me."—"I am king. I am Kṛṣṇa.I am God." (laughter) All these rascals, those who are feeling like that, "I am master. I am king. I am Kṛṣṇa. I am God," they are all simply in that feeling only. That's all. And this feeling is created by Kṛṣṇa: "All right. You want to play the part of a king. I shall train you in such a way." Just like director means, dramatic director means, he creates a feeling. His direction is nothing but how to feel.

Sometimes we played in our younger age Caitanya-līlā. I introduced. And one big director, Amrtalal Chosa, he was just like grandfather. He was one of the, just like in England Shakespeare and others, big, big dramatic, well-known persons. This Amrtalal Chosa and Girish Chandra Chosa, they introduced in India theatric... So we called him to give us direction. He was giving us direction, and repeatedly he was telling that "You feel like that," especially to me. "You feel like that." 

So actually, when we played according to his direction, the audience were all crying. And we could not understand how they cried. We could not understand. On the stage when we played, it was so perfect that all audience were crying. Actually we saw they were smearing over their eyes with... But the whole thing is artificial, but the effect to the audience became so nice. So similarly, we are... Actually we have nothing to do with this material world, but we have been trained by the illusory energy in such a way that we are thinking, I am Indian. I am American. 

I am this. I am that. 

I am brāhmaṇa. I am śūdra. I have to do this. I have got so much duty," all these illusions, simply thinking. We have nothing to do with all this nonsense, but still, we are taking it very serious. "I have to do like that. I have to do like that. I am this. I am that." That's all. That is explained. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan: "Except the influence of that ātmā-māyā, the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa..." Ātma-māyā. Read. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan parasyānu. Read it?

Karandhara: Parasyānubhavātmanaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Parasyānubhavātmanaḥ. Na ghaṭeta artha-sambandha. There cannot be any relation at all. Na ghaṭeta. Cannot be. Artha sambandhaḥ. Svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā. The very exact example is given, svapna-draṣṭuḥ. Just like a man seeing dream: "Oh, there is tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger! Save me!" He is crying. Another man is, "Where is tiger? Why you are crying? Where is tiger?" But he, in the dream, he is actually feeling: "The tiger has attacked me." 

Therefore this example is given, na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ. There cannot be any meaning of this relationship except like a man dreaming and he is creating a situation. He is dreaming there is a tiger and he is creating a situation, fearful situation. Actually there is no cause of fear. There is no tiger. That situation is created by dream. Actually there is no tiger. Similarly we have created this material world and activity. 

People are running, "Oh..., sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh," identifying that "Oh, I am the manager. I am the factory owner. I am this, I am that. We have got his politics. We have to defeat such competitors." All these things are created exactly like that,svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā, just like a man is creating his particular situation simply by dream. That's all.

So the answer is, when somebody asks you that "When one has become in contact with this material nature?" He has not become in contact. He is thinking by the influence of the external energy. Just like the same example: A man is dreaming; there is no contact with tiger. Actually he has no contact with that. Similarly, actually we are not fallen. 

We cannot be fallen. But we have created a situation that we are, become... Try to understand understand. It is very important point. We have simply created a situation. We have not created a situation, Kṛṣṇa has given us a situation. Because we wanted to imitate Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa has given an opportunity: "All right. Imitate. You want to be imitation king in the stage. So feel like this. Play like this. Do like this. People will applaud. 'Oh, a very nice king, very nice.' " 

That is the... So everyone in this material world, they are playing some part. They wanted, "I want to be prime minister." "All right." "I want to become very big business magnate." "I want to be leader." "I want to be a philosopher." "I want to be a scientist." So all this nonsense, they are trying to play—Kṛṣṇa is giving him the opportunity: "All right." But it is a nonsense, all nonsense. Simple dreaming. Just like you are dreaming. Next moment when the dream is gone, everything is finished. No more tiger, no more jungle, no more... Everything is finished. 

Similarly, so long this body is continuing, I am thinking, "I am a responsible leader, I am this, I am that." But as soon as this body is finished, oh, these are (indistinct) gone.

June 23 1976 Vrndavana
Devotee (4): The difficulty is that we cannot understand, we cannot feel what pleases Krsna now, yet we can feel what pleases us, and that is the difficulty?

Prabhupāda: You have no feeling, that everyone knows. Therefore you have to carry out the order of spiritual master, that's all.
Devotee (1) : If we try to please Kṛṣṇa with all of our service and activities, that automatically brings pleasure to the self?
Prabhupāda: You cannot please Kṛṣṇa directly. You please your spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. If you want to please directly Kṛṣṇa, that is not possible. That is concoction You cannot please. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. You have to please your spiritual master, then Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. Don't jump.Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya **. What is that song you daily sing? What is that?
Pradyumna: By the words of the spiritual master our mind becomes conclusive from...
Prabhupāda: Āra nā koriha mane āśā. Don't concoct. Don't you sing daily? Āra nā korihamane āśā. Don't manufacture ideas. That is dangerous. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches by His example. Guru more mūrkha dekhi' karilā śāsana [Cc. Ādi 7.71]. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that "My spiritual master saw Me fool number one, so he has chastised Me, that 'Don't try to read Vedānta; chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.'

Some conclusions---

I have always liked these descriptions of samsara or birth and death due to dreaming on the mental platform repeatedly due to our "plans" here for happiness. And the last one Srila Prabhupada warns us that we cannot directly please the Supreme Lord, we have instead to please His representative the spiritual master, THEN Krsna will be pleased, otherwise it is yet another- mental concoction.

Hare Krsna

damaghosa das