Hare Krsna,
The individual spirit soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. The Supreme Soul is sac-cid-ananda – full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. But due to its contact with material energy since time immemorial, the living entity thinks he is the material body and forgets that He is spiritually same as the Supreme Lord. Because the living entity wanted to forget his relationship with Krsna, he has been cast into this material ocean of avidya (ignorance). The conditioned souls or living entities who come to the material world to enjoy sense gratification, are covered in the beginning by five different conditions.
SB 3.20.18: First of all, Brahmā created from his shadow the coverings of ignorance of the conditioned souls. They are five in number and are called tāmisra, andha-tāmisra, tamas, moha and mahā-moha.
These five types of ignorance are anger (tāmisra), considering death to be the ultimate end (andha-tāmisra), ignorance of the spirit soul (tamas), illusion that one is the body (moha), and mad after material enjoyment (mahā-moha). In short, avidya (ignorance) is to regard – (a) a temporary entity as permanent, (b) an impure object as pure, (c) misery as happiness, and (d) what is not the self as self. (Yoga-sutram 2.5)
And when one is deeply conditioned by these multiple layers of ignorance, one loses the ability to distinguish reality from illusion. If one is not aware of what reality is, he would also not know what to search for or where to find reality. Lord Brahma’s prayers elucidate this point.
“Just see the foolishness of those ignorant persons who consider You to be some separated manifestation of illusion and who consider the self, which is actually You, to be something else, the material body. Such fools conclude that the supreme soul is to be searched for somewhere outside Your supreme personality.” (SB 10.14.27)
The common example given is mistaking a rope for a snake.
“Actually, when one mistakes a rope for a snake, the existence of the snake is only within the mind. The existence of māyā, similarly, is only within the mind. Māyā is nothing but ignorance of Your personality. When one forgets Your personality, that is the conditioned state of māyā. Therefore one who is fixed upon You both internally and externally is not illusioned.” (Krsna book, Chapter 14 Text 27-28)
What is the remedy to come out of this ignorance? Only bhakti or devotional service unto the Supreme Lord. This is obtained by the mercy of a pure devotee of the Lord.
“If, by the association of Your devotees, a person comes to the knowledge that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Supersoul, then it is possible for him to cross over the ocean of material ignorance… If one understands You, therefore, through Your personal teachings, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, or through the teachings of Your pure devotees, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and all other Vedic literatures – if one realizes that You are the ultimate goal of understanding – he need no longer fear this material existence.” (Krsna book, Chapter 14 Text 24-25)
So-called liberation and bondage have no meaning for a person who is already engaged in Your devotional service, just as a rope is not fearful to a person who knows that it is not a snake. A devotee knows that this material world belongs to You, and he therefore engages everything in Your transcendental loving service. Thus there is no bondage for him. (Krsna book, Chapter 14 Text 26)
Therefore, scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam are extremely important literature that can bestow the light of truth and true knowledge to drive away ignorance.
SB 1.1.2: Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.
Speaking about the search for reality, it also reminds me of the Catuh-sloki verses that Lord Krsna spoke to Lord Brahma at the beginning of creation. We discussed these verses in detail during our study of 2nd Canto.
SB 2.9.33: Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.
SB 2.9.34: O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.
SB 2.9.35: O Brahmā, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything.
SB 2.9.36: A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.
This is why we pray –
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.
By taking shelter of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda and Their gifts of the Holy Name, the five kinds of ignorance can be eradicated, thus giving us the ability and knowledge to search for reality.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 