Is Mayadevi closer to us than Krishna as Krishna is in Goloka?
A devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna prabhuji.. Mayadevi is closely controlling our planet. Krishna is in Goloka. Then, Mayadevi is closer than Krishna to us. That is why, most of us remain under the control of mayadevi. Right? Whose control is stronger?”
REPLY:
Mayadevi is not closer than Krishna to us. It is a wrong perception.
If we involve in the activities induced by maya, Krishna will be waiting for us even for many births till we turn to him.
To remain controlled by Krishna, you need not go to Goloka. We can be under the shelter of Krishna even in this material world.
If you have cold and cough, it is caused by HISTAMINES as said by the doctors. So, we take ANTI-HISTAMINES that sit on the histamines like a cap and hence controls the effects of cold/ cough.
To control histamines, we do not give histamines, but antihistamines because it is capable of controlling the effects of histamines.
(Since this world is under Maya, how can we fully surrender to Krishna? READ HERE!)
If an employee commits an illegal act, other employees report to their master, that is, manager. They themselves can not control their fellow staff.
If a person is aggrieved by the lower courts, he has to approach the higher courts and finally the Supreme Court that is the topmost legal authority in a country.
Similarly, if you are disturbed by maya, you have to surrender to the master of maya, who is Krishna. Maya is like an important & powerful employee of Krishna, who has been entrusted with the management of material worlds. Mayadevi is the external potency of Krishna and she maintains the affairs of material world. Her motive is to maintain the population of material planets by indulging them more in material affairs. So, she makes suitable arrangements cleverly. So, we get pains and pleasures alternatively.
(If maya is strong, why Krishna made maya strong? READ HERE!)
When we get some temporary pleasures, we feel that this world is nice. But, when maya makes us suffer, we like to escape from this world of pains. Again some pleasures. So, we develop a taste to live here.
Thus, we are cleverly pushed into the material affairs by maya.
So, if you pray to maya, you will get material benefits only that will involve you still strongly into this trap of material life. If your goal is to get more material benefits you can worship maya, but, if your target is to get relieved from material worlds, you should worship Krishna.
That is why, it is recommended to surrender to the master of maya, Krishna who will relieve you from maya and take you with Himself in His eternal blissful planet Goloka Vrindavana.
(Krishna Vs Others – Whom to Pray to get married? READ HERE!)
So, surrender to Krishna if your goal is to escape from the material world controlled by maya. If you need only temporary pleasures and pains with rebirth, worship mayadevi, ie, Durga devi.
And, Mayadevi is not closer to us than Krishna as she is our immediate controller, because Krishna is within our heart itself. So, Krishna is closer than mayadevi to us.
However, you can worship mayadevi, ie, Durga devi with a nice prayer: “Durga ma, Kindly help me to get your master Krishna in this birth itself. Please do not involve me more in material affairs. This is my only prayer to you.”
If you repeatedly pray like this to her, she will free you to follow devotion to Krishna without much disturbances.
Hope you are clear.
(Why the scriptures claim many Supreme Gods that confuses my devotion to Krishna ? READ HERE!)