The Thin 'Veil'

 This thin 'veil' is the problem. It is the 'veil of 'ignorance', avidya. This 'avidya' is not the absence of 'vidya', Knowledge, but is the one covered by attachment (moha), ego (ahamkara), greed, and a host of other guna. qualities, like anger, jealous, etc. This 'Avidya' is the curtain, veil, that prevents a clear vision of reality. It is the veil of our clouded mind! The curtain of 'illusion', maya. is such a transparent one that not even a trace of its presence can be imagined by the foolish mind. Ego envelopes it and projects itself, its ignorance, on the reality. Now, the problem is of how one can discard, tear off, this veil?

 The veil of ignorance, illusion, maya, falls off when 'Knowledge' (jnyan) dawns! This is beautifully explained in the Upanishad by the doctrine of 'Serpent and the Rope'. The Rope appears like a Serpent in darkness and creates fear in our mind. The fear for the serpent is one thing, as if, an inherent quality of the mind? However, the fear is gone the moment light falls on the rope and the reality is known. This reality is the quality associated with Light, Knowledge, Jnyan. However, strange enough, the ignorance, darkness, the rope mistaken for the serpent, is also a sort of jnyan, but covered by fear? Thus, the entire materialistic world of serpent and the rope is presented to us by Nature, prakruti! We, as the humans, although endowed with the gift of a powerful Mind along with Intelligence, enabling us to think, discern, or use discretion, are still delluded!

 Now, the embodied and tormented jiva, struggling to extricate itself from the illusory worldly existence seeks some guidance. Unfortunately, there is no such guide available here. We foolishly search for a true guide in this mortal world of greed, hunger, and thirst? How can a co-passenger in a leaky boat struck in a stormy sea help others? Only a helicopter should locate this leaky boat? The real guide is Agni deva. the God of Fire, the 'fire of 'Knowledge'. Only Light can take us out of darkness. Thus, we pray: asato ma sadgamaya,  tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, mrutyormaam amrutam gamaya! Here, Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshvara, and sakshat parabrahma only should come as our guide. We are so lucky that Bhagavan Shree Krishna comes to help us as 'yogacharya', teacher of 'brahma vidya', and liberate us. But, do we go to him? Do we seek His guidance? will our ego permit that? He, the Lord offers protection, liberation, and states this in clear unmistakable terms. He says, maam upetya kounteya... sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyami, mas shuca ! He even says that there will be no rebirth in this world of repeated births and deaths- punarjanma na vidyate! He, the Lord always looks at us, but we don't even care to look at Him. It seems that we do not have sufficient faith, belief, trust in Him. So, He says, "samashayatma vinashyati"!

  There is no alternate to the Gitopasane for the tormented jiva to get out of the mesmerizing maya. First, we should realize the fact that all that we seek as worldly name and fame, wealth, and enjoyment are nothing but foolishness, ignorance, lack of true nature of the world that is controlled by 'niyati; Time, Space, Causality (the cause and effect). Our foolish Mind sending the senses on errand due to the foolish ego is responsible for this! 

 Take to the Bhagavad-Gita and defeat these deluding forces? nahin jnyanena sadrusham ! Strictly follow is advise- manmana madhbhava madhyaji namskuru! Remember what He says, Aham eva Atmaa!