Office goers have to fill AARs listing the previous year's achievements, present their activities & future goals, discuss promotion prospects, how to project themselves and earn merit points. Every employee tries to exaggerates his work.
Interestingly, while facing the Creator, souls cannot exaggerate their good work or delete their bad ones. Souls voluntarily choose to purify themselves to restore to themselves their true nature. Every soul wishes to get rid of its impurities, forget, forgive wiping the slate clean and so it chooses its own punishment and future birth.
Surprisingly, these promises are forgotten once the soul gets a body and enters the illusory world, full of maya. Swami Girishanand Saraswati says that the easiest definition of maya has been given by Tulsidas, 'Mein aur mor tor yahi maya — me, mine and yours is maya', due to which one becomes "Verily this divine illusion of mine made up of the qualities (of Nature) is difficult to cross over; those who take refuge in me alone cross over this illusion" (Bhagwad Gita, 7:14).
Since birth, a jivatma is caught in worldly affairs and loses its focus. Such an individual spends his entire life chasing desires & mirages. He begins as optimist and in old age turns pessimist and niserable. This is vimukh jana mohini maya stage. Maya strikes devotees in the swajana mohini maya stage. Yashoda, Devaki, Kaushalya were all charmed by maya. Krishna revealed to Yashoda the entire cosmos by opening his mouth wide. Even when Uddhava tried to explain to her that Krishna was Vishnu in human form, Yashoda wanted Krishna to return and sleep in her lap as before. Devaki realised that Krishna was none other than the Supreme himself. And she insisted that Krishna bring back her six sons who had been killed by Kansa. Kaushalya was shown Rama's virat or cosmic form, at the time of his birth, but she preferred a human baby and refused to worship Rama.
Sammohini maya disturbs celestial beings, devas, gods, yogis and rishis who are Self-realised and above maya. Vishnu bhakt Sage Narada boasted how he had overcome Kamadeva lust. Discerning arrogance, Vishnu, decided to rid his devotee of impurities. He created a beautiful princess and Sage Narada decided to marry her. He rushed to Vishnu to get himself a handsome face; instead he got a monkey's face. Having lost the princess and his honour, Narada was released from the web of maya.
Shiva was also captivated by a beautiful girl, Mohini, and chased her only to learn that it was Vishnu. Sadhus in Kishkindha forest were so charmed by Rama and Sita that they brought stones and asked Rama to make them come alive just as Ahalya was brought to life. Shiva's wife Sati was so confused about Rama's true identity that she tried to test him much against Shiva's advice. In her adamancy, she appeared before Rama as Sita and was further deluded on seeing hundreds and thousands of Ramas, Sitas and Lakshmanas. This is sammohini maya.
