Srila Prabhupada meets with Father Emanuel Jungclausen, a Benedictine Monk, and other guests in Schloss Rettershof, Germany, 1974: A very respectful and fruitful gathering
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Article by Radha Mohan das:
In the Bhakti tradition within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the concept of māyā—the Lord’s illusory energy—is not merely a metaphysical idea but a lived psychological and spiritual reality. Māyā does not always present herself as gross material temptation. More often, she works through the refinement of identity, belief, and perception, subtly reshaping how a seeker views the world and even the path of spiritual life itself.
One of the most dangerous manifestations of māyā is sectarian consciousness: the gradual narrowing of vision from universal spiritual understanding into rigid identity, exclusion, and ultimately dehumanisation of others. This process can arise in any religious tradition, political ideology, or social movement. It is not the fault of a particular faith, but a universal vulnerability of the conditioned mind when it becomes attached to group identity rather than truth and humility.
The scriptures repeatedly warn that advancement in spiritual life is measured not by external affiliation but by the purification of consciousness. When the heart is not purified, even a spiritual path can become a vehicle for pride, division, and unconscious harm. For this reason, vigilance over the subtle stages of distortion is essential for every sincere practitioner.
The reflections presented here are informed not only by Vaiṣṇava theology concerning false ego (ahaṅkāra), offenses (aparādha), and the loss of equal vision (sama-darśinaḥ), but also by broader insights from psychology, sociology, and the study of ideological movements. Researchers such as Henri Tajfel, Irving Janis, Albert Bandura, Jonathan Haidt, Gordon Allport, and Erich Fromm have examined how group identity, conformity, and ideological attachment can gradually reshape perception and behaviour. While the language of māyā belongs to the Bhakti tradition, the underlying dynamics described here have been observed across religious, political, and social movements throughout history. The purpose of this analysis is therefore not to criticise any particular group, but to encourage self-examination regarding universal tendencies of the conditioned mind.
Below is a sequence that describes how sectarian consciousness can develop when the influence of māyā goes unrecognised. This is not a mechanical inevitability, but a warning pattern offered for reflection and self-examination.
The Sequence of a Distorted Path
1. A search for meaning and belonging
A person joins a spiritual movement for purpose, healing, identity, or community. This is natural and often sincere. The individual is seeking something higher than ordinary material life—direction, transcendence, and connection.
2. Strong group identity forms
The movement becomes a key source of belonging and worldview. The teachings, practices, and community begin to define not only spiritual life but also personal identity. This stage is not inherently negative; structure and association can support growth. However, if we embrace the spiritual path but continue to identify strongly with the body after many years, we may mistakenly think we are progressing when in fact we may not be. When the false ego remains strong, it can set the stage for Stage 3:
3. Reduced exposure to outside perspectives
Gradually, external inputs are filtered. This may happen formally or informally: limiting news, avoiding critical perspectives, or dismissing other traditions and viewpoints. Over time, the inner world becomes increasingly self-referential. This is where problems can begin.
4. Moral absolutism develops
The world begins to be framed in strict binaries of right and wrong, pure and corrupt, saved and lost. Nuance diminishes. Philosophical categories become moral identities, and disagreement is interpreted not as difference but as moral failure.
5. Us-vs-them thinking emerges
Other religions, ethnic groups, nations, or ideological communities are seen as inferior, misguided, or even hostile. The group itself is perceived as uniquely righteous. In some cases, external political entities that appear to support the group are idealized, while all others are dismissed.
6. Selective empathy and political justification
At this stage, empathy becomes uneven. Suffering connected to “out-groups” or distant political conflicts may be rationalised as deserved or exaggerated. Moral concern becomes conditional rather than universal.
7. Emotional desensitisation
Repeated selective framing leads to reduced emotional responsiveness. Tragedies involving civilians—including children affected by wars, disasters, or political violence—may no longer evoke the natural compassion expected of a spiritually sensitive heart.
8. Complete bias
The perception of the world becomes heavily filtered. Global events—wars, disasters, humanitarian crises—are only emotionally significant when they involve individuals or groups perceived as “ours.” The universal nature of suffering is no longer felt.
9. Complete loss of genuine spiritual purpose
Although external practices may continue, the original purpose of spiritual life—awakening love, compassion, and realisation of the Divine—is effectively lost. Ritual, identity, or ideology replaces transformation of the heart.
10. The end of the beginning
At its extreme, this trajectory can contribute to alignment with extremist ideologies or movements. What began as a search for meaning can end in rigid ideology that justifies harm and division. This is not unique to any one tradition but reflects the universal danger of unchecked ego combined with group identity.
Māyā as the Distorter of Compassion
In all bona fide spiritual traditions, compassion is not optional—it is the natural fragrance of realization. When compassion diminishes, it is a clear sign that consciousness has been influenced by illusion rather than truth. Māyā does not always destroy faith; she can redirect it, narrowing its scope until it serves identity rather than transcendence.
Sectarianism is particularly dangerous because it can coexist with sincere practice. One may chant, pray, or study scripture while simultaneously losing the ability to perceive the unity of all living beings. This is why the Bhagavad-gītā emphasizes equal vision, and why the Bhāgavatam describes the highest devotee as one who sees all beings as beloved parts of the Supreme.
A tradition that loses compassion has lost its essence, regardless of how strong its external structure appears.
The Subtlety of Justified Exclusion
One of the most deceptive aspects of māyā is that it can make exclusion feel righteous. The mind begins to believe it is protecting truth, preserving purity, or defending dharma, while gradually losing contact with humility and empathy. In such a condition, even suffering can be interpreted through ideological lenses rather than human reality.
This is why sincere self-inquiry is essential: not only “Am I following the path?” but “Has my heart become narrower or wider?”
Quotes from the Acharyas
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wrote in the Sri Krsna-samhita, “Contradictions actually arise only due to ass-like mentality. Swanlike persons consider the necessity for different practices according to one’s qualification, so they naturally become detached from sectarian quarrels.”
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura wrote:
“I will not accept the ideal of ignorant, insincere, pseudo-ascetic sectarianism. I will not learn insincerity. The worldly-minded, the malicious, the pseudo-renunciationists, the selfish cannot understand how the devotees of God… never deviate from the service of God.” (As compiled in Amṛta Vāṇī).
In a lecture in London on August 11, 1971, Srila Prabhupāda said:
“We do not say that ‘You become Hindu,’ ‘You become Muslim,’ or ‘Christian.’ No. We say that ‘You become lover of God.’ You learn how to love God.”
The Remedy: Restoring Universal Vision
The antidote to sectarian distortion is not abandonment of spiritual tradition, but deepening of its essence. Real spiritual life expands perception rather than contracting it. It restores the ability to see beyond labels into the shared reality of consciousness and suffering.
Humility, honest reflection, and exposure to diverse perspectives grounded in respect are protective forces. Above all, remembrance that every living being is part of the Supreme prevents the mind from constructing permanent divisions between “us” and “them.”
When the heart is aligned with truth, spiritual life naturally expresses itself as clarity, kindness, and universality rather than rigidity.
Conclusion
Māyā’s most subtle influence is not to lead people away from religion, but to distort religion from within. Sectarianism, when unchecked, can follow a gradual trajectory that begins with sincere searching and ends in hardened bias. Recognising this pattern is not an accusation against any group, but a reminder for self-examination for all practitioners.
The purpose of spiritual life is not merely belonging, identity, or ideology—it is transformation of consciousness. When that transformation is genuine, the result is not division but unity; not indifference but compassion; not narrowness but expansive vision rooted in love for Krishna.