दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया | मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते || १४ ||
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te
daivī—divine; hi—certainly; eṣā—this; guṇa-mayī—consisting of the three guṇas; mama—My; māyā—illusion/energy; duratyayā—very difficult to overcome; mām—unto Me; eva—certainly; ye—those who; prapadyante—surrender; māyām—illusion; etām—this; taranti—cross over; te—they.
“This divine energy of Mine, composed of the three guṇas, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me alone cross over this illusion.”
Māyā is not mere illusion in the Western sense of 'that which does not exist.' It is the Lord's own creative power (śakti), which is real in its effects but leads to a false identification of the Ātman with the body-mind. Surrender (prapatti) dissolves this identification by restoring the relationship between the jīva and Īśvara.
The ego cannot dissolve the ego. Spiritual ego—pride in one's practices, achievements, or renunciation—is still māyā. The one prescription that consistently works is surrender: releasing the grip of 'I am the doer' and allowing something larger to operate through you.