The greatest spiritual ill of human beings is that they fail to recognize reality for what it is. “Those who worship ignorance enter blinding darkness,” says the Upanishads. The ignorance might best be illustrated by the parable of the tiger.

The tiger was orphaned as a cub and reared by goats. For his entire life, he believed he was a goat, even eating grass and bleating like a goat. Then one day he met another tiger who took him to a pool of water, and the first tiger saw his true image in the reflection of the water. The second tiger urged him to eat meat for the first time. Soon, he realized his true tiger nature.

Similarly, human beings are often deceived about their true nature. If so, they are living in maya. It is the task of religion to reveal the divine within us, and the connectedness of all human beings and living things.