Therefore, to conceive of the self as separate from the Supreme Self, from the Supreme Lord, Krishna, is also an illusion, and when the separate being claims to be the Lord himself, let us know that this is the ultimate illusion, the final trap set by maya, the illusory energy or external energy of God.
The Lord affirms that the foolish, the demonic beings who refuse to acknowledge His existence, sink ever deeper into the darkness of ignorance and thus reincarnate, life after life, without the slightest knowledge of His Person.
The Lord says: That which appears to have some value, but has no connection with Me, know this, is not real. It is only My illusory energy, a reflection in the darkness.
Know that the elements that compose the universe enter the cosmos while not entering it. Likewise, I exist in all that is created, and simultaneously, I am outside of all things.
Indeed, during all phases of cosmic manifestation—its emergence, its maintenance, its growth, the interactions of its various energies, its decline, and its disappearance—everything rests on the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore, when this fundamental relationship of all things with the Lord is forgotten and that which has no connection with Him is considered real, such a concept is considered to originate from the illusory energy of the Lord.
To support this truth, the Lord says: Nothing exists outside of Me, and this is what you must clearly understand. Nothing is separate from My Person. The entire cosmic manifestation rests in Me; it is not separate from My Person. Before creation, I already existed.
Because nothing can exist outside of Him, it must be admitted that illusory energy is indeed an energy of the Lord. The energy of union refers to the correct concept by which all things are seen in relation to the Lord, while the energy of illusion is characterized by considering a thing independent of its relationship with the Lord.
Now, because nothing can exist independently or separately from Him, these two mayas are necessarily linked to God, to His Person. However, the erroneous concept of dissociating from the Lord that which exists only in relation to His Person is not false, but illusory.