Sadhana can help overcome Maya

Devotees would often confess to Sri Ramakrishna about their attachment to worldly life.  They would state that they feel bewildered by the power of various attractions which bind them to this earthly life.  Sri Ramakrishna would patiently listen to them and console them using a beautiful story from the Puranas.  Dashavatara or the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are well-known in Hindu mythology.  The Lord incarnated in different forms to destroy the wicked in the form of demons.  One such Avatara or incarnation was the Varaha Avatara or the incarnation in the form of a pig.  This was to kill the Asura or demon by name Hiranyaksha.  The purpose of the Avatara was accomplished when the demon was killed.  At the end of every Avatara, Lord Vishnu regains His original form and goes back to His abode namely Vaikuntha.  But, the Lord in the form of pig was not prepared to give up his earthly connections.  He was wallowing in mud and slush and was playing with the young ones.  The gods became extremely worried and they approached Lord Vishnu to remind Him that the purpose of His advent was over and that it was time to return to His original abode namely Vaikuntha.  But the pig would have none of it.  Finally, the gods approached Lord Shiva and narrated everything to him.  He came with a trident and killed the pig.  The moment the pig body was destroyed, Vishnu sprang up laughing and returned to his abode.  Thus the Lord Himself in spite of his extraordinary spiritual dimensions was caught in the meshes of Maya.  This was because he had assumed a body and had come down to earth.  Thus any person incarnating on earth as a human being would be imbued with qualities such as attraction for earthly possessions, relationships, etc.  Only by intense and focused Sadhana it is possible to overcome them and reach the supreme goal of life.