From Lord Balarama comes the entire transcendental dhama, which descends from the spiritual world into this material world. Praudha-maya protects the dhama in this world from the materialistic.This praudha-maya, which creates a thin covering or film over the dhäma to protect it, keeps all persons who are deceitful and full of pride from entering into the dhama.Jiva Gosvami once asked Lord Nityananda, “How is it that somebody can live in the dhama for such a long time and Krishna bhakti will never manifest in his heart?” Lord Nityananda explained: “Dear Jiva, actually, they were never in the dhama, because proud persons cannot reside in the dhama, as praudha-maya is protecting it.” Therefore they are standing on what appears to them to be the dhama, but the covering is protecting them from influencing it.
Lectures From a Disciple, Counselor System, Pg 406, 5-6th Paragraph