माया
Maya
māyā
In simple words
Maya is often translated 'illusion', but it more precisely means the power that makes things appear. Some schools say it hides the one reality; others say it is God's real creative power.
What is it?
In early texts maya means wondrous power or magic. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad calls prakriti maya and the Lord its wielder. In Advaita, maya is the beginningless power by which the one Brahman appears as many, neither real nor unreal (anirvachaniya). Theistic Vedantins accept maya as God's wondrous power but reject that the world is illusory. In the Gita, Krishna speaks of His divine maya made of the gunas, hard to cross except by taking refuge in Him.
Scholar’s note
Advaita distinguishes the veiling (avarana) and projecting (vikshepa) powers of maya, and debates whether maya and avidya are the same, and whether ignorance resides in Brahman or the individual (Bhamati vs Vivarana schools). Ramanuja's 'seven untenabilities' (saptavidha anupapatti) attack the notion of an indescribable ignorance. Kashmir Shaivism treats maya as one of its thirty-six tattvas, a self-limiting power of Shiva.How its meaning differs
Maya is the indescribable power by which Brahman appears as the world; the world is not nothing, but it is not ultimately real either.
Maya refers to the Lord's wondrous power and to real prakriti; the world is real, not an illusion.
The world is real and eternally distinct from God; maya is God's will or power, not a principle of illusion.
Maya is Shiva's own power of self-limitation, by which universal consciousness appears as limited subjects and objects.
Maya denotes attachment to worldly things and wealth that distracts from the divine; the world itself is real as God's creation.
In the Bhagavad Gita — as Sadhak Sanjivani explains it
Summary based on Sadhak Sanjivaniसाधक-संजीवनीपर आधारित सारKrishna says His divine maya made of the gunas is very hard to cross, but those who take refuge in Him alone cross it (7.14). Swamiji explains that it is 'hard to cross' because people keep identifying with passing states — happy or sad, clever or confused, strong or weak — and remain bound by them (7.14). This maya becomes insurmountable only when the gunas are given an existence and importance of their own, apart from God (7.14). Taking refuge means merging one's own existence into God's, relying neither on the ego nor on maya; this needs no labour (7.14). God appears through His own yogamaya while remaining unborn and imperishable (4.6), and stays veiled by it from those who do not accept Him (7.25).
भगवान् कहते हैं कि मेरी यह गुणमयी दैवी माया दुरत्यय है, पर जो केवल मेरे शरण होते हैं वे इसे तर जाते हैं (७।१४)। स्वामीजी बताते हैं कि मनुष्य अपनेको कभी सुखी-कभी दु:खी, कभी समझदार-कभी बेसमझ, कभी बलवान्-कभी निर्बल मानकर इन आने-जानेवाले भावोंमें बँधे रहते हैं — यही इसका दुरत्ययपना है (७।१४)। यह माया तभी दुरत्यय होती है जब भगवान्के सिवाय गुणोंकी स्वतन्त्र सत्ता और महत्ता मानी जाय (७।१४)। शरणागतिका अर्थ है भगवान्की सत्तामें अपनी सत्ता मिला देना — न अहम्का आश्रय, न मायाका; इसमें कोई परिश्रम नहीं है (७।१४)। भगवान् अज और अविनाशी रहते हुए अपनी योगमायासे प्रकट होते हैं (४।६), और जो उन्हें नहीं मानते, उनके सामने योगमायासे ढके रहते हैं (७।२५)।
यह गुणमयी माया तभी दुरत्यय होती है; जब भगवान्के सिवाय गुणोंकी स्वतन्त्र सत्ता और महत्ता मानी जाय।Where it appears in the Gita
अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन्।
(मैं) अजन्मा (और) अविनाशी-स्वरूप होते हुए भी (तथा) सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंका ईश्वर होते हुए भी अपनी प्रकृतिको अधीन करके अपनी योगमायासे प्रकट होता हूँ।
7.14Those who take refuge in Me alone cross over maya
केवल मेरी शरण लेनेवाले मायाको तर जाते हैं
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया।
The divine maya made of the three gunas is hard to cross, but whoever takes refuge in God alone crosses it.
तीन गुणोंवाली दैवी माया दुरत्यय है, पर जो केवल भगवान्के शरण होते हैं, वे इसे तर जाते हैं।
7.25नाहं प्रकाश: सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृत:।
यह जो मूढ़ मनुष्यसमुदाय मुझे अज (और) अविनाशी ठीक तरहसे नहीं जानता (मानता), उन सबके (सामने) योगमायासे अच्छी तरह ढका हुआ मैं प्रकट नहीं होता।
18.61The Lord in the heart turns all beings riding the body-machine
हृदयस्थ ईश्वर यन्त्रारूढ़ प्राणियोंको घुमाता है
ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति।
The Lord dwells in every heart and, by His power, turns all beings riding the body-machine, according to their nature.
ईश्वर सब प्राणियोंके हृदयमें रहता है और अपनी मायासे शरीररूपी यन्त्रपर आरूढ़ प्राणियोंको उनके स्वभावके अनुसार घुमाता है।
Where else it appears
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Trace the idea from one source to the next.
- 1Textश्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद्Shvetashvatara UpanishadPrakriti called maya, the Lord its wielder.
- 2Gita verseBhagavad Gita 7.14The Lord's divine maya of the gunas, crossed by those who take refuge in Him.
- 3Textमाण्डूक्यकारिकाMandukya KarikaGaudapada's radical non-origination: the world like a dream.
- 4Traditionअद्वैत वेदान्तAdvaita VedantaMaya as indescribable appearance.
- 5Traditionविशिष्टाद्वैतVishishtadvaita VedantaThe objection: the world is real and God's power is real.
- 6Traditionप्रत्यभिज्ञा / त्रिकKashmir Shaivism (Pratyabhijna / Trika)Maya as consciousness's self-limitation.
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