MAYA

                 Maya

In previous parts, we have learnt about the Atman/The Self?… our True Identity and that we are not the body mind complex but the Sat Chit Ananda.

Even if logically we are accepting this concept,  we are not experiencing it and  yet stucked at the false Identity as the BMI. That’s why in day to day transactions, we are still getting affected by joys and sorrows, pleasure and pain, etc. Our mind is so habituated of the past notions of BMI, that it appreciate and accept the Truth but do not own It. One may hear, reflect or meditate upon the Self, the experience may still be only at an intellectual level.

Why is the uncovering of the Self  so difficult?

There must be something,  which hinders this unveiling.

Sun is shining in the sky. But there are some clouds covering it, So you cannot see the sun even if it is there.  Isn’t it true?

Here Sun is not intentionally avoiding your vision.  Neither your vision is at fault. It is the cloud, which is obstructing the vision of the Sun.

When clouds disappear, you see the Sun shining as it is. It was never affected by the cloud. It is we, who were unable to see it. Got it?? Atman, The Self is Self-effulgent and ever existent. It is we, who cannot perceice it, because of the cloud of the ignorance.( just like the clouds hinders the view of the sun)

Yes, the cloud of the ignorance  is Avidya only, at the individual level.( The moment this cloud is cleared I.e  ignorance is removed,  our True nature the Self shines  by itself. Real difficulty is removal of this ignorance/ avidya)
Now, be attentive-

There are many pots of different shapes filled with the water. When sun shines, it gets reflected in every pot water. You see the reflection of the same and one sun in the many pots. Reflected sun in every pot water is also illumining the surrounding,  although this light is borrowed from the one and the same sun. Got it ??

After the sunset, the reflection also disappear and so the illumination of the surrounding.  The real sun is the one, and rest were only the reflection of it in different pots. Is it clear?? Because you have to digest now one new concept.

Up till now, we have learnt that the Self/The Atman ( Sat Chit Ananda) gets reflected in the mind ( antahkaran).

Now listen carefully-

Simulate different pots with the gross bodies of different individuals and water with their respective mind/ antahkaran.  And the reflection of the sun as the reflection of the Sat Chit Anand/ the Self.  Thus, every individual has different types of the gross body, with different qualities of the mind/ antahkaran.  But the Self/ Atman is the one and the same. Just like one sun appears as many, the one Self appearing as many.
There is the only one Reality without second – Nondual / केवल, of the nature of the Sat Chit Anand- Self effulgent,  omniscient omnipotent.  It is called  The Brahman ( ब्रह्मन्)  परब्रह्म/ब्रह्मचैतन्य. It is the substratum of the entire universe.

Then what about the Atman/ The Self??

The Same Brahman at the individual level is named as Atman/ The Self. (we have learnt it.) Thus there is only one Reality, the Truth – Brahman. When it seems to be limited in the five sheaths of an individual,  it is called Atman. lets simplify this with example. 

Space is one and all encompassing.  Different shaped pots occupies different amount of space. We call this limited space in the pot as a pot space/घटाकाश. But if pots are broken, what will be the fate of its space? Nothing. Space is as it is unaffected.  It is due to  the limitation of the pot, we label it the pot space. In fact space is the one.
Thus The  Truth is the One without second, The Brahman. In Sanskrit ब्रह्मन is  ब्रृहद/ Big- so big that it is the only Existent / Sat/ Infinite  and every thing rests upon It. Nondual is called  अद्वैत in sanskrit.

Just like a pot space/ घटाकाश, we call this Brahman limited by individual coverings as the Atman.

Thus logically we all are convinced about the Truth, our own nature, but what is it, because of which we are not experiencing it?

It is the Maya. ( cloud of the ignorance at the individual level – Avidya,  we have seen in the analogy of sun & cloud, is the part of this Maya.)

What is MAYA.? या मा सा माया।( This is the sanskrit discription) Ya- one who( feminine gender) Ma- not, Sa- she
That which is not, yet appears to be” is Maya. Seems confusing? Yes, her role itself is to confuse you. Maya means, one who is not ( present/existent) still appears to be present. It can be explained with an analogy.

There is the rope in the courtyard. In the dim light of the evening, a person passing by sees this rope as the snake and starts shouting with fear. Rope is the rope. It is not the snake and can not create the snake.  But because of the poor visibility,  rope is not seen as a rope but mistaken as the snake. Got it?? Then someone comes with the Torch. The moment the light falls on it, a person sees rope and not the snake. Where has the snake gone?? Was it there really? Thus, that which appears to be but is not, is the power of the Maya.

Self is evershining. It the veil of ignorance /Avidya ( Maya at the individual level) which is obstacle for our Self realisation. 

Now, lets see more about the Maya. Maya has two powers-

1. The veiling power( आवरण शक्ती)- This is of the nature of ignorance and veils the Truth. By itself this cannot create anything but just cover the Truth.

2. The projecting power( विक्षेप शक्ती)- This is the creative power that projects the entire creation. It cannot create without veiling power. Let’s make it simple to understand with rope snake analogy.

The rope couldn’t be seen clearly because of the dimlight. Real identity of the rope was veiled. But this veiling of the rope created the misidentified object (snake) over it. At First there was the non – apprehension ( veiling power) and then mis- apprehension ( projecting power).

It is very common experience that- You are in the crowd.  Suddenly you see your friend and call him loudly or go and keep your hand on his shoulder.  But after few seconds only you come to know that he is not your friend as you thought but the unknown person similar to your friend. At first, veilng power veiled his  identity, then the projecting power projected your friend upon him. Thus you could see your friend in him, although he was not. This is the play of Maya.
There is the post, upon which some one kept the white cloth.  In the night, you see it as the ghost and get frightened.

Power of Maya is unfathomable. It can make the impossible seem real. Maya however,  has no separate existence apart from the Truth. Without Existence/ Brahman nothing can exist. Brahman alone has intrinsic existence.  Also, in the Truth( Sat Chit Ananda) there is no trace of Maya, therefore Maya is destroyed upon knowing the truth. ( when torchlight falls, rope is known and snake, the creation of maya disappears.)

This is in short about the Maya. We will learn more about Maya and the creation of universe/ Jagat in next part.

              Hari Om !