[Advaita-l] Bhagavad Geeta 4.7, 4.8

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

--- Sailesh Ganesh <saileshganesh at gmail.com> wrote:

> Sadanandaji
> 
> Pranams.
> 
> Based on your explanation, this is what I have understood. Please
> correct me
> if I am wrong.
> 
> From the Brahman point of view, there is no mAya, which is the same as
> saying that a jiivanmukta does not see any duality. 

Shree Saileshji, PraNAms

>From Brahman's point there is no maaya nor any creation - it is
kaarya-kaaraNa vilaxanam - beyond any cause and effect - a
transcendental truth.

>From Jiivan mukta point there is duality but he has no notion that the
duality is reality.  He understood everything is Brahman and  everything
is pervaded by Brahman, and I am that Brahman.  Krishna says 'Sarva
bhuutastu AtmAnam sarva bhuutaanica Atmani' -'one Self in all beings and
all being in oneself; he who sees he alone sees (understoods). From
Bhakti's point - 'yo maam pasyati sarvatra sarvatra mayi pasyati' - 'who
sees me everywhere and everything in me'. Jiivamukta with the local
equipment (mind and intellect) sees the plurality but now understood
that all that plurality is only projection of the total mind and there
is no reality to it other than the substantive, the sat chit ananda that
he is. It is like gold recognizgin that I am in all of them and all of
them are in me.  Look at my glory - I can exist in all forms yet I am
beyond all forms. 
maya tatam idam sarvam jagat avyakta muurthinaa|.... - I pervade this
entire universe in an unmanifested form, all beings are in me but I am
beyond all forms- Arjuna! Look at my glory - pasyame yogam aiswaryam. 
When jiivan mukta's body drops, he is one with the universe.  Until then
he understands that he is one with the universe but utilizes the local
equipments for loka kalyaaNam.  Please look at the Karmayoga series that
I posted few months back related to this topic.

>mAya only exists
> from
> the jiiva point of view. Even the jiiva point of view (as separate
> from the
> Brahman point of view) is because of mAya. In fact, everything that we
> perceive as real is because of mAya. Then the question arises: where
> does
> mAya come from? 

mAya did not come anywhere.  Once I assume that plurality is reality, I
have to bring in Iswara, the creator of this plurality.  His creative
power is called mAya - parameswara shakti.  It comes with parameswara.
mAya is same as prakRiti - 'mAyantu prakRitim vidyat- know that mAya is
prakRiti' says sweteswara UpaniShad - prakRiti and the Lord are
symbolized as ardhanaareeswara of Lord Shiva. 

>The only explanation I can think of is that even the
> presence of mAya is because of mAya, which is something of a loop back
> on
> itself. But I am unable to comprehend the meaning of this, how does
> mAya
> arise out of itself? And what is the relation of mAya, jiiva, jiiva
> point of
> view, etc. with Brahman, if from Brahman point of view, all these do
> not
> exist? So, in short, where does the entire concept of mAya come from?

Analyze at your dream world.  You are the creator of your dream.  The
suppressions and oppresssions of your waking state provide the vAsanAs
for the dream.  You, the conscious entity, using the waking mind as the
basis, project the world of plurality in your dream.  The power to
project is inherent with you, the Iswara or the lord of your dream
world. In the dream you see the pluarality and take it as reality. 
Forgetting that it is your own projection, you take yourself to be a
tiny subject in your dream and the dream world 'out-there' is separate
from you.  The analysis is exactly the same.  This is what Mandukya Up.
is going to present.  

Hari Om!
sadananda

> 
> Thanks
> Sailesh