[Advaita-l] Mithya and Maya

[Michael Shepherd]

Translating Sanskrit into English is full of traps, isn't it ?!

'Brahma satyam, jagad mithyaa', from Shankara's viewpoint, is a universal statement for us to absorb -- 'Brahman is real, the world is not real..' or 'false' in some translations; and very much Shankara's basic message -- perhaps even more needed in his time.

But for the individual, even when that statement is heard, and working his or her way through the maya, bhrama, advidya etc, this is a matter for buddhi to discriminate moment by moment; with help or without..

So when we are presenting this to students in English, we tend to use a gentler and more practical approach, by saying 'Only Brahman is real; the world merely seems to be..'
This, I find is less daunting and more practical for students. And it is within the definition of mithya. 
In other words, it's a matter of where you stand as an individual at any moment.

To bring in 'impermanence' or 'passing' or 'transient' or 'always becoming' etc seems to me to be a red herring, a separate issue from mithya, however true in itself; since as already said, it is all Brahman even in its 'transience'.

Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
[mailto:advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org]On Behalf Of Sarma
KV
Sent: 02 September 2009 05:44
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Mithya and Maya


Very well said, Sunil ji!

As long as we are not "there", we will be dealing with all these words,
meanings...
When the real Self becomes aware, it is all "mouna."

Thank you for giving scope for more thoughts on this topic.

dakshiNaamUrtayE namaH
-Sarma KV

On Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 6:05 PM, Sunil Bhattacharjya <
sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Dear Sarmaji,
>
> Again the same problem about the meanbings of the word impermanency. I did
> not mean that the world is not Brahman. You a were a small boy in your
> childhood, which you are not today. To understand the idea of
>  impermanency there is the need for a little introspection. The shapes and
> forms and appearance as a whole are ever changing and that is what is
> implied by impermanency. If you assume gold to be permanent the ornaments
> may not be as the ornaments can be altered. You may even find a loophole in
> this explanation. That is why bhashyas upon bhashyas  and vartikas upon
> vartikas are being written on the same texts over and over again as the
> words and sentences have the problem and the receptivities of the human
> beings also add to the confusions.
>
> Regards,
>
> Sunil K. Bhattacharjya
>
>
>
> --- On Tue, 9/1/09, Sarma KV <sarmakv at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> From: Sarma KV <sarmakv at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Mithya and Maya
> To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 6:45 AM
>
>
> Dear Sunil ji,
>
> I am in complete agreement with Jaldhar ji's definition. The only problem
> was with 'mithya=false.' It is a petty problem (as I expressed earlier.)
> I am not convinced with the word "impermanence" also for "mithya." jagat
> and
> brahma define ONE entity. jagat IS brahma. As jagat it IS brahma but is not
> known as brahma (this is *mithyatva*). As brahma it is brahma and is known
> as brahma. As jagat and as brahma it IS (hence not impermanent.) Thus
> "mithya"=/="false". It is just unrealized-ness.
>
> Om tat sat
> -Syam
>
> On Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 5:10 AM, Sunil Bhattacharjya <
> sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > The word for "Transient" is "Anitya" and not "Mithya". I think Jaldharji
> > has given a good definiion, as ony a jnani really realises that the world
> in
> > anitya whereas the others may talk about it as anitya but their actions
> do
> > not show that they have realised the impermanency of the Jagat.
> >
> > --- On Mon, 8/31/09, Sarma KV <sarmakv at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > From: Sarma KV <sarmakv at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Mithya and Maya
> > To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <
> > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> > Date: Monday, August 31, 2009, 10:01 PM
> >
> >
> > Dear Sri Jaldhar,
> >
> > The word *mithya* doesn't mean "false." It means "transient", not
> constant,
> > not permanent, not lasting (naSvaram = bound to perish), and
> > not-independent. Jagat is leela.
> > In contrast brahma is satyam. It is not-transient. It is independent,
> > Sudhdham and nityam.
> >
> > This is Sankara's view behind using the word "*mithya*" rather than "*
> > asatyam*" or some other word to mean "false."
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 11:50 PM, Jaldhar H. Vyas <
> jaldhar at braincells.com
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > Rajeev Kumar who recently joined the list asked
> > >
> > > 1. What actually Sankaracharaya meant by Gagat Mithya and Maya ?
> > >>
> > >
> > > Advaita Vedanta is not idealistic in the philosophical sense meaning it
> > > does not believe "it is all in your head"  There is an objective
> reality
> > out
> > > there.  But what your senses perceive is not it.  This is due to
> > Bhagavans
> > > power of delusion which manifests in two forms: veiling the true nature
> > of
> > > things, and causing the illusion of reality to unreal things.  This
> > avidya
> > > (ignorance) in a jivatma causes it to think of the world-appearance to
> be
> > of
> > > multiplicity and its contents (including himself) to have finite
> > beginnings
> > > and ends.  Jnana or knowledge is the realization that this
> > world-appearence
> > > in all its names and forms is mithya (false) and only the one, eternal,
> > > imperishable Brahman exists.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
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> शिवशासनतश्शिवशासनतः शिवशासनतश्शिवशासनतः ।।
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> Best Regards,
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नगुरोरधिकं नगुरोरधिकं नगुरोरधिकं नगुरोरधिकम्।
शिवशासनतश्शिवशासनतः शिवशासनतश्शिवशासनतः ।।

Best Regards,
Syam
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