[Advaita-l] Define MAYA ?

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

In the previous mail, whenever the word "created" was used, it's only in
the sense of manifested or put together intelligently and not a fresh
creation.


On Fri, 12 Jun, 2020, 4:25 PM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula, <
raghavkumar00 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Namaste Sri B Sridhar ji
>
> On Fri, 12 Jun, 2020, 1:05 PM Sri B via Advaita-l, <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>> Interesting discussion.  Will it be appropriate to understand Maaya as
>> the cosmic mind? There are few similarities between manas and maayaa. In
>> Individuals the mind operates the two levers of - veiling (Avarna) and
>> projection (Vikshepa), resulting in avidya.
>
>
> "Resulting in avidyA" is not an accurate way of expressing it.
> Rather avidyA is the primary entity. It is not the result of anything.
> avidyA is in that sense not reducible to anything simpler or more basic. It
> is fundamental. That avidyA is understood as having two aspects -
> concealment (AvaraNa) and projection (vixepa).  That avidyA is synonymous
> with mAyA when we are analyzing the cosmic srishTi which has created all
> these worlds.
>
> I am restricting myself to this one idea which needs modification in your
> post.
>
>
> Similarly at the cosmic level, Maayaa operates the same set of levers
>> causing avidya.
>
>
> Again, we should not say -  something causes avidyA. Perhaps you mean
> "causing our experience of multiplicity".
> Then it's fine. Otherwise it needs modification.
>
> You may want to read this from the list archives.
>
> http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/teachers/maya_hudli.htm
>
> A small excerpt -
>
> The whole universe is explained by advaita along the lines of a classic
> case of illusion, such as the illusion of the snake in the rope. What is
> seen under the influence of illusion is the snake which has been
> superimposed on the rope. The whole illusion is the result of two powers of
> avidyA (aj~nAna) called the AvaraNa-shakti and the vikShepa-shakti.
>
> Two phenomena happen in this illusion. First, the reality, the rope, is
> obscured or concealed. This is done by the AvaraNa-shakti. Second, the
> illusory object, the snake, is projected by the vikShepa-shakti. The
> AvaraNa shakti is called the power of concealment and the vikShepa-shakti
> the power of projection
>
> Now once we have the scheme in place with Brahman with mAya/avidyA at the
> universal level we have all these worlds made of five elements created.
>
> Regarding the sUxma deha of which the individual mind (manas/buddhi) is a
> constituent, we say that the subtle five elements are it's building
> blocks.  These five elements themselves are created/projected by mAyA which
> is at the universal level.
>
> Now if the universal level avidyA/mAyA has already accounted for the five
> elements and all their products, where is the role of individual level
> avidyA? The answer is that once the subtle and gross bodies have been
> created by Ishvara's mAyA shakti, that same Ishvara as though enters (i.e.,
> identifies with) a specific body due to the individual level avidyA and
> begins the samsAric process of life as a limited human being, waking,
> sleeping etc., and believes he is in time and space undergoing various
> experiences.
>
> Om
>
> Raghav
>