[Advaita-l] A lovely correspondence

[V Subrahmanian]

A lovely correspondence
In the Srimadbhagavatam occurs this verse: 3.14.28:

ब्रह्मादयो यत्कृतसेतुपाला यत्कारणं विश्वमिदं च माया ।
आज्ञाकरी यस्य पिशाचचर्या अहो विभूम्नश्चरितं विडम्बनम् ॥ २८ ॥

Here Kashyapa addresses his wife Diti saying Shiva is the Cause of the
Creation/World and Maya is  at his beck and call.  We have a nice
correspondence with this idea in a famous verse on Shankaracharya:

शङ्कारूपेण मच्चित्तं पङ्कीकृतमभूद्यया ।
किङ्करी यस्य सा माया शङ्कराचार्यमाश्रये ॥११॥

My mind is sullied by the defect of doubt. I take refuge in Shankaracharya
at whose service is Maya.  (Maya, delusion, is the cause of the defect of
doubt, which is an obstacle for right knowledge.)

The idea that Maya is a maid/servant at the disposal of Brahman is brought
out in the above two texts. This, in turn, has the
Shvetashvataropanishad for its basis: मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं च
महेश्वरम्‌।
तस्यावयवभूतैस्तु व्याप्तं सर्वमिदं जगत्‌॥    4.10. Thou shalt know Maya to
be Force of Nature and theMaster of Maya to be the great Lord; this whole
universe is occupied by His becomings that are His members.

Om Tat Sat