[Advaita-l] Prakriti/Maya itself is Avidya - Vishnu Purana

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Vishnu Purana we have a verse where Krishna addresses Yoga Maayaa in
the sequence of His avatara:

योगनिद्रा महामाया वैष्णवी मोहितं यया।
अविद्यया जगत्सर्वं तामाह भगवन्हरिः।। १८१.३७ ।।  5.1.71

Yoganidra, MahAmAyA, VaishnavI (VishnumAyA) who is verily AvidyA, by whom
the entire world is deluded.

विष्णुपुराणम्/पञ्चमांशः/अध्यायः १
<https://sa.m.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%9E%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%83/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A7>
स्तान्निद्राक्रमाद्गर्भानयोजयत् ॥ ५,१.७० ॥ योगनिद्रा महामाया वैष्णवी मोहितं
यया । अविद्यया जगत्सर्वं तामाह भगवान्हरिः ॥ ५,१.७१ ॥ श्रीभगवानुवाच निद्रे
गच्छ...

This Maya alone is 'affectionately' stated by Krishna in the Bhagavadgita:
mama MAyA duratyayaa.

Sridhara Swamin, the Advaitin who has commented on the Bhagavadgita, the
Bhagavatam and the Vishnupuranam says:

...सैव ब्रह्मादीनपि मोहयन्ती महामाया, सैव जीवानां ज्ञानमाच्छादयन्ती
अविद्यारूपेण जगत् सर्वमावृत्य यया स्वशक्त्या मोहितं मिथ्याभिनिवेशवत् कृतं...

She alone is MahAmAyA who deludes even (gods) BrahmA, etc., she alone veils
the jnana of jivas in the form of avidyA....

The above comment is in perfect tune with the Bhagavad Gita with Shankara's
comments  that have been cited already in respect of Prakriti/Maya being
the shakti of Bhagavan, the jiva's jnanam being veiled by ajnana/avidya,
etc.

So, here we have the clinching evidence, from the words of Vedavyasa for
the identity of Maya and Avidya.

This verse is there in the Brahmapurana too, in the same form.

Skandapurana and Bhavishyapurana too echo this very idea:

स्कन्दपुराणम्/खण्डः २ (वैष्णवखण्डः)/बदरिकाश्रममाहात्म्यम्/अध्यायः ०२
<https://sa.m.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A8_(%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%83)/%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A6%E0%A5%A8>
रजोपयुक्तम् ।। सत्त्वेन चास्य स्थितिहेतुमुग्रमथो तमोभिग्रसितारमीडे ।।३४।।
अविद्यया विश्वविमोहितात्मा विद्यैकरूपं विततं त्रिलोक्याम् ।।
विद्याश्रितत्वात्सकलज्ञमीशं...

भविष्यपुराणम् /पर्व ३ (प्रतिसर्गपर्व)/खण्डः ४/अध्यायः ०६
<https://sa.m.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D_/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5_%E0%A5%A9_(%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5)/%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AA/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A6%E0%A5%AC>
भगवन्वेदतत्त्वज्ञ सर्वलोकशिवंकरः ।। *अहं मायाभवो* जातो भवान्वेदभवो भुवि ।।
१२ ।। अविद्यया च सकलं मम ज्ञानं समाहृतम् ।। अतोऽहं विविधा योनीर्गृहीत्वा
लोकमागतः ।।१३।।..

In the Bhagavatam, Uddhava Gita we have:

श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः ११/अध्यायः २६
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/tw4

क्वायं मलीमसः कायो दौर्गन्ध्याद्यात्मकोऽशुचिः ।
 क्व गुणाः सौमनस्याद्या *ह्यध्यासोऽविद्यया कृतः* ॥ १८ ॥

Here the statement is: adhyAsa is a product of avidyA.

Om Tat Sat