SPIRITUAL BLISS: June 2013

PLEASE READ 'MAYA PANCHAKAM' OF SHANKARACHARYA

The word ‘Maya’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘ma’ (that) and ‘ya’ (not). ‘ma’ also means ‘to measure, to limit, to give form’. Maya can thus be taken to mean ‘that which is not’. The scriptures say that there is a fundamental flaw in the way the universe is perceived by man. An individual sees everyone and everything in the universe as having separate identities, and experiences ‘reality’ with respect to a time frame and space. This is nothing but a severely crippled and limited projection of the mind governed by the ego, which does not allow individual consciousness to perceive the highest reality where there is no duality. This illusion that the jeevatma (individual consciousness) is separate from paramatma (Cosmic Consciousness) is termed MAYA.

Thus, Maya is the principal concept, which manifests, perpetuates and governs this feeling of separateness or duality, which is actually an illusion. Even the concept of time and space itself is a projection of Maya,

Yaa Devi sarva bhooteshu, bhranti roopena samsthita,
Namastasyei, namastasyei, namastasyei namo namaha

Salutations to the Divine Mother who abides in all beings in the

form of ‘Bhranti’ or Delusion, ie, Maya

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the great devotee of Goddess
Kali, called Maya the mysterious and majestic expression of
divinity. He called the divine mother the mighty weaver who
was like “...the effulgent sun, bringing into existence clouds
of different colours and shapes, shining through, standing
behind them and thus conjuring up wonderful forms in the
blue autumn heaven".

The 26 th verse of Satasloki of Sri Shankaracharya is as follows--

चत्वारोऽस्याः कपर्दा युवतिरथ भवेन्नूनता नित्यमेषा

माया वा पेशला स्यादघटितघटनापाटवं याति यस्मात् ।

स्यादारम्भे घृतास्या श्रुतिभवयुवनान्येवमाच्छादयन्ती

तस्यामेतौ सुपर्णाविव परपुरुषौ तिष्ठतोऽर्थप्रतीत्या ॥ (२६)

This Maya has four great qualities --

1) It is ever youthful and ever new.

The body and senses become decrepit, yet She remains

young and energetic. Maya never tires of giving a never-

ending supply of objects and occasions for people to

enjoy and experience.

2) It has the capacity to make what is impossible happen.

She is an expert in projecting to us what is impossible to

happen. She makes us believe what we are not really. While

our true nature is Consciousness-Knowledge-Bliss, She

succeeds in conceiving for us a body-mind apparatus and a

world to enjoy through this apparatus and experience the

results thereof.

3) Every action undertaken as a result of this Maya is sweet in the beginning.

The mantra as well as the verse use the expression

‘ghRutaasyaa’. This means: The one whose ‘mouth’

is smeared with ghee, clarified butter. Ghee is something

that is tasty. This simile conveys the idea that the joys of

the world are very attractive to start with but end up

delivering pain to the enjoyer.

The Bhagavadgita verse:--

विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगात् यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् ।

परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥ 18. 38

[The pleasure born of the contact of the senses and the

objects will be nectarine in the beginning but end up

becoming a poison. This is the characteristic of a

raajasik pleasure.]

4) Maya conceals the knowledge about Brahman contained in the Srutis.

Maya’s most destructive ‘glory’ is Her ability to cover the

wisdom of the Upanishads from our vision. The Upanishads

teach us about the true nature of the Self and the means to

realize it. Maya, however, succeeds in keeping that teaching

out of our understanding. First, we are ignorant about the
very existence of such a treasure of teaching. Only the
realization that one is in reality Brahman will give eternal
happiness unmixed with the slightest trace of misery. This
knowledge, which is contained in the Upanishads, is
concealed by ignorance and so the Jiva looks upon himself
as a limited individual. (See Gita, 5.16.)
Most people are not even aware that there is such a thing

called Moksha and that it can be had by resorting to the

Upanishads through a Guru. The Kathopanishad 1.2.7. and

the Bhagavadgita 2.29 and 7.3 say this most emphatically:

श्रवणायापि बहुबिर्यो न लभ्य:

शृण्वन्तोऽपि बहवो यं न विद्युः

[The Supreme Teaching is extremely rare even for hearing

and even when heard most do not grasp the teaching….]

The reason for this is the deluding and projecting powers

of Maya.

Isvara and Jiva both dwell in this Maya like two birds on a tree.
The Jiva experiences external objects through the sense
organs and feels happiness or misery, while Isvara is not
affected by them.

The above Satasloki verse is based on the Rigveda, 8.6.16.3.

There Maya is described as a girl having the above four

qualities. Maya has two powers, the veiling power
(Avarana shakti) and the projecting power (Vikshepa shakti).

In poor light, a rope lying on the ground can be mistaken for
a snake by an individual. This illusion mistaken for reality is
avarana – the truth that the object is indeed a rope and not
a snake is veiled. Then vikshepa follows – the fear arising
out of the belief that the rope is a snake, caused by this
illusion. Thus, the reality of the rope is enveloped by the false
reality of the snake created by the hallucinating mind.

Maya veils Brahman and projects the universe. It thus makes

the impossible happen. Brahman reflected in pure (Sattvic)

Maya is Isvara (God). The Jiva or individual is Brahman

reflected in Avidya, which is impure Maya because of the

admixture of Rajoguna and Tamoguna. It is therefore stated

in this verse that both Isvara and Jiva dwell in Maya.

The comparison with two birds on the same tree is based on
Mundakopanishad, III.i.1, which says:--"Two birds that are ever
associated with each other reside on the same tree (standing
for the body). One of them, (the Jiva), eats the fruits
(i.e. experiences the results, good and bad, of its karma)
because of identification with the body. The other, Isvara,
looks on without eating. Isvara has no karma to be
experienced and no identification with the body.
Isvara controls Maya, while the Jiva is under the
control of Maya.

Maya makes the impossible happen-- Sri Sankara gives, in
Mayapanchakam, some instances of this--

1) It imposes on Brahman, which is eternal and devoid of parts
and which is pure Consciousness, the false distinctions as the
world, individual souls and God.

2) It makes even those who have mastered all the scriptures
no different from animals by tempting them with wealth and
the like.

3) It makes Brahman which is infinite bliss, pure
consciousness and non-dual, struggle in the ocean of
samsaara by associating it with the body made up of the
five elements.

4) It imposes on Brahman which is devoid of qualities, the
distinctions of colour, caste, etc, and attachment to wife, son,
possessions and the like.

5) It creates even in non-dual Brahman distinctions such as
Brahmaa, Vishnu and Siva and deludes even the learned into
thinking that they are different from one another.

The scriptures have also given us several methods to
overcome maya. Dhyana, Jnana and Bhakti yoga are the
prominent ones. Developing the ‘sakshi bhava’ or witness
attitude is another path tread by realised masters.