Shata-shlokI of Shankara - MAYA is Anirvachaniya.... ....

June 28, 2004

our most respected Professorji writes ...

"There is neither night nor day;it is only a limitation of

vision."

In this context, i wpould like to draw your attention to the

following passage which i read this morning ...

"Maya is Anirvachaniya (inexpressible). It is neither real like

Brahman nor unreal like a barren woman's son, or the horn of a hare,

or a lotus-flower in the sky. The phenomena produced by a magician

do not really exist ....... But we cannot say that they do not

exist, because we are conscious of the phenomena, though only for a

short time. We are never conscious of a thing which, although it is

non-existent, is like a lotus-flower in the sky. Similar is the

phenomenon called the universe, which is imagined to be distinct

from Brahman. It is like the silver for which the mother-of-pearl is

mistaken.We call it Maya or illusion" (Ibid., p. 61). "Maya is

that illusive power of Brahman which makes the Anitya (impermanent)

appear as Nitya (permanent), Asuchi (impure) as Suchi (pure), Duhkha

(pain) as Sukha (pleasure) and Anatman (not-self) as Atman

(Self).The world of names and forms vanishes entirely from the

vision of a sage. It is an illusion that can be removed only by true

knowledge. It is the illusory notion of the serpent that is removed

when the rope which is mistaken for the serpent is recognised.

Therefore, it must be clearly admitted that the universe which is

removed by knowledge of the Self is also an illusion" (Ibid., pp. 62-

63). The illusion, however, is no illusion to those who directly

experience it. We have to recall here our investigations of the

nature of truth in dream and in waking, and add that the world is

relatively real and transcendentally ideal. It has Vyavaharika-Satta

or practical reality, while Brahman is Paramarthika-Satta or

absolute reality. "

to read the entire text go to

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