The Concept of MAYA (Illusion)

Under the influence of the three gunas, the soul is (1) misled by matter, and (2) subsequently entangled and entrapped. This tendency is termed maya (illusion).

Under maya’s influence, the atman, (the soul) mistakenly identifies with the body. He accepts such thoughts as “I am white and I am a man,” or “This is my house, my country, and my religion.” Thus the illusioned soul identifies with the temporary body and everything connected to it, such as race, gender, family, nation, bank balance, and sectarian religion. Under this sense of false-ego (false-identity) the soul aspires to control and enjoy matter. However, in so doing he continuously serves lust, greed and anger. In frustration he often redoubles his efforts and, compounding mistake upon mistake, only falls deeper into illusion.

In ignorance (tamas), he is fully convinced that right is wrong and wrong is right. In passion (rajas) he is unsure, hesitant, sometimes enjoying and at others times repenting. Only in goodness (sattva) does the soul begin to develop wisdom – to see things in the real light. Thus enlightenment means moving away from tamas towards sattva. By so doing, the soul gradually escapes the clutches of maya and moves towards liberation.

The mother is nursing a child with great care; all her soul, her life, is in that child. The child grows, becomes a man, and perchance becomes a blackguard and a brute, kicks her and beats her every day; and yet the mother clings to the child; and when her reason awakes, she covers it up with the idea of love. She little thinks that it is not love, that it is something which has got hold of her nerves, which she cannot shake off; however she may try, she cannot shake off the bondage she is in. And this is Maya.

Death is the end of this physical body, of beauty, of wealth and of power. Saints die and sinners die, kings die and beggars die. They are all going to death, and yet this tremendous clinging on to life exists. And this is Maya.

Through cultivating the quality of goodness, the soul, however, may rise to transcendence and escape the clutches of maya.

"On the basis of this misconception which ties together the hearts of the male and female, one becomes attracted to his body, home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one increases life’s illusions and thinks in terms of ‘I and mine." - Bhagavat Purana 5.5.8

Comments

The Concept of Oneness in Advaita Vedanta

According to advaita siddhAnta, the jIva is identical to Ishvara in substance and essence. The jagat is a changing and mesmerizing manifestation of Ishvara that binds the jIva in its limited existence. The analogy is of the air inside an earthen pot. As long as the pot exists, the air inside it appears separated. But as soon as the pot breaks, the true nature of the air as a continuum is evident, and there is no more separation. In the case of the jiva which is a pure consciousness, the layers of the gross body, with its 5 internal layers (vital breath or nervous system, etc.), and the various modes of the mind all come together to cause an apparent isolation. Hence each jIva considers itself separate and autonomous from other jIvas. Once it realizes its true nature as pure consciousness, it is no longer a limited, isolated entity but rather a cosmic reality. Or at the very least, the notion of association with temporary identities should be gone. A major misconception abou

'THE EXPRESS' by Stephen Spender summary and analysis

Stephen Spender's ' THE EXPRESS ' glorifies the express train. The train here is a symbol of the modern industrial civilization. The poem begins with a description of the movement of the express train from a station. Its sound of horn suggesting its movement from the station and its slow royal movement is likened or is compared to the movement of a ‘queen’. The majesty that is hinted in the opening lines is continued in the next lines when the poet describes how the train passes "without bowing and with restrained unconcern". Just as crowds lineup humbly in the passage of the ‘queen’, the houses, the gas works and the graveyard lineup in the passage of the train. Later, the majesty turns into mystery when the queen-like express leaves the town and enters the countryside. The poet now finds the train as self possessed and brilliant. Consequently, the train now begins to sing. The song of the train has its movement, low and loud and screaming and deafeni

The Ajanta Ellora Caves

The Ajanta and Ellora Caves The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta and Ellora caves are UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1983 and are considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art that have had a great influence in the development of art in India. The Ajanta Caves: Ajanta caves are located in the Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats). These are a series of rock-cut caves on Waghora river near Aurangabad in Maharashtra . There are a total of 29 buddhist caves in Ajanta. The Ajanta caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of the Vakataka kings . The Ellora Caves: It is located nearly 100 Kms away from Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra . Ellora caves are a group of 100 caves at the site of which 34 caves are open to the public . 17 caves out of these 34 are themed around Hinduism , 12 caves depict Buddhist themes and 5 caves are of Jain faith. The most remarkable of the Ellora cave temples is Kailasa Temple (Kailasanatha; cave 16 ),

Souvik's Blog :)

Search This Blog