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Description : Is Brahman associated with mAyA always? (By a mumukShu)
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%20with%20Maya%20Final.doc
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Adbhutam's Blog 
ओन्नमश्शिवाय। 🙏🏼
Very interesting to the beginners!
As I was trying to understand how माया has been described in the scriptures, before this it’s my customary attitude is to 1st switch on to what शब्दकल्पद्रुमः & वाचस्पत्यम्, even VS Āpṭe says, I’ll focus primarily on what शब्दकल्पद्रुमः says
If we search the word माया in the शब्दकल्पद्रुमः dictionary, the author राधाकान्तदेव महाशयः has given beautiful references. I’d like to share my understanding which I happened to discuss with other learned people as well.
So, what is माया, generally people think only of illusion. So, let me briefly explain what I have understood by quoting scriptures.
मीयते या सा माया। One which can be measured is माया, the author of शब्दकल्पद्रुमः says मीयते अपरोक्षवत् प्रदर्श्यते अनया इति।
The word मीयते is in the कर्मणिप्रयोगः of मा धातुः, (मा माने) which is used in the sense of मापनः (measuring). We can also state माति याति च माया। Similarly या धातुः is used in the sense of प्रापणः (या प्रापणे), to go, to pass.
I have also quoted in other topic what brahmavaivartam says
माश्च मोक्षार्थवचनो याश्च प्रापणवाचकः।
तं प्रापयति या नित्यं सा माया परिकीर्तिता॥ २८
I always use to get a doubt as to why measurement has to do with माया when it’s generally perceived as मोहः, my doubt has been cleared by जगद्गुरु विद्यारण्य शङ्कराचार्यः, in पञ्चदशी आचार्यः says
तुच्छा अनिर्वचनीया च वास्तवी चेत्यसौ त्रिधा।
ज्ञेया माया त्रिभिर्बोधैः श्रौतयौक्तिकलौकिकैः॥ ५.१३०
Know that माया is taught in the following 3 different frame of references:
From the point of view of श्रौतः, माया is तुच्छः, (From absolute standpoint)
From the perspective of यौक्तिकाः, माया is अनिर्वचनीयः, (logical point of view)
w.r.t. लौकिकाः, माया is वास्तवः।
The world is measured/expressed by Her. अनया देशकालनिमित्तैः जगत् मीयते।
How do we measure? We show this much is the length & this much is the breadth. Otherwise the thing will lie obscure.
त्रिभिः शब्दैः एका एव माया उक्ता। तुच्छाऽनिर्वचनीयावास्तवीति च। तत्र तृतीयशब्दमनुसृत्य मापनं शक्यते। एवं खलु।
अनिर्वचनीयत्वे सत्यपि अघटितघटनापटीयसी, वास्तवी इत्यपि वर्णनम्।
स्वयं माया स्वरूपेणानिर्वचनीया तथापि तस्याः कार्यं जगद्रूपं वचनीयम्। मापनयोग्यं च। जगन्मीयते न स्वयं माया।
From the point of view of लौकिकाः, It’s वास्तवः & is measurable. From the point of view of यौक्तिकाः, here we should take it as श्रुतियुक्ततर्कः meaning logic using श्रुतिः as the base, माया is सदसद्विलक्षणा, सदसद्भ्याम् अनिर्वचनीयम्, we cannot account it for sadasat. As I have quoted वराहपुराणम् as well, भगवान् said to his wife धरा (Earth) that तत्त्वं न ज्ञायते तस्य मायैषा मम सुन्दरि, this माया cannot be understood, he is telling from perspective of यौक्तिकानां दृष्ट्या (श्रुतियुक्ततर्कः/Using logic with श्रुतिः as the base)
माया is सत्वरजस्तमोगुणमयी, It has several names like प्रकृतिः, अविद्या, अज्ञानम्, प्रधानम्, शक्तिः
ईश्वरस्य उपाधिः is माया & जीवस्य उपाधिः is अविद्या
भगवान् विद्यारण्यः also says विक्षेपणावृतिभ्यां द्विधा अविद्या व्यवस्थिता। आवरणशक्तिः cover/conceal, whereas विक्षेपणशक्तिः is throwing/throw asunder (a bit/apart)
P.S.: From the absolute point of माया is तुच्छा & since people want to explain this absolute point of view through words they use the words like, in this frame माया is मोहः, so when the word माया is used, we should understand the word contextually i.e., does it mean तुच्छः or अनिर्वचनीयः or वास्तवः
धन्यवादाः।
ओन्नमो भगवते अरुणाचलाय। 🙏🏼
By: विवेकः (vivekaḥ) on May 19, 2022
at 8:13 am