[Advaita-l] Veda Vyasa holds Maya to be Jiva's shakti (avidya) too

V Subrahmanian v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
Thu Aug 17 13:40:54 EDT 2023


In this verse it is said: Ishwara (Brahman) creates the world by His  Maya
shakti and entered into it by its own Existence, just as the jiva creates
the dream world by his own maya and appears to have entered it.  It is
interesting that the word Maya is used as jiva's shakti.

Sridhara Swamin in the commentary says that the Maya srishti and pravesha
of Brahman is compared to the avidya srishti and pravesha by the jiva.

श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः १०/उत्तरार्धः/अध्यायः ८६
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/v4e
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श्रुतदेव उवाच -
नाद्य नो दर्शनं प्राप्तः परं परमपूरुषः ।
यर्हीदं शक्तिभिः सृष्ट्वा प्रविष्टो ह्यात्मसत्तया ॥ ४४ ॥
यथा शयानः पुरुषो मनसैवात्ममायया ।
सृष्ट्वा लोकं परं स्वाप्नं अनुविश्यावभासते ॥ ४५ ॥

Veda Vyasa has stated this Maya - Avidya non-difference in the Vishnu
Purana too:

तरत्यविद्यां विततां हृदि यस्मिन्निवेशिते ।
योगी मायाममेयाय तस्मै विद्यात्मने नमः ॥

From Vishnu Purana,  V . xvii. 15

The Yogin transcends the avidya that is maya by focusing on Brahman.
 Sridhara Swami has commented on the Vishnu Purana too:

अविद्याम् = आत्मच्छादिकाम्  तामेव मायाम् = अहंकारममकारमोहकरीम् बुद्ध्यानेन
तरति |

The meaning we get is: avidya is the enveloping power. It envelops the
Atman. Maya is that Avidya alone, in its vikshepa shakti, which deludes one
through creating the ahankara, mamakara.  One overcomes/transcends this
Avidya-synonymous-with-Maya through his intellect (akhandakara vritti).

Om Tat Sat


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