[Advaita-l] What is the meaning of illusion (according toadvaita, obviously)?

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Vishwanathji Here is my understanding:

God - Vedanta provides three definitions depending on the maturity of the student asking the question.

1. Jagat kartaa IswaraH - God is the creator of this universe - this is the definition all religions provide. 
The question comes why did he create? where did he get material to create? where is He now? or where is He hiding now? If He had consulted me I would have given better ideas of how to create? etc. All the rational questions so called atheists ask.

Then we go to the next definition.

2. Jagat kaaraNam IswaraH - implying he is not only the intelligent cause but material and instrumental cause as well. - karaNam kaaraNam kartaa... says Vishnu sahasranaama. - this definition is provided only in Vedanta.
Hence the creation is nothing but God only in different forms - Hence all objective world is nothing but name and form but God pervades the whole universe - Hence seeing God is nothing but recognizing everything that I see and transact with is nothing but God only - That is the vishvaruupa darshanam. In going from 1) to 2) we are going from eka ruupa - one form to bahu ruupa - multiple forms. sahasraseerShaa puruShaH ...etc.

If one ask how can carpet is god or my shows are god, my rotten neighbor is god, then we go to the final definition

3) Sarva adhiShTaanam IswaraH - He is the substantive of all - maya tatam idam sarvam jagat avyakta muurthinaa .. I pervade this entire universe in unmanifested form - all things rise in me, sustained by me and go back into me - I have nothing to do with individual 6-modifications- asti-jaayate..etc. They are in me but I am not in them, etc. This leads to - aruupa IswaraH - since name and form are objectification of the subject that cannot be objectified. The whole universe is Kshetram or field and I am the knower of the field - kshetrajnam caapimaam viddhi sarva kshetreShu Bhaarata..says Krishna. 
Recognition of the adhiShTaanam - the substantive of jiiva-jagat-Iswara - is the realization of aham brahmaasmi. 

That my friend is essence of God. Tat tvam asi. 

The above info is based on Swami Paramaarthaanandaji's talk on Bhakti. 

Hari Om!
Sadananda




--- On Sun, 12/28/08, Vishy <vishy1962 at yahoo.com> wrote:



Dear Sadanandaji,
 
Please let me know what the term " God" really mean in Advaita? 
I beleive it is only the Brahman, the universal consciousness in one and all.
Am I right in saying so??  
Can I also say rest all are 'illusions' of different types ???
 
Pranams
Vishwanath