[Advaita-l] Why was the illusory universe generated at the first place?

[Shashwata Shastri]

What is this Maya? Where does it come from? Why was Avidya there at the 
first place? Brahman is the one and absolute. My question is, why this 
spark of imperfection in the perfect? Without Brahman there can be no 
existence of Maya itself. But what is the relation between Maya and 
Brahman? It is not like the Brahman, it is not even same as Brahman, it 
can not exist without Brahman, it is not something which can be identified 
as the opposite of Brahman either. But we need to admit that it did 
generate from Brahman. If it is from Brahman then why it was there on the 
first place (Again same question)? Why depended existence of ignorance in 
absolute and pure Brahman?