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Maya
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Maya, in
Hinduism ,
is many things. It encompasses the ideas of a state of 'skewed
perspective' (not quite illusion), a creatrix energy (prakriti)
and a personified goddess.
Maya is also the name of the King of
Demons, who was the father-in-law of the Lord of Lanka, Ravana and the
father of Mandodari. He is the arch nemesis of Vishwakarma, the
celestial architect of the Gods. His knowledge and skills are compatible
with Vishwakarma. When Lanka was destroyed by
Hanuman,
it was the King of Demons, Maya who had re-installed the beauty of that
Island Kingdom.
Maya in Hindu philosophy
In
Advaita Vedanta
philosophy, maya is the illusion of a limited, purely physical
and mental reality in which our everyday consciousness has become
entangled, a veiling of the true, unitary Self, also known as
Brahman .
Maya originated in the Hindu scriptures known as the
Upanishads. Many philosophies or
religions seek to "pierce the veil" in order to glimpse
the transcendent truth, from which the illusion of a physical reality
springs, drawing from the idea that first came to life in the Hindu
stream of Vedanta.
In Hinduism, Maya must be seen through in order to
achieve moksha
(liberation of the soul from the cycle
of death and rebirth)
- ahamkar (ego-consciousness) and
karma
are seen as part of the binding forces of Maya. Maya is seen as the
phenomenal universe, a lesser reality-lens superimposed on the one
Brahman that leads us to think of the phenomenal cosmos as real.
Maya as the Goddess
In Hinduism, Maya is seen as
the illusory form of Devi, the
Divine Goddess. Her most
famous explication is seen in the Devi Mahamaya, which is said to spring
from the Devi Sukta passage of the Vedas.
Essentially, Mahamaya (great Maya) both blinds us in
delusion (moha) and has the power to free us from it. Maya, superimposed
on Brahman, the one divine ground and essence of monist Hinduism, is
envisioned as one with Kali,
Durga, etc. A great modern (19th century) Hindu sage
who often spoke of Maya as being the same as the
Shakti principle of
Hinduism was
Shri Ramakrishna .
In the Hindu scripture 'Devi Mahatmyam,'
Mahamaya (Great Maya) is said to cover Vishnu's eyes in Yoganidra
(Divine Sleep) during cycles of existence when all is resolved into one.
By exhorting Mahamaya to release Her illusory hold on
Vishnu,
Brahma is able to bring Vishnu to aid him in killing two demons, Madhu
and Kaitabh, who have manifested from Vishnu's sleeping form.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa often spoke of Mother Maya and
combined deep Hindu allegory with the idea that Maya is a lesser reality
that must be overcome so that one is able to realize his or her true
Self. |
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