Maya
false reality
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Though commonly understood as illusion, deception, fake reality or false knowledge, what Maya really seems to mean is "mistaken identification".
Maya is an Advait Vedanta concept which maps to the Samkhya concepts of Avidya and Asmita. In both darshans it means identifying with a false reality - that of the external or material world. The soul seems to forget it is infinite, eternal and born of Purusha (consciousness) and mistakenly self identifies with Prakriti (matter).
When we identify too strongly with anything material, it tends to create an illusion of it being central to our existence. "I can't live without him/her/it/that/them/this".
An analogy to better understand Maya is that of a dense cobweb, which creates a different sort of existential structure, blurring your view of the reality over which it is spun. This web often has very little similarity to the Real Absolute Reality which it veils from view. The spider keeps changing the weave of the web, keeps spinning different forms and designs of this web.
When we are caught up in this maya jaal (web or net of illusion) we lose sight of Purusha and wrongly identify with the web as actual reality. This misidentification with the ever changing, non-permanent materiality of Prakriti makes us view, transact and interact with people and the world around us in self centred and limited ways.
So now the question that arises is, what causes this strong attachment/ misidentification to things and people in the material world. The answer to that is Maya! So how does Maya do that? And if the attachment is to a false reality then what is the True Reality?
According to Vedanta, in our human form we all have two identities: first is the Vyavhaarik or Transactional Identity which comprises of our worldly self - name, race, gender, sex, height, weight, eye colour, skin colour, hair colour, our lineage, our nationality, our ethnic origin - basically everything that makes up our various government IDs! This is the identity we use to function and to transact with others and the world. This is the self which performs actions and enjoys or suffers the consequences of those actions or Karmas.
Second is our Absolute Identity, Real Self or Paaramaarathik Identity - which in everyone's case is the same i.e. The Purusha or Consciousness that lives inside each of us. This identity is unchanging, eternal and does nothing nor suffers/enjoys anything. It is also the root from which arises that old adage: you are me, I am you, we are One.
So if our Real Self and True Identity is Purusha, why do we go through life using our Transactional Identity? That is because Maya fools us, (which is where it gets its meaning as illusion) by means of two powers or shaktis that it possesses.
How Maya works
Maya works through two mechanisms of falsification.
Aavarana Shakti
Power to Hide
creating veils
hiding the truth, blocking it from view, covering up reality, cloaking the nature of True Self
Vikshepa Shakti
Power to Project
manifesting realities
making up alternate, illusionary realities, kind of like holograms or movie/play screenings
Maya also posseses a third shakti, that of Viveka - the ability to tell real from unreal, truth from lie. This power of discrimination between Real and Unreal is necessary for Maya to be able to recognise the real permanent Truth in order to properly veil it.
These three shaktis of Maya map to the trigunas. Aavarana or veiling is tamasic in nature, Vikshepa or projecting is a rajasic quality, while Viveka or intelligence is sattvic. This Viveka Shakti is not actively demonstrated in how Maya works, but she needs to have it in order to deploy the other two shaktis.
Like a finely spun yet dense cobweb can hide what lies behind it, Maya creates veils that hide the truth about our real identities using Aavaraana shakti.
Like projecting movies on a screen or like holographic projections, Maya creates a fully functioning and interactive reality of the world using Vikshepa shakti. Now this isn't to say that the material world doesn't exist - it is very much a reality! It is clearly not an illusion either, as evidenced in our day to day lives. What it actually is, say ancient Indian texts, are extremely sophisticated projections - like movie/stage play scripts and their corresponding sets that enchant and capture attention easily.
Think of Shakespeare's monologue in As You Like It, about all the world being a stage and all of us merely playing a part. Just because the characters on stage are fictional and the story being told is made up, are the actors any less real? Is the play any less captivating? Aren't we a willing audience? Yet its not the Truth...
The script writer and set designer, Maya (AKA Shakti, Durga), knows what is real and what is part of the drama. Her projections are just as real and existent as are the props and sets designed and created for movies and plays; only far more creatively designed and exquisitely made, so much so that we have dedicated whole fields and numerous sub fields of science to study and understand them!
Maya cloaks the actor's true identity (our Absolute Real Self), then creates characters (our Transactional Self); she then proceeds to writes three separate stage play scripts in the form of the three states of Consciousness in which we play said characters. Our own Karma plays a significant role in scripting our character's situations, events and plot twists!
The Three States
The material reality Maya spins in the form of the Transactional Self and the three scripts are given shape and form on the stage of the Three States of Consciousness. This three fold manifestation is created using the two aforementioned shaktis or powers Maya possesses.
Three differently operating realities are created for our Transactional Identity - one each for the three states of existence that we experience.
And while we may refer to these realities as false or illusionary, they are, in fact, material manifestations that very much exist - much like the movie sets or stage props that support the artificially created world of dramas and plays and movies.
Jagrat Avastha
The Waking State
The Conscious State
Strong identified with Stula Sharira, we are both Karta and Bhogta in this state.
Though access and knowledge of all three bodies (sharira tryam/trikayas) exists in this state, bonding with Stula Sharira (gross body) predominates.
All Karma is earned in this state.
Swapna Avastha
The Dreaming State
The Subconscious State
Unaware of the Stula Sharira, bonding is with the Sukshma Sharira. Awareness of Karaana Sharira exists but not Stula Sharira.With no access to Indriyas, Kartaship is lost, only Bhogtaship exists. Experiences and learnings of the Waking State are mixed up in creatively novel ways to project this Dream State world. Corresponds with REM Sleep.
As only Bhogtaship occurs in this state, weak karmas, both good and bad, can be burnt in this dream state. Extremely deep restful sleep is considered a result of good karmas.
Sushupti Avastha
The Deep Sleep State
The Unconscious State
Bonded with the Karaana Sharira, no awareness of either Stula or Sukshma Shariras exists in this state. This is the state of nidra, or deep sleep of total unawareness. Black void, state of nothingness. Neither Kartaship nor Bhogtaship exists, not even awareness of one's own existence.
This state corresponds with Non-REM Sleep, and is considered a state of bliss borne of avidya, complete ignorance and total unawareness.
Turiya
The Absolute Reality
The Fourth State
There is, beyond these three states created by Maya, a Fourth State as well, called Turiya/ Kaivalya/ Samadhi, which is the true reality in which our individual consciousness exists. It is this state, in which the Real Absolute Self dwells in the True Reality, that Maya veils by projection of the Three States of Consciousness; and it requires effort (sadhana) of many lifetimes to actually remove these veils, and experience/ access the Fourth State.
The end goal of yoga is to remove this veil and always be aware of what lies beyond it; to enjoy watching the play or movie, even while constantly aware it is not the Real Truth. Once we reach Kaivalya, we have the choice to either leave the theatre OR to develop the wisdom to enjoy the show (function and interact in the projected material world) WHILE being aware of it being a show, and not over identifying with Maya's projections thus removing the mistaken identification.
When we talk of Maya, there are certains terms/words that are relevant, the meanings of which have sutble differences. Understanding the meaning of these terms, grasping their subtle difference in meaning, becomes importance in truly understanding the concept of Maya. These terms maybe used across all darshans, but each one defines them differently. Presented here is the Vedanta definitions of these terms.
Nitya
Permanent, Eternal, Ever-Existing, Never changing
The Substratum -- Purusha (Consciousness/ Energy)
the only reality is the substratum of cosmic consciousness
Anitya
Changeable, Perishable, Temporal, Ephemeral
The Material -- Prakriti
making up alternate, illusionary realities, kind of like holograms or movie/play screenings
Sat
Only & Eternal Truth
The Real/ The Truth
that Reality/ Truth which exists across all three states of consciousness, in all three times -- past, resent, future,
Asat
Untrue, Non Existent
The Unreal/ The Untruth
that which cannot exist, or exists only in for a time, when one sees through Mithya/ illusion then it becomes Asat/ untrue.
Mithya
Imaginary, Experienced so seems Real but isn't
The Illusion
This table maps the equivalencies between the Samkhya and Advaita Vedanta:
| # | Concept | Advait Vedanta | Yoga Samkhya |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veiling | Aavarana Shakti | Avidya (Ignorance) |
| 2 | Projections | Vikshepa Shakti | Asmita (False Identification) |
| 3 |
Changing reality
/external world |
Maya
/illusion creator |
Prakriti
/Materiality |
| 4 |
Absolute Self
/internal reality |
Brahman
/real creator |
Purusha
/Consciousness |
| 5 |
Constant Awareness
of Absolute Self |
Turiya | Samadhi |
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