Concept of Maya III

TO UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES IN VEDANGA JYOTISH SUCH AS THE PRINCIPLE OF ARUDHA ONE MUST BE FULLY CONVERSANT WITH THE CONCEPT AND IDEA OF "MAYA" IN THE VEDIC PHILOSOPHY, THE FOLLOWING SERIES IS NOTHING BUT THE COMPLIATION OF THOUGHTS ON THE "MAYA" WHICH WILL CLEAR THE CONCEPT OF MAYA WHICH WILL MAKE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF ARUDHA IN VEDANGA JYOTISH.



TWO TYPES OF MAYA
A certain person asked Sri Ramakrishna, "Kindly instruct me in one word so that I may be illumined." To which he replied, "The Absolute is the only reality; the universe is unreal" - realize this and then sit silent.
The idea of the ego involves that of the non-ego. He who has an idea of light has also an idea of darkness. He who has a sense of sin has also a sense of virtue. He who has a sense of right has also a sense of wrong.
It is ignorance that leads one to seek for God outside oneself. When one feels that God is within oneself, it is knowledge. He who has it here (i.e., feels the presence of God within himself) has it also there (i.e., has his place at His lotus-feet).
It is the nature of the lamp to give light. With its help some may cook food, some may forge deeds, and some may read the Holy Scriptures. Is it the fault of the light? So is it the fault of God that some try to attain salvation with the help of His holy name, while others use His name for success in attempted theft?
Have you any idea of God with form and God without form? They are like ice and water. When water freezes into ice, it has a form; when the same ice is melted into water, all form is lost.
God with form and God without form are not two different Beings. He who is with form is also without form. To a devotee God manifests Himself in various forms. Just think of a shoreless ocean - an infinite expanse of water - no land visible in any direction only here and there are visible blocks of ice formed by intense cold. Similarly, under the cooling influence, so to say, of the deep devotion of His worshipper, the Infinite reduces Himself into the Finite and appears before him as a Being with form. Again, as on the appearance of the sun, the ice melts away, so, on the appearance of the sun of knowledge, God with form melts away into the formless.
The snake has poison in its fangs, but it is none the worse for it. The poison does not affect it or cause its death. It is poison in relation to other creatures whom it may chance to bite. Similarly, although the phenomenal universe exists in God, He is above and beyond it. The universe of phenomena exists as such only for us.
Maya is of two kinds - one leading towards God (Vidya-Maya), and the other leading away from God (Avidya-Maya). Vidya-Maya again is of two kinds - discrimination and non-attachment. With the help of these, individual souls surrender themselves to the mercy of God. Avidya-Maya is of six kinds - lust, anger, avarice, inordinate attachment, pride and envy. This kind of Maya gives rise to the sense of 'I and mine' and serves to keep men chained to the world. But as soon as Vidya-Maya manifests itself, all Avidya-Maya is totally destroyed.
The sun or the moon cannot be properly reflected in turbid water. Likewise the Universal Soul cannot be properly realized so long as the veil of Maya is not removed, i.e., so long as the sense of 'I and mine' is not gone.
The sun lights up the earth, but a small cloud will hide it from our view. Similarly the insignificant veil of Maya prevents us from seeing the Omnipresent and All-witnessing Satchidananda (Existence- Knowledge-Bliss)
If you push away the weeds on a pond, the floating matter will presently return to its old position. In the same manner, if you push away Maya, it will return to you in a short time. But then, just as you could prevent the return of the weeds by interposing a piece of floating bamboo in their way, so also could you prevent the return of Maya by the fence of knowledge and love of God. In that case Maya could not make its way through such obstacle - Satchidananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss) alone would be perceived.
A mighty raft of wood floating down a river carries on it hundreds and does not sink. A small piece of wood floating down may sink with the weight of a crow. So when a Savior incarnates, hundreds find salvation through His grace. The perfect man only saves himself with much toil and trouble.
, that of another black, and so on, but all contain the same cotton. So it is with man - one is handsome, another is ugly, a third pious, a fourth wicked. But the Divine One dwells within them all.
The mind of the worldly is like the beetle. The beetle loves to live in cow dung; it does not like any other substance. It will feel very uneasy if you force it into a fragrant lotus. Similarly, the worldly-minded do not care for anything else except a talk about worldly things. They will leave the place where people are found talking about God and matters spiritual and find peace by betaking themselves to a place where idle gossip is going on.
As when fishes are caught in a net, some do not struggle at all but remain calm in the net, some again struggle hard to come out of the net but fail in the attempt, while a third set actually effect their escape by rending the net; so there are three classes of men in this world - the bound, the struggling, and the released.
A fisherwoman on her way home was overtaken by a storm at nightfall; so she took refuge in a florist's house. The florist received her very kindly and allowed her to pass the night on the porch adjoining the room in which he kept his flowers. But, although thus comfortably lodged, she could not get a wink of sleep. At last she discovered that the sweet aroma of the flowers in the garden was what had kept her awake. She, therefore, sprinkled some water on her empty basket of fish and placed it close to her nose. In a short time she fell into a sound sleep. Similar is the case with the worldly-minded. They, too, relish nothing but the foul smell of the putrid things of the world.
By talking with a worldly man one can feel that his heart is filled with worldly thoughts and desires, just as one can feel that the crop of a young pigeon is full of grains. Worldliness is what men of this order care about; they do not like to hear religious discourses.
The sun's light falls equally on all surfaces, but only bright surface like water, mirrors and polished metals, can reflect it more. In like manner, although God abides in all, He manifests Himself more in the hearts of the pious.
Though it is true that the Almighty dwells in every place, yet every place is not fit to be visited. As one kind of water may be used for washing your feet, another for rinsing your mouth, a third may be drunk, while a certain other again may not even be touched; even so some places are fit to be visited, some only to be saluted from a distance and bidden good-bye, and so on.
True it is that God dwells even in the tiger, but we must not go and face the animal. So it is true that God dwells even in the most wicked, but it is not meant that we should associate with them.
The anger of the good is like a line which is drawn on the surface of water, and which soon disappears.
Gold is distinguished from brass by the touchstone; similarly, human nature - whether one is sincere or insincere - is tested by God.
Nothing will rouse up the worldly-minded. They suffer from no end of pain and trouble in this life, still they do not get any wiser. Just think of the camel. It is fond of thorns and will not abstain from eating them, blood trickling down its mouth not-withstanding. Similarly, the worldly-minded do not take to heart even a great bereavement, and in a few days feel and act as if nothing had happened.