Questions tagged [maya]
Māyā is a spiritual concept connoting "that which exists, but is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal", and the "power or the principle that conceals the true character of spiritual reality.
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What will happen to a youth who wants to enjoy life as well as continuing spiritual efforts?
Maya is very treacherous. No one knows it better than a youth perhaps, who feels a strong attraction towards young life (fun, party, entertainment, sex, food, clothes, ...); Basically all materialism, ...
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Is Maya superior to Brahman as per Advaita philosophy?
As per Advaita school of Vedanta; living entity is identical to supreme brahman.
Advaitins generally interpret 'Aham Brahmasmi' as 'I'm supreme Brahman'(please correct me if i'm wrong).
We are ...
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Under what guna is Maya categorised?
Does Maya (Materialistic illusion) fall into one of the following three categories:
Sattva
Rajas
Tamas
Or is maya categorized as nirguna or that which is beyond the three gunas?
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What is the Advaita argument for why causes can't have real existence?
The Khandana Khanda Khadya is a work by the 12th century Advaitin philosopher Shri Harsha which seeks to demonstrate that all supposed means of knowledge are invalid. As I discuss in this question, ...
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World is real even according to Advait Vedanta?
While reading a Jivanmuka Shri Ramana Maharshi I read the following passage (You can/should read more from here) -
The Vedantins do not say that the world is unreal. That is a misunderstanding. If ...
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What is Māyā according to Śaṃkara Vedānta? What are its characteristics?
Besides Śaṃkara Vedānta, Kaśmīri Śaivism, which is another monist/advaita school of Hinduism too talks about Māyā. According to it, the basic definition of Māyā is -
मियते अनय इती माया।
Meaning: ...
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Understanding Maya or Prakriti as the Supreme Goddess. Or the difference between the two. Also why is a female goddess personified as Maya?
Gist: Understanding Prakriti or Maya. Is she Jada or chetana or both. Since supreme goddess is Maya, Maya is not necessarily a bad or scary thing as is commonly stated. this answer too speaks very ...
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If we desire to live without desire will it be a desire?
EXPLANATION :
People live with many desires and karmas of good and bad come according to the kind of desire
A man who perform's his duties without any desire and submits the results to god will not ...
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Body is un-real and only atma is real in Hinduism?
Almost all concepts in non-dualism(advaita-siddhanta), it is believed that Human body is unreal or "maya" and only atma is real. Their claim is that without atma body is nothing. In my personal ...
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What's the point in striving for moksha?
Whatever we see around us (manifestation and everything) is nothing but Brahman's play/leela. This is told in a few texts.
Brahmasutra 2.1.33
लोकवत्तु लीला कैवल्यम्।
lokavattu līlā kaivalyam।
...
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Why are we under Maya and Avidya if we are Brahman?
According to Advaita Vedanta, we i.e. Jivas are all Brahman in reality but are under Maya and Avidya. I want to know how Maya and Avidya came into Brahman?
P.S. I am aware that Maya has no beginning....
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How to overcome maya?
Refer what is Maya here It has acquired almost everyone in this world. Consider me as one of the worst cases. I am willing to control "Maya" and attain at-least consciousness. I know attaining moksha ...
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Can a devotee do love marriage?
I would like to know whether a devotee (be a Lord Krishna's or Lord Siva's) can do love marriage?
Because love can be a material desire and a devotee must not have such desires. But marriage is ...
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How can consciousness and or Brahman be attached to maya?
I am confused by the whole mechanism of enlightenment or self realization. If one's self is actually the universal self or brahman which is beyond maya how can it get attached to it?
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What are Avidya, Maya and Ignorance according to Advaita?
According to Advaita, I want to get a clear understanding of the following terms:
Avidya
Maya
Ignorance
What are Avidya, Maya, and Ignorance? And what is the difference/relationship between them?
In ...
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What is (if any) the significance of Ignorance/Maya?
We all know that samsara is not real but it is maya/ignorance. And once self-realization/Jnana is attained, all duality and ignorance are removed/obsolete. In other words, samsara is only based on ...
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What scriptures describe Krishna teaching Narada about Maya?
During Krishna's time on earth, one of his greatest devotees was the sage Narada, who was also an incarnation of Vishnu as I discuss here. As I discuss in this answer, Narada was one of the sages who ...
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How do Advaitins interpret Bhagavad Gita 7.24?
Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita 7.24 states:
avyaktaḿ vyaktim āpannaḿ
manyante mām abuddhayaḥ
paraḿ bhāvam ajānanto
mamāvyayam anuttamam
Unintelligent men, who do not know Me ...
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What is the meaning of the term ''Mayavadi''? Is the term mentioned in any of the scriptures?
Many ISKCON websites call Adi Shankaracharya, Swami Vivekananda, Buddha and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ''mayavadis'' and that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called mayavadis ''greatest of all offenders''. However, ...
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Doing "evil" or "good" after being self-realized wont affect such an "individual" because he is not bound to the illusion of the material, yes or no?
When self realized,you understand the illusion and rise above the illusion. It wont matter if you do good or evil since the concept of good and evil is something that is bound to the illusion and the ...
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What does the Vivarana school of Advaita believe about the nature of Avidya?
It's well known that the Sri Vaishnava sect, which subscribes to the Visishtadvaita philosophy of Ramanujacharya, is divided into two sects, the Thenkalais and Vadakalais as I discuss here. Less well-...
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Is Mayasura a Daitya or Danava? What is the important difference between these two groups?
In Mahabharata, Mayasura is said to be the architect of the Daityas. But, in Bhagavata Purana Mayasura is called the Danava King (Canto 5, Chapter 24, Verse 28).
Surely there must be some significance ...
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What is the meaning of mAyA mentioned in the Rudram?
Famous hymn Rudram, 11th Anuvaka has the following mantra
Mantra 16
ये ते सहस्रमयुतं पाशा मृत्यो मर्त्याय हन्तवे ।
तान् यज्ञस्य मायया सर्वानवयजामहे ॥
Mantra 17
मृत्यवे स्वाहा- ...
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How do Advaitins justify that Nirguna Brahman is superior to Saguna Brahman?
How do Advaitins justify that Nirguna Brahman is the ultimate reality and that Saguna Brahman is illusory?
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What are the differences in teachings between Yoga Vasista, Ashtavakra Gita, and Vivekachudamani?
Yoga Vasistha (योग-वासिष्ठ), Ashtavakra Gita (अष्टावक्रगीता), and Vivekachudamani (विवेकचूडामणि) are teachings about Enlightenment and (Moh)Maya. What are the Philosophical differences between these ...
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Is Mother's womb devoid of Maya (illusion)?
I was reading a book Biography of Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swami and Author delineates the Vedic Science of development of Embryo in that book.
Veerabrahmendra Swami or Brahmam garu was a mystic ...
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Who is Ishwar according to Advait Vedanta - Lord Shiva or Vishnu?
Ishwar is Saguna Brahman who has created the world out of Maya according to Advait Vedanta. Although Ishwar too is illusion according to it, who is Ishwar actually - Lord Shiva or Vishnu as both can ...
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What is the difference between Maya, Mahamaya and Yogamaya?
What is the difference between Maya, Mahamaya and Yogamaya according to our holy scriptures?
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What are similar scriptures like the Yoga Vasistha? [closed]
I have really enjoyed studying the yoga Vasistha and like to read other scriptures that revolve around the same topic with the same depth to it. What are some other scriptures that fit that bill?
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Shri Krushna's revelation of his real identity
Shri Krushna had made many others understand "who is he" -- Shri Narayana himself, supreme Brahman.
But after revealing his real identity, he made them forget the revelation by using "Maya", the ...
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How/Why did the omnipotent soul get stuck in the body? [duplicate]
The Atma/soul is be believed to be infinite, opmipotent, omnipresent, pure, divine and perfect.
How/Why (in the first place) did it get stuck in the finite body and forgot its reality?
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Are there any verses related to the beginning of everything?
To elaborate on the question, I am assuming that in the beginning there was no Atma stuck in maya, is there any information on how the perfect Atma got stuck in Maya? Is my assumption wrong? To build ...
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Is the mind a product of maya?
A pure soul is considered to be the same as the Supreme Soul,i.e Brahman.As per my knowledge,I know that the soul consists of:
1.Mind
2.Intelligence(Buddhi)
3.Ego(Ahankar)
If a pure soul merges ...
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Why do both Advaitins and Dvaithins believe that Mithyathva or Falsity of world cannot be true?
In the famous Advaitasiddhi vs Nyayamrutha debate.
Here in Chapter VIII, page 77
First Vyasatirtha poses the following dilemma.
Is the falsity of world true or false?
Then he proceeds to show how both ...
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Existence of Maya and God
Would God help only those who are Good or follow Dharma ( I know this is false as there are many stories in which he helped people who were under Maya ) still what I don't get is Why can't he help ...
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What's the difference between a Māyāví & Siddha?
Śrī Kṛṣṇā at various instances in the Mahābhārata showed his various divine opulences in myriad ways. But, several people used the word Māyāví for dismissing it as something tāmasī or non-...
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According to ISKCON, what is the difference between Brahmavada and Mayavada?
As it is well known, ISKCON (and other Vaishnavas for that matter) strongly criticize philosophy of Advaita. Srila Prabhupada himself criticized Mayavada in his various commentaries on Vaishnava ...
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What is the difference between concepts of Maya in Hinduism and Buddhism?
How is the illusion in Buddhism and Hinduism different?An author writes <<The concepts of maya, avidya, vyayaharika-satya and paramarthika-satya, advaya, prajna, the unreality of the universe ...
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Advaita : Does Brahman remain actionless?
The Gita says Brahman/Atman is simply a witness and its the Maya or prakriti that acts. The Advaitins also holds the same belief.
If Maya is not a separate entity, i.e. if Brahman and Maya are ...
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You are not the mind nor the body you are the ALL, but at the same time to be the all you have to be the mind and body, this is a paradox?
We are not the body nor the mind, but at the same time we have to be the body and mind since we are the ALL, give me your explanation?
Maya/the illusion is when someone is bound and emprisoned by the ...
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What are the different concepts of Maya available in different scriptures and different sects?
What are the different concepts of Maya available in different scriptures and different sects? Please mention the uniqueness of each concept clearly.
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Why was Sita abandoned?
Initially this question might appear to be duplicate of this question but I have some separate doubts which aren't addressed in that question.
According to Vālmikī, Śrī Rāmacandra abandoned Sītā to ...
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The difference between the term ‘Maya’ used for Rakshasas and Brahman respectively
Maya, is a frequently used term across various scriptures with different connotations as below:-
When talking of Brahman, Maya is used in the context of jada Prakriti tattva as is stated in the ...
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Truth in Advaita
To which theory of truth does the advaita vedanta relate? The correspondance theory, the coherence theory, or another one?
If truth, in Adi Shankara's comprehension, is understood as the ...
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Do any sects that do not subscribe to advaita believe in the concept of Maya?
Instead of the popular meaning illusion, I like the definition from
http://vedantastudent.blogspot.com/p/maya.html
"Maya creates apparent multiplicity in a universe where only Brahman really exists."...
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According to Advaita, what is the difference between Ishwara and Brahman?
I would like to know the difference between Ishwara and Brahman. If Ishwara is saguna rupa of Brahman then is it real or maya?
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Are saguna deities part of Maya in Advaita?
There is the notion of Krama Mukti - going towards nirguna Brahman in stages - but once the veil of Maya is pierced, does Advaita say the deities are no longer real?
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Shlokas about "time, pradhana, maya are eternal" from the third person's view
Srila Prabhupada wrote that the Supreme Lord, souls, prakriti and time are eternal in the Bhagavad Gita introduction. So, I need the shlokas which tell that "time is eternal", "pradhana ...
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Is Goddess Durga Brahman or Maya? Why is she termed as Brahman in some places and maya in others?
In the Harivamsa For instance, There occurs a stuti of Durga, where She is Praised as Brahman in chapter 3 of The Vishnu Parva, Verse 32.
But In the Same Harivamsa, in another stuti of hers in ...
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What does the Vedic term ' MAYA ' truly mean? [duplicate]
I've heard that by the Vedic doctrine of MAYA, everything that we see around is an illusion. Thus, by this doctrine, the sun, the moon, the billions of stars in the night sky as well as mountains, ...
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