16
votes
Accepted
Is Maya superior to Brahman as per Advaita philosophy?
Maya can never be supreme as it operates only in Vyavaharik level. According to Advaita there are three levels of reality:
Paramarthika Satyam
Vyavaharik Satyam
Pratibhasik Satyam
In Vyavaharika ...
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15
votes
Under what guna is Maya categorised?
Maya can't be categorised as Satva, Raja or Tama. Actually Maya is the source of these three Gunas or Gunas are work of Maya. Following verses from Vivekachudamani describes the nature of Maya:
...
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13
votes
Who is Ishwar according to Advait Vedanta - Lord Shiva or Vishnu?
Pure Advaita considers forms of God as unreal. Thus it does not matter what name the unreal Ishvara is called.
Shankara considers Isvara or Brahman with attributes as ultimately unreal. He writes in ...
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11
votes
Accepted
Under what guna is Maya categorised?
Maya is the mother of the three Gunas as rightly said by Rohith under your question. So, she/it can not be categorized under one particular Guna.
I have selected few passages from the Devi Bhagavata ...
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10
votes
Who is Ishwar according to Advait Vedanta - Lord Shiva or Vishnu?
What is Ishwara?
According to Sarva Vedanta Siddhanta Saara Sangraha (You can get Sanskti-Hindi version from Internet Archive).
verses 310-317 Ishvara
॥ १४ ॥ ईश्वरः॥
मायोपहितचैतन्यं साभासं ...
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10
votes
What will happen to a youth who wants to enjoy life as well as continuing spiritual efforts?
Enjoyment is not forbidden as long as it's not against the principles of Dharma. So, one should make sure of that.
18 He should be a man who applies himself to acquiring wealth in
righteous (...
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9
votes
Accepted
World is real even according to Advait Vedanta?
Prof. Dr. Chandradhar Sharma gives an excellent writing on this often confusing aspect of Advaita in his book The Advaita Tradition in Indian Philosophy: A Study in Buddhism, Vedanta and Kashmira ...
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7
votes
How to overcome maya?
I am willing to pray god regularly but due to Maya I cannot full fill
my prayers
I can not understand why is it so. We all (everyone that is) live within the clutches of MAyA but still we can offer ...
- 111k
7
votes
Accepted
How do Advaitins interpret Bhagavad Gita 7.24?
However, this seems that the forms of God are real.
No, it doesn't mean that.
...was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality...
says that Brahman wasn't impersonal only before, ...
- 26k
7
votes
What will happen to a youth who wants to enjoy life as well as continuing spiritual efforts?
Refer below from Bhagavad Gita:
Persons who are learned in the Vedas, who utter oṁ-kāra, and who are
great sages in the renounced order enter into Brahman. Desiring such
perfection, one ...
- 8,860
6
votes
How do Advaitins interpret Bhagavad Gita 7.24?
You said " Whatever I have learned so far in Advaita is that all the forms of God are illusory and that only Nirguna Brahman is the Original Brahman (I may be wrong). "
Yes. All forms of Gods are ...
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5
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of the term ''Mayavadi''? Is the term mentioned in any of the scriptures?
The earliest reference I can find is from the 8th century in Bhaskara's Bhasya on the Brahma Sutra. First see the remark made by Surendranath Dasgupta in the third volume of his History of Indian ...
- 3,607
5
votes
What is the Advaita argument for why causes can't have real existence?
You don't have a clear understanding of the text and the argument is not just an advaita argument, but is also supported by Ramanuja in his Sri-Bhasya. The original argument that Harsha is explaining ...
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5
votes
How do Advaitins interpret Bhagavad Gita 7.24?
You have to read the subsequent verse to understand verse 7.24
Bhagavad Gita, Commentary by Adi Shankara, Translated by Swami Gambhirananda:
The unintelligent, unaware of My supreme state which is ...
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5
votes
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?
The answer to your question is Yes.
This is what Lord Shiva says in KulArnava Tantram's 9th chapter:
Aswamedhayutenapi BrahmahatyAtena Cha | PunyapApairna Lipyante
YeshAm Brahma Hridi StithAm ||
...
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5
votes
What will happen to a youth who wants to enjoy life as well as continuing spiritual efforts?
Almost similar conversation as your query, took place during the discourse of Bhagavad Gita.
BG 6.37, 6.38 - Arjuna asked, those who possess faith, but wavers mind away from Yoga (state of ...
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5
votes
Is the goddess Bhumi the Maya of Atman
What you have written in the body of the question isn't making much sense to me :). Probably you may want to add some more stuffs to the body so as to make it more clear.
For the question in the ...
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5
votes
Do the long term actions of Avataras survive the end of the respective Avataras?
It looks like a yes. The action would still survive if the Supreme Lord wants it.
We don't know exact context where this verse occurs in the Moksha Dharma Parva. So, we can't say what is the meaning ...
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5
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between concepts of Maya in Hinduism and Buddhism?
There are different schools and sub-schools within Hinduism and also different schools and sub-schools within Buddhism. So, for this answer, I will limit the scope. I choose to limit it to Advaita ...
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4
votes
What is Māyā according to Śaṃkara Vedānta? What are its characteristics?
What is Māyā? Basic definition? It's role? It's products?
Surprisingly, Maya is the power of Brahman - Brahman has power in Advaita Vedanta also! From Vivekachudamini -
अव्यक्तनाम्नी परमेशशक्तिः
...
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4
votes
How to overcome maya?
Maya is not the problem, Ignorance or wrong identification is the problem.
There are neither any ways to control Maya nor any need.
You want to control MAyA or attain at-least consciousness. I ...
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4
votes
What are Avidya, Maya and Ignorance according to Advaita?
These terms can be understood as follows:
Ignorance
Advaita Vedanta says that ignorance of Brahman has created this world.
Ignorance, which is the opposite of knowledge (jnana-virodhi), is not
...
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4
votes
What will happen to a youth who wants to enjoy life as well as continuing spiritual efforts?
Hinduism never discourages you from enjoying life! It never says you have to renounce everything and have to be a monk at a young age. What is natural, Hindus accepted it normally. If you read Vedas, ...
- 6,253
4
votes
Accepted
Is the mind a product of maya?
No only when it is one (or connected) with the Supreme soul or the Consciousness, it can create everything and anything, including all the Tattvas, and which include the mind etc ..
This Âtman ...
- 111k
4
votes
What is the meaning of mAyA mentioned in the Rudram?
According to the Aurobindo-KApaly ShAstry school, the following is the translation:
Ye te sahsramayutam pAshA mrityo martyAya hantave |
O Death who kills mortals by hundreds of knots.
TAn ...
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4
votes
Why is the concept of "Maya" logical?
It seems you are equating the definition of Maya as Illusion with scientific anomalies. A mirage in a desert is an illusion but it is perfectly scientific and logical phenomena.
We all know that ...
- 1,303
4
votes
Accepted
Is Mayasura a Daitya or Danava? What is the important difference between these two groups?
"Is Mayasura actually a Danava or a Daitya?"
As per The Brahmanda Purana: Section 3 - Upodghāta-pāda: Chapter 6 - Glorification of The Race of Danu, Maya was a Danava:
4-13. The following ...
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4
votes
What's the point in striving for moksha?
If this were to happen, then the shastras never would have said that maya is beginingless. The shastras never would have said that creation-destruction is cyclical/eternal. If Brahman never wants to ...
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3
votes
What is (if any) the significance of Ignorance/Maya?
Maya
Associating Maya with just ignorance is incomplete.
Maya = Sattva(Goodness) + Rajas(Passion) + Tamas(Ignorance).
Disclaimer: Don't hardcode English meanings of good, passion, ignorance. In real ...
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