Maya – The Divine Illusion

Maya – The Divine Illusion

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 – 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃
Swami Sivananda
The things that we perceive all round us are only mind in form or substance. The world is a product of the mind. The whole world is an expansion of the mind. The entire universe arises and exists in the mind.
Nothing of the world is outside the mind. Earth, mountains, and rivers – all are fragments of the mind, appearing as it were to exist outside The world does not exist by itself. It is not seen without the aid of the mind.
It disappears when the mind ceases to function. It is imagination alone that assumes the forms of time, space, and motion. Space and time have no independent status apart from Brahman or the Self, which is Awareness. There is no space without time, and there is no time without space.
He who is attempting to develop his will, should always try to keep a cool head. He should keep a balanced mind under all conditions. He will have to train or discipline the mind.

Swami Sivananda

Doctrine of Maya

You must try to understand the right significance of Maya which is the chief characteristic of Vedanta or Kevala Advaita school of Sri Sankara. The term Maya appears in the Svetasvatara Upanishad and in the Gita, chapter VII-14, Mama Maya the divine illusion of Mine. Svetasvatara Upanishad IV-10 declares that Maya is the material cause of the world and the possessor of Maya is the great Lord. Maya is that portion of the primitive non-intelligent principle in which pure Sattva is not subordinated to Rajas and Tamas. In other words, that portion in which pure Sattva is predominant is called Maya. The world is regarded as Maya, as it cannot be accepted as real.

Does Maya really exist or not? The Advaitin gives a reply: This inscrutable, indescribable Maya cannot be said either to exist or not to exist. It is a strange phenomenon which cannot be accounted by any law of nature. Maya is Anirvachaniya i.e., incapable of being described. It is neither Sat (real) like Brahman nor Asat (unreal) like a barren woman’s son or horn of a hare or a lotus flower in the sky. The phenomena produced by a magician do not really exist, because they vanish soon. The magician himself is fully aware that it is mere illusion. But we cannot say that they do not exist at all, because we are conscious of the phenomena, though only for a short time. We are never conscious of a thing which is altogether non-existent like the lotus flower in the sky. Similar is the phenomenon called the universe which is imagined to be distinct from Brahman. It is like the silver for which the mother-of-pearl is mistaken. It is difficult to conceive how the infinite comes out of itself into the finite. The magician brings out a mango tree before us from out of nothing. The tree is there, though we cannot explain it. So we call it Maya or illusion.

If we know the nature of the Brahman, all names and forms and limitations will melt away. The world is Maya as it is not the essential truth of the infinite reality of the Brahman. The world somehow exists and its relation to the Brahman is indescribable (Anirvachaniya). The illusion vanishes by attainment of knowledge of the Brahman. Sages, Rishis and Srutis emphatically declare that the Maya vanishes entirely as soon as the knowledge of the Supreme Self dawns. It is in this sense, in the sense that it vanishes when Atma-Jnana arises that this phenomenal universe is said to be unreal (Mithya), in contradistinction to the Self-existent and Self-luminous Brahman who never ceases to exist and shine. The Eternal always abides in its own nature. It rests in its own native pristine glory.

Srutis declare: All indeed is Brahman. There is no such thing as diversity. This is the experience of liberated sages. The Sankhyas and the Tarkikas teach that emancipation is attained by a knowledge of the true nature of the Spirit and by discriminating spirit from matter. The world of names and forms vanishes entirely from the vision of a sage. It is only an illusion that can be removed by mere knowledge. It is the illusory notion of serpent which is removed when the rope that is mistaken for a serpent is recognised. Therefore it must be clearly admitted that the universe which is removed by knowledge of Self is also an illusion.

If you give up entirely reading of newspapers and shut yourself up in a room for a month and if you plunge yourself in deep meditation, you will have a very light impression of the world in your mind. Gradually this light impression also will be obliterated. The world is nothing but a play of the two currents of Raga-Dvesha. If these two currents are destroyed, the world will vanish. Because the minds of the worldly people are filled with passions, attachment and delusion, this world appears to be real.

Some philosophers state that this world is real because, if at the very outset, they declare, the world is unreal, the aspirants will be bewildered. It is only with a view to prevent this perplexity that the universe is spoken of as real.

Maya – The Divine Illusion – Understanding the Mystery of Life

Human life is full of experiences that appear very real while we are living through them. Joy feels real, pain feels real, success feels real, and failure also feels real. Yet spiritual wisdom asks us to look deeper and question whether the world we are attached to is the final truth. Maya – The Divine Illusion explains this powerful idea in a simple way. It teaches that what we see, desire, fear, and possess is temporary, while the divine reality behind everything is eternal.

The word “maya” is often translated as illusion, but it does not mean that the world has no value at all. Rather, it means that the world is not exactly what it appears to be. We see names, forms, relationships, wealth, beauty, position, and power, and we think they are permanent. But time changes everything. The body changes, emotions change, people change, and situations change. What looked strong yesterday may become weak tomorrow.

Maya – The Divine Illusion helps us understand why human beings suffer. Suffering often begins when we take the temporary to be permanent. We become attached to things that cannot stay forever. We expect others to behave exactly as we want. We search for complete happiness in objects, achievements, and praise. When these things change or disappear, the mind becomes disturbed. The problem is not life itself, but our misunderstanding of life.

In spiritual terms, maya covers the truth like clouds covering the sun. The sun has not disappeared, but it is hidden from our view. In the same way, the divine Self is always present within us, but ego, desire, fear, and ignorance hide it. Because of this covering, a person thinks, “I am only this body,” “I am my success,” “I am my pain,” or “I am separate from others.” This wrong identification creates bondage.

The teaching of Maya – The Divine Illusion is not meant to make people negative or careless about life. It does not ask us to reject family, work, society, or responsibilities. Instead, it teaches us to live with awareness. We can love without becoming possessive. We can work without becoming egoistic. We can enjoy life without forgetting its temporary nature. This balanced understanding makes life peaceful and meaningful.

A simple example is a dream. While dreaming, everything feels real. We may laugh, cry, run, fear, or celebrate. But when we wake up, we realize that the dream was only a passing experience. Spiritual wisdom says that ordinary life is also like this in a deeper sense. It feels completely real until higher awareness awakens within us. When wisdom grows, we begin to see life with greater clarity.

Maya – The Divine Illusion also teaches the importance of discrimination. Discrimination means the ability to know the difference between the permanent and the temporary, the real and the unreal, the helpful and the harmful. Without discrimination, the mind runs behind every attraction. With discrimination, a person begins to ask, “Will this bring lasting peace? Is this desire necessary? Am I acting from love or ego?” These questions slowly purify the mind.

The strongest force of maya is attachment. Attachment makes us believe that happiness depends only on something outside us. It may be a person, a position, money, beauty, recognition, or comfort. But when happiness depends completely on changing things, fear naturally follows. A spiritually mature person does not stop loving or caring; such a person simply learns not to become a slave of attachment.

Another form of maya is ego. Ego says, “I am the doer,” “I am greater,” “I am separate,” and “Everything should happen according to my wish.” This ego creates pride when life goes well and frustration when life becomes difficult. Spiritual practice weakens ego by reminding us that life is guided by a higher divine order. Humility opens the door to wisdom.

For modern people, Maya – The Divine Illusion is highly relevant. Today, social media, comparison, status, appearance, and material success often create false pressure. People may look happy outside but feel restless inside. Maya makes the outer image appear more important than inner truth. Spiritual awareness helps us return to simplicity, gratitude, kindness, and self-knowledge.

The way to overcome maya is not through fear, but through wisdom. Meditation, prayer, selfless service, truthfulness, good company, and study of spiritual teachings help remove ignorance. Slowly, the mind becomes calmer and the heart becomes purer. When awareness increases, the same world is seen differently. Life is no longer only a place of desire; it becomes a field for learning, love, and liberation.

Ultimately, Maya – The Divine Illusion teaches that the world is a passing appearance, but the divine truth within us is permanent. The purpose of life is not to hate the world, but to understand it correctly. When we live with love, detachment, humility, and awareness, illusion loses its power. Then the soul begins to move from confusion to clarity and from temporary pleasure to lasting peace.