One Asked Adi Shankaracharya: What Is Maya?

[00:00:00]The first rays of dawn slowly spread across the horizon, bathing the earth in a gentle golden glow. A cool breeze stirred the leaves of an ancient bunan tree, while the nearby river flowed in tranquil silence. The songs of birds echoed softly through the forest. Yet amidst all these sounds, there remained a profound stillness. Beneath the bunan trees sat Adish Shankara, absorbed in deep meditation. His posture was unmoving, his breathing gentle, and his face reflected a piece untouched by the changing world. Looking upon him, it seemed as though he had become one with the silence that surrounded him. Not far away stood a disciple. For many days, a single question had occupied his mind.

[00:00:49]He had listened attentively to his guru's teachings, reflected upon the words of the opishads and contemplated them in solitude. Yet the more he contemplated, the more one doubt refused to leave him. If Brahman alone is the ultimate reality, then what is this world that I experience every moment? If it is called Maya, what truly is Maya?

[00:01:14]Knowing that such a doubt could only be resolved by his guru, he came seeking Shankara. Out of reverence, he stood silently with folded hands, unwilling to disturb his guru's meditation. Time passed. The breeze continued to move through the trees. The river flowed undisturbed. At length, Shankara slowly opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon the disciple and a gentle smile appeared upon his face. "My child," he said softly, "you have been waiting patiently. Your face tells me that your mind is burdened by a question. Speak freely." The disciple bored deeply.

[00:01:58]"Master, for many days I have reflected upon your teachings. Yet one doubt continues to trouble me." Shankara nodded. A sincere doubt is not an obstacle. It is the beginning of true inquiry. Speak without hesitation. The disciple gathered his thoughts. Master, you teach that Brahman alone is eternal and that this world is experienced through Maya. Yet every day I see this vast universe before me. I see mountains that have stood for ages. Rivers that never cease to flow. The sun rising and setting. People rejoicing. Others grieving. Children being born and the old departing this world. I experience happiness and sorrow, pleasure and pain.

[00:02:47]Everything appears so clear and undeniable. If all this is Maya, then what exactly is Maya? Does it truly exist or does it not exist?

[00:02:58]If it does not exist, why is it experienced? And if it exists, why do the scriptures declare that Brahman alone is real? Master, this doubt has remained with me for many days. Please remove my ignorance. Shankara remained silent for a few moments. The silence itself seemed to prepare the disciples mind. Then the acharia began to speak.

[00:03:25]My child, your question is among the deepest in Vdant. Many hear the word Maya, but very few pause to inquire into its meaning. If I merely define it, you may remember my words, but understanding will not arise. Therefore, listen carefully, not merely with your ears, but with a mind free from hest. The disciple bowed. I am listening, master.

[00:03:53]Shankara continued, "First understand what maya is not. Ved does not say that the world is absolute non-existence.

[00:04:03]Nor does it ask you to deny your present experience. You see the world, interact with it and experience its joys and sorrows. These experiences are not denied. Nor does Vdant teach that Brahman undergoes a real transformation to become this universe.

[00:04:23]Brahman is infinite, complete and changeless. That which is changeless cannot truly become something else. Then what is Maya? It is that mysterious power because of which the one appears as many, the eternal appears as changing and the infinite appears as limited. The disciple listened intently. Shankara looked toward the sky. When clouds gather, what becomes of the sun? It appears hidden. Master, has the sun lost its brilliance? No. Has it stopped shining? No, master. What then has changed? Our vision alone has become obscured. Shankara smiled. Exactly. The sun remains exactly as it always is. It is our vision that is wailed. Likewise, Brahman never ceases to shine. It is ever present, ever self luminous, ever complete. Yet because of ignorance, the mind becomes absorbed in names and forms and fails to recognize the reality that underlies them all. This wailing of reality and fascination with appearances is called Maya. The disciple reflected upon these words for a long while. Then with folded hands, he spoke once more.

[00:05:47]But master, if Brahman is one, how does this endless diversity arise? Everywhere I look, I see countless different objects and beings. Shankara picked up a clear crystal lying beside him and placed a red flower behind it. What color does the crystal appear to be? It appears red. Has the crystal itself become red? No, master. The redness merely appears to belong to it. Just so Shankara replied, "The crystal remains unchanged though it seems colored.

[00:06:23]Likewise, the self remains ever pure, ever free and ever changeless. Yet through Maya, it appears to be an individual who says, "I am happy. I suffer. I am born and I shall die." The appearance belongs to ignorance, never to the self." The disciple nodded. But another question arose. Master, I understand that appearances can be misleading. Yet I still do not understand how one appears as many.

[00:06:57]Shankara smiled gently. My child, consider gold. From a single mass of gold, a goldsmith fashions a ring, a bracelet, a necklace, a crown, and countless other ornaments. Tell me how many substances are there? Only one, master, gold. And yet people speak of ring, bracelet, necklace, and crown.

[00:07:24]They admire their different shapes, compare their beauty, and even value one more than another. But if every ornament were melted, what alone would remain?

[00:07:35]Gold alone? Shankara nodded. Exactly.

[00:07:40]The names are many, the forms are many, yet the substance is one. The ornament has no existence apart from gold. Remove the gold and no ornament can remain. But gold exists whether ornaments are made or not. Likewise, Brahman alone is the reality. Mountains, rivers, trees, animals, human beings, the sun, the moon and the stars are but names and forms.

[00:08:12]Their essence is none other than Brahman. Maya causes the mind to dwell upon the names and forms. The ring, the bracelet, the necklace while overlooking the one reality that pervades them all.

[00:08:27]The ignorant see only the ornament. The wise recognize the gold in every ornament without denying its appearance.

[00:08:35]Similarly, the enlightened one does not [music] reject the world. He sees every name and form as resting entirely upon Brahman. The disciples sat in deep contemplation. [music] After a long silence, he asked, "Master, then is Maya real or unreal?" Shankara answered, "It cannot be called absolutely real for it disappears when knowledge arises. Nor can it be called absolutely unreal, for it is experienced before knowledge dawns. Therefore, the sages describe maya as that which cannot be completely defined as either real or unreal. It is beginningless from the standpoint of ignorance. Yet, it comes to an end with the dawn of self-nowledge.

[00:09:22]Just as darkness vanishes the moment a lamp is lit. So two maya loses its hold when Brahman is known. The disciples face gradually brightened. So Vedant does not ask me to reject the world.

[00:09:37]Shankara smiled. No my child Vant does not teach the rejection of the world. It teaches the correction of vision. The ignorant believe the names and forms alone to be real. The wise see Brahman as the one reality in and through every name and every form. When that vision arises, the many no longer conceal the one. Then one recognizes that what always was, always is, and always will be is Brahman alone. The disciple bowed low before his guru. The doubt that had troubled him for so many days had begun to dissolve. The forest remained as it was. The river continued to flow. The breeze still moved through the trees.

[00:10:24]Nothing in the world had changed. Yet within the disciple, everything had become clear.