14 Feb 2022
[A question by an unknown devotee (phone 8xxxxxxxx1)]
Swami replied: - I don’t know in what sense you are using this word Maayaa. Maayaa is used in two senses: - 1) In the sense of illusion, which by itself does not exist, but appears to be existing perfectly as absolute truth due to the absolute reality gained from the absolute reality called as God. The shape of the pot is unreal by itself, but appears as perfectly real due to the borrowed or gifted absolute reality of the mud existing in the pot. This is expressed as Yā = that which by itself, Mā= does not exist (Yā mā sā māyā). The serpent seen in twilight exists due to the gifted reality of the rope. When the rope is realized, the serpent disappears. This is called Avidyā, which can be crossed by the soul. 2) In the sense of wonderful and unimaginable power (Maya-vaicitrye), which can’t be crossed by the soul through any effort. This creation is created by God and this creation also exists due to the gifted absolute reality of God, but, can’t be realized by the soul with its effort. The absolute reality of the entire creation or a selected portion of the creation can be withdrawn by God alone. This is also illusion as the above case of serpent and rope, but, the illusion is created by God and not by the soul.
The above example is a created illusion due to the ignorance of the soul, but, the creation is a created illusion by God for the sake of His entertainment. Only God has the power to come out of this illusion or a soul is also able to come out of this illusion by the grace of God alone. The soul is able to come out of this illusion not by any of its efforts because the soul itself is a part of this illusion. If this creation-illusion disappears totally, the entire creation including all souls disappears and only God remains without any illusion.
The soul can come out of the illusion serpent with the help of the torchlight and the soul with which God merged alone can come out of the creation illusion. God generally does not like to come out of the creation-illusion because He Himself created this illusion for His own entertainment. Only a mad producer-director destroys the prepared film after seeing the cinema. A wise producer-director saves the film after show so that whenever He likes to see it, the show can be displayed on the screen. Due to this reason, even God, who is separate from the illusion, is not coming out of illusion! You, just a part of the cinema existing in the film like a tiny shadow want to come out of this illusion!! If you come out of this illusion, you will disappear totally and is this your aim? You are falsely dreaming that as soon as you come out of this illusion, you will become God without illusion and this is the greatest illusion of your mind because your brain is washed that you are already the God, who created this illusion!!!
Avidyā is ignorance of the soul whereas Māyā is a power of God that controls the entire creation including souls. Shall I tell you the most valuable secret? The secret is that you will never become God as long as you wish to become God. Any soul can become God only when God wishes to make a soul to become God. The wish to become God is a permanent disqualification of the soul to become God. Shankara told atheists that every soul is God so that every atheist can become theist through a three step tricky formula, which is: - You are God, You exist and hence, God exists. Are you also an atheist? If you are also an atheist, Yes, we will tell you that You already God and you forgot yourself like a mad person. Hence, we will advise you to remember constantly that You are already God!!!!
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