Posted on: 18 Jun 2015
Prof. Annapurna asked “Swami! Please explain Maya and Mula Maya more clearly in a simple way”.
Shri Swami Replied: Generally the word Maya is used in world to mean something, which is false but made appear as true creating wonder. The meaning of the root word of Maya means that which is wonderful. Another meaning for the word maya means that which actually does not exist. For example, the magic performed by a magician stands for the maya. He takes a piece of cloth and puts in a small vacant box in hand and closes it. On reopening it, the cloth becomes a bird which comes out of it. We say that the magician exhibited maya. Let us analyse this example clearly. The conversion of the piece of cloth in to bird is not true if the trick of the magic is known. The magician knows the trick and hence this conversion is not true for the magician. For the audience, this conversion is true because the trick is not known to them. The observers experience the conversion of cloth into bird as true and enjoy it with wonder. This magic is true with respect to the observer, but, not true with the respect to the magician. Similarly, the creation of this world is not true with respect to God and is true with respect to individual soul (human being). This example has limitation up to this point only. If you go deep in to this example beyond the fixed point, the concept suffers i.e., if you go to the magician and request him to teach the technique of the trick, he will do so. You can also understand this trick and perform the same magic like the magician. You should not take this part and extend to the concept. Here, this part is not applicable to the original concept because you can never understand the trick of this magic at any time because your intelligence can never grasp the truth. This does not mean that the creation of the world is true even from the point of God. The creation is not true with reference to God. God is beyond space and you are a part of space. Even if God preaches you, you cannot understand this. But, it is always true with reference to you because you are a part of that magic. In the above simile, the observer has equal existence with respect to the magician. But, in the concept the observer is part of the magic and disappears as soon as magic is over. But, in the simile, the observer exists even after the magic and exists as long as magician exists because the observer and magician are part of space only. Therefore, no concept of the creation can stand as a complete simile for God and the creation of God.
Therefore, you must always be aware of the reference with respect of which you are speaking the concept. If you say that the magic is true, the reference is with respect to the observer. If you say that the magic is not true, that is with respect to the magician. Another limitation to the magic to be compared with creation of the world is that the items of the magic, which are the piece of cloth, the box and the bird are true even with respect to the magician and observer. Only the conversion of cloth in to bird is not true with respect to the magician. But, in the concept, all the items including the observer are not true with respect to God. If you are not aware of the limitations of the simile, you will extend all the details of the simile (that are known by deep investigation) to the concept also and spoil the concept. You have to take only one point from the simile to be compared to the concept i.e., the creation of the world means only the conversion of cloth in to bird, which is not true to magician and is true only for the observer. Except this one point, all the other details of simile must be forgotten and must not be taken into consideration. Therefore, considering all the limitations, you have to take the simile only limited to one point.
Any Number of Unimaginables Form One Unimaginable Only
You have to take only two fundamental items always in the philosophy 1) God, who is unimaginable to human beings and imaginable to Himself 2) The imaginable world, which is the product of the process of creation including individual souls also. The link between these two unimaginable (God) and imaginable (World) items is the process of creation. Such process must also be unimaginable. We always see the links between imaginable causes and their imaginable products only in this world. These links are always imaginable. We never see link between unimaginable cause and imaginable product in the world because in the entire world all the items are imaginable only. Except the unimaginable God, there is no second unimaginable. Therefore, the process of creation of imaginable world from unimaginable God must be also unimaginable. Now, God and process of creation are the two unimaginable entities. There can never be two or more unimaginable items because any number of unimaginable items form only one unimaginable item. You can distinguish two imaginable items but not two unimaginable items. Therefore, God and the process of the creation become only one unimaginable item. We can recognize the existence of unimaginable God and the imaginable world that came out from the unimaginable God. Thus, we can distinguish two imaginable items or unimaginable item and imaginable item, but never two unimaginable items. The unimaginable process of the creation cannot be recognized. We can recognize the pot maker and the pot created. In between these two, we can also recognize the process of creation of the pot. The reason is that the pot, process of creation of pot and pot maker are imaginable items. The ability to create the pot is the specific talent or power to create the pot also is inseparable from the pot maker and cannot be isolated. Therefore, the ability to create the world is also inseparable from the unimaginable God and hence becomes unimaginable. Now the unimaginable entities are: 1) God, 2) The ability of God to create the world and 3) The process of the creation. All these three unimaginable entities become one unimaginable entity only. In the above simile, the magician, the ability to do magic and the process of magic are inseparable. But, the magician is imaginable to observer. The ability to do the magic and the process of magic are unimaginable to the observer. However, since the magician is imaginable, the ability and process are also imaginable to the observer after sometime if the magician reveals the trick. The ability and process are temporarily unimaginable as long as the magician does not reveal. Hence, both the ability and process are really imaginable only.
Entering the concept once again, if we think that Mula maya is the ability and the process, both are unimaginable. Maya is fixed as the imaginable creation (world) since the Gita says so (Mayam tu Prakrutim). Here, the product is wonderful (maya vaichitrye), which is extraordinary compared to an ordinary product. Both ordinary and extraordinary must be imaginable only. You cannot say an unimaginable item as wonderful. This world is also relatively true with respect to God and hence satisfies the other meaning of the word maya (yaa maa). The Mula maya means the cause of this maya or world. The causes of this world are God, the ability of God and the process of creation of world by God. All the three causes are one only since all these three are unimaginable. Even in the case of the three imaginable causes i.e., pot maker, his ability and his process of creation of pot are inseparable and one only. Any one says that this wonderful pot is created by so and so pot maker. Nobody says that this wonderful pot is created by the ability of so and so pot maker or by the process of creation of pot done by so and so pot maker. You can say that the ability may not be isolated from the pot maker, but the process of creation of the pot is seen separately during the process of creation. You can also isolate the ability from the pot maker because the pot maker on becoming mad by some decease may lose the ability. Therefore, the pot maker is different from the ability. Like this, you can isolate these causes because these three are imaginable items. When these three items are unimaginable, you cannot isolate them and you have to say that only one unimaginable exists, which is the cause of this world. In this way, mula maya becomes just another alternative name for the unimaginable God. In this way of discussion, the word mula maya stands for the simple meaning i.e., the unimaginable cause (mula) of the entire imaginable world (maya), which is God.
You can bring this word ‘mula maya’ from the side of God to the side of world also. You can say that mula maya means the first imaginable item of the creation, which becomes the cause (mula) for the rest items of the world (maya) and science argues that the first imaginable item of the creation itself can be the original cause or God. The logic for this is that the first item of creation generated from the God need not be considered as the product coming out from the unknown God, who is said to be the original cause. The reason is that both the original cause (God) and the process of the creation of the first product of world from God are unimaginable and hence cannot be introduced as the starting points of the subject. Since the cause and process are unimaginable, you may say that the first product of the world that generates the rest items of the world itself is the original cause and can be given the place of God. In such case, not only the first original cause (first product of the world) is imaginable, but also, the process of creation of the rest items of the world is imaginable. This way is preferred because the first product generates the rest items of the world through the logical chain of creations and hence the subject starts with one imaginable item creating other imaginable items through imaginable process of creation. The scientists adopt this path of philosophy. The three Acharyas also follow this process by taking the first awareness as original cause but, such awareness is charged with the unimaginable God and thus, God is the actual original cause.
Sequence of Generation of Imaginable Items Happen due to God’s Will
God created energy or space or awareness in the beginning. God is the cause. Energy or space or awareness is the first imaginable product that generates all the items of the world in logical sequence of imaginable procedures. The convenient philosophy is to start with energy or space or awareness as the original cause and explaining their consequent sequence of generations of other items of the world. The inconvenient philosophy is to accept the unimaginable God as the original cause and to treat His ability and procedure of creation of energy or space or awareness also as unimaginable and proceed into the imaginable procedures of creation of other items of the world from energy or space or awareness. All these three (energy, space and awareness) are one and the same and said to be the first product of creation in the Veda. The Veda says that God created the energy in the beginning (Tat Tejo Asrujata...). The Veda also says that God created the space in the beginning (Atmana Aakashah). The Veda also says that God thought to create world for entertainment and such thought can be taken as the creation of awareness (Tat eikshata). The space is subtle energy and hence space and energy are one and the same. Space does not mean vacuum. The vacuum is also energy. The bending of space around the boundary of the object proves that space is energy as per science. The energy performing a specific work after entering a specific nervous system is awareness. Thus, awareness is only a specific work form of energy only. However, in this third statement, the absence of nervous system formed from matter before the creation makes the process of creation of awareness or thought as unimaginable. Since God, His ability to create awareness and the procedure to create awareness are unimaginable, the background of this awareness is unimaginable. But, this awareness is as good as the awareness existing in the world having the nature of the process of knowing. Even the generation (background) of space and energy are unimaginable and hence all these three stand on one line only. Now, standing on this side of creation, the mula maya is this energy or space or awareness. The Acharyas have taken Brahman as the starting point, which is the unimaginable God mediated in awareness. By this, Brahman is imaginable from the view of its medium (awareness) and unimaginable from the view of its inner content. Even in the sequence of the generations of other items of the world from the awareness, the inner unimaginable God is said to be the real cause even though the external awareness appears to be the cause outside. Due to the will of God only, the sequence of generations of the imaginable items also proceeds. For example: when the Veda says that God created space and space created air, the God in this space only created air. Otherwise, the space by itself cannot create air. Thus, God is said to be the cause in every step of creation.
Everything depends on whether you take the word mula maya on the side of God or on the side of the world. The original unimaginable God before the thought of creation also is called as Parabrahman. But, you should be careful to note that the unimaginable God in that stage is not unimaginable because in that stage, God alone existed and He was imaginable to Himself. In that stage, no creation existed and hence no human being [existed]. God is unimaginable only with respect to the human beings. We can call God as unimaginable in that stage also because we are speaking this sentence today existing in the creation and hence this statement should be taken with reference to the human being today. Such Parabraman wished to create the world for entertainment as per the statement of the Veda. By this, you should not think that God is awareness due to such wish. Your such logic stands well in the imaginable world and cannot stand in the case of unimaginable God. The unimaginable can wish even though He is not awareness. Now, the unimaginable God associated with such awareness or wish is called as Brahman. This created awareness made Parabrahman got mediated by awareness. Due to this imaginable medium (awareness), God becomes imaginable and stands as the starting point of knowledge of philosophy and thus, the objection that the starting point is unknowable is ruled out. The world was created after this wish and the same Brahman becomes the ruler of this world. Such ruler, who is the Brahman, involved in ruling the world is called Eshwara. In fact, there is no difference between the wish and world because the entire world is still wish of God only. Just like a person wishes to get entertainment by creating an imaginary world and enjoys in it, God is entertained with this real (to us) world, which is His imaginary world. Never forget that the human beings are also part of the imaginary world and hence will experience such imaginary world of God as real world only. This is the day dream and the entertainment is not strong. To have strong and full entertainment, God likes ignorance to cover Him and hence gets identified with a human being to feel this imaginary world as real world. As Eshwara, He is entertained with the world through awareness (Vidya) in day dream feeling this real (to us) world as imaginary world only. As human incarnation He is entertained more strongly with this world through ignorance (avidya) in night dream by identifying with a human being feeling the imaginary world as real world. The Veda says that God is entertained through Vidya as Brahman and is fully entertained by crossing the boring state (Mrutyu) through Avidya by becoming human incarnation (Avidyayaa mrutyum tirtvaa, Vidyayaa amrutam ashnute).