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XXII] Philosophy of Iśvara-gītā
491 the subjective centres, the purușas, are held together in a state of non-distinction. It is this that gives rise to all experiences of sorrow and bondage with reference to the conscious centres. It may be asked how it is that the buddhi and the purușa are held in nondistinction instead of being distinguished from one another. The reply is that distinction and non-distinction are both possible elements in the buddhi, and the function of Yoga is to destroy the obstruction in the way of the realization of such a mutual distinction (yogā-dinā tu pratibandha-mātram apākriyate).
Love of God proceeds in two stages: first, from the notion of God as satisfying our highest needs; and, secondly, in the notion of Him as being one with the self of the devotee. These highest needs find their expression firstly in our notion of value as pleasure and satisfaction in our experiences; secondly, in our notion of value in our emancipation; thirdly, in our notion of value in the satisfaction that we achieve in our realization of the sublimity in experiencing the greatness of God (Prema ca anurāga-višeṣaḥ paramā-tmani işğa-sādhanatā-jñānāt ātmatva-jñānāc ca bhavati. işğam api dvi-vidham bhogā-pavargau tan-mahimā-darśano-ttha-sukham ca iti tad evam māhātmya-pratipādanasya phalam prema-lakṣaṇā bhaktih).
Māyā, as identified with prakrti, should be regarded as substantive entity. The prakrti has two elements in it, sattva and tamas. Through sattva, wisdom or true knowledge is produced; through tamas is produced delusion or false knowledge. It is this aspect of prakyti as producing false knowledge that is called māyā. Māyā is described as being triguņā-tmikā prakặti or the prakặti with three guņas. But though the māyā is identified with prakrti, yet this identification is due to the fact that the tamas side of prakşti cannot be taken as apart from the prakrti as a whole. When it is said in the scriptures that God destroys the māyā of Yogins, it does not mean that the triguņā-tmikā prakrti as a whole is destroyed, but only that the operation of the tamas side is suspended or destroyed or ceases only with reference to the Yogin. Māyā is also described as that which cannot produce an illusion in Him on whom it has to depend for its existence, i.e. God, but that it can produce illusion or false knowledge in others (svā-śraya-vyāmohakatve sati paravyāmohakatvam).
It is further said that God creates the world by his māyā-sakti as composed of the three guņas. The significance of the designation
