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VIVEKACŪDAMANI
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objects like sound, and having explained their qualities for the understanding of the ātmatattva which is quality-less and unattached, now is begun the explanation of the causal body which is the cause of the aforesaid anātman-elements.
अव्यक्तनाम्नी परमेशशक्तिः अनाद्यविद्या त्रिगुणात्मिका परा। कार्यानुमेया सुधियैव माया यया जगत्सर्वमिदं प्रसूयते ॥११० ॥ avyaktanāmni paramešaśaktiḥ
anādyavidyā triguņātmikā parā 1 kāryānumeyā sudhiyaiva māyā
yayā jagat sarvamidam prasūyate 11
Māyā is called avyakta. It is the power of Paramesvara. It is beginningless avidyā. It is compacted of three gunas. It is superior to its effects and is to be inferred from them by the wise whose intellect functions in accord with śruti. She gives birth to this entire world.
Mãyä is called avyaktam, not manifest, not vyaktam, because one cannot obtain awareness of it by sense-perception. For, it is devoid of form etc.
parameśa śaktiḥ: It is the power of Parameswara: of Brahma. It is an unimaginable and wonderful power. It has no beginning. Hence it is called anādyavidyā, beginningless avidyā. It has no reality in the absolute sense. vastutaḥ na vidyate. So it is called avidya.
triguņātmikā: that to which pertain the three qualities, sattva, rajas and tamas. Or, the three guņas themselves are the constituents of it; hence triguņātmikā; of the nature of three guņas
parā: superior as their cause to all its effects beginning with Hiranyagarbha.
kāryānumeyā etc. The reason is given for calling it avyakta. It is to be inferred from its effects. As it has no visible form etc., it is not available for sense-perception. It is to be inferred from its effects as the ākāśa is inferred from sound. If this power is not accepted as a fact, creation from nirguņa Brahman cannot be postulated. An effect without cause is impossible. By virtue of being the cause of all transformations beginning with ākāśa and by virtue of the śruti which intimates the evolutions brought about by ikșana (seeing, thinking sankalpa (purposing) and pariņāma (transformation), māyā is established.
