World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 806

of the entire phenomenal world and cannot be defined as either real or unreal are also the same as this Māyā24 Prakrti, according to Sankara, is nothing but this Māyā' of the Lord which is the causal potentiality of all the effects and has the three gunas as its constituents.25 It is called “avyakta, for it cannot be described either as real or as unreal-26 This Māyā of Sankara should not, however, be mistaken for the ‘Prakrti' or 'Pradhāna' of Sankhya. No doubt, like Prakrti of Sankhya, it is something material and unconscious. But like Prakrti of Sankhya, it is neither real nor independent reality. Māyā is entirely dependent on and inseparable from the supreme Lord, and as such, has no being of its own. It is a power of Lord-So, all power is nondifferent from its possesor, so also Māyā, being power of supreme Lord is not different from it.27 Isvara creates the world out of his this Māyāsakti which is the matrix of names and forms.28 It's activity and inactivity is on account of Māyā.29 He is, in his essential nature, inactive. But becomes active in relation to his Māyā.30 It is called Mahāmāyā and Iśvara is called Mahāmāyin.31 Māyā is existent but not real like ‘Brahman. Brahman is both sat and positive, Māyā is positive but not sat. So, there is no two ultimate categories in Sankara's philosophy. According to Sankara the world is Māyā, means that it is an appearance of Reality in a form which is not its essential and ultimate nature and has no being after the dawn of the right knowledge.32 Māyā is a power of God, indistinguishable from him, just as the burning power of fire is from fire itself. It is neither real like Brahman nor unreal like son of a barren woman. It is not real, for it vanishes at the dawn of knowledge, it is not unreal, for it is true as long as it lasts. Sankara beautifully states in his Vivekacūdāmani that 'this Māyā is neither real nor unreal, nor is it essentially both, it is neither differentiated nor is it un-diferentiated, nor is it essentially both, it is of the most wonderful and indescribable form.'33 On the ground that it is indescribable, Māyā cannot be denied. It is felt fact and is to be inferred through its effects by our intelligence.34 Sankara quotes a verse from Süryapurāņa to support his anirvacaniyatva of Māyā.35
Māyā is the material cause of the world in conjunction with īśvara. Māyā, the creative power does not affect God, does not deceive him, like magician who is not affected by his magical power. The relation of Maya and Brahman is unique. It is neither identity nor difference, nor both. It is energised and acts as a medium of the projection of this world of plurality on the non-dual ground of Brahman. Really, it can do no harm to Reality, just as mirage water
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