DOES 'MAYA' MEAN 'MOTHER' ? WHAT THE EARLIEST EXTANT SANSKRIT
SOURCES TELL US ABOUT MAYA
from Bhakti Ananda Goswami
Maya does not mean 'mother' in Sanskrit. This is an associative
meaning from the fact that MAYA is the personal name of Vishnu's or
Shiva's Feminine Shakti as YOGA MAYA (the 'Mother of Devotion'), or
MAHA MAYA (Durga), Who is the 'Mother' of the material universes.
MA or MATA does mean MOTHER, but this is no where given as the root
of the ancient Sanskrit word MAYA.
Below are some corrections regarding modern misperceptions about
MAYA. These are from my long experience in studying early Vishnu,
Shiva and Shakti Traditions. For confirmation of many of my
assertions, please see the 1979 Edition of the Oxford Monier-Williams
Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Please note that in this standard
reference text, the earliest sources for the Sanskrit words given are
VAISHNAVA SHASTRAS. This means that these words came out of a
religio-cultural linguistic milieu in which KRISHNA or VISHNU
(PURUSHA) was worshiped with His Emanations and Incarnations as THE
SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD. There were no generic 'Hindu'
literatures in the ancient world, only 'sectarian' literatures
exalting the supremacy of God Ess as Vishnu Hari-Shakti, or Shiva
Hara-Shakti.
In every case, the earliest surviving Sanskrit Literatures are not
sectarian Shaivite, Shakta, Buddhist or Jain, they are always
Vaishnava, and these are still part of the scriptural canon of living
Vaishnavism today. The traditional commentaries on these Vedic-
Vaishnava Shastras are now voluminous beyond imagining. If one wants
to understand the original meanings of the Vedic-Vaishnava Sanskrit
words IN THEIR EARLIEST RECORDED CONTEXT OF USE, one cannot gain this
understanding from Jain, Buddhist, separated Shaivite or Shakta or
Vedantic sources. One must study the Vaishnava Sanskrit vocabulary
of the Vaishnava Scriptures from the perspective of the Vaishnava
Devotional (Bhakti)Tradition. Consulting the original texts,
traditional Vaishnava commentaries and the living tradition, and
making related interdisciplinary inquiries, is the way to understand
the original Vaishnava meanings and uses of the Sanskrit words in
these texts.
In the same way, if we want to understand the later use of these
Sanskrit words in Buddhism, or separate Shaivism etc., or in the late
Advaita Vedantic Tradition of Shankaracharya, we have to study their
meanings and uses in those contexts. Different lineages are like
different historical streams of thought with distinct water-
courses. The use of words in these distinct traditions must be
studied carefully IN CONTEXT to avoid erroneous assumptions regarding
their meaning in other traditions.
The words MAYA and BRAHMAN in Vaishnavism exist within the context of
a Trinitarian monotheistic tradition. 1. Bhagavan, 2. Samkarshana
(and His Vishnu Expansions and Incarnations) and 3. Paramatma are the
1.Transcendent, 2. Emanating and Incarnating, and 3. Immanent
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Brahman is the personal bodily
effulgence and expansive Energy of the Lord, and Maya is both YOGA-
MAYA as God's Feminine Shakti Who facilitates UNITY WITH GOD, and is
MAHA-MAYA as Durga, Who is the 'Mother' of the TEMPORARY BUT VERY
REAL Material universes. Maya is our Mother, but Maya does not MEAN
mother.
p 804 gives root # 3. maa as measure, mete, meter, mark. M-Williams
(M-W) says compare Zend ma; Greek metron, metreo; Latin metior,
mensus, mensura; Slavonic mera; Lithuanian mera.
p 811 gives mfn (root 3. maa) measuring...; "creating illusions (said
of Vishnu)". The Mahabharata is the source cited for this.
Maaya, feminine is "art, wisdom, extraordinary or supernatural power
(only in the earlier language); illusion..." In Samkhya and
Vedanta, Maaya is identified with Prakriti (Shakti) and Pradhana as
the source of the visible universe.
Durga (Maya) is one of the nine Shaktis of Vishnu. These are all
expansions of Radha. On the Minoan Era Isle of Rhodes, Rhoda, the
Shekinah of Eli-Yahu / Helios Kouros was called Rhoda, Nymphia
(Lotus) and Astaria (Star), which are the primary Shakti Names of
Krishna's Shakti as Radha, Padme (Lotus, another name of Lakshmi or
Sri) and Tara /Astraya (Star). Maya is a name of both Lakshmi or
Durga. M-W says Maya is the name of "illusion personified"
With Saivas, Maya is a name of Durga as Shiva's Shakti. In Shaivism,
maya may also mean one of the four Pasas or snares, which entangle
the soul.
Maya Devi is the mother of Gautama Buddha, but the word maya, as in
Shaivism, acquires an evil connotation in Buddhism.
Mayin meaning 'enchanting' (creating illusions) is a name of God
(Krishna-Vishnu) but M-W only gives it as a name of Brahma, Shiva,
Agni, or Kama.
Mayesvara or Maya-Ishvara means the 'Lord of Maya' and is used for
Vishnu and Shiva, as the Lover or Spouse of Maya / Durga.
The demon Maya-danava, who was an expert creator of material
illusions, was also called Mayin. Maya with a negative connotation
may mean cheating, magic, deceiving, juggling or trickery. Maya-vada
(or Maya-vadin) refers to the path of Maya, or one on the path of
Maya, or to those that teach that there is no reality to the material
(or any) universe. The term may be used to refer to either
atheistic Advaita Vedantists, Buddhists or now anyone else teaching
that there is no reality to the universe or to any variegated
or 'personal' existence.
In Vaishnava Vedanta, the Material Universes are REAL but TEMPORARY.
The ILLUSION is that the material manifestation of temporary
composite forms subject to beginning, ending, injury and
deterioration (birth, death, disease and old age) IS ALL THAT THERE
IS. Vaishnava Vedanta asserts that the saha worlds are real (but
temporary) facsimiles of the non-material eternal realm. In this
realm, we are 'in Maya' as long as we think that this temporary
existence is all that there is, and fail to realize the eternal
nature of our own soul and our origin and end in the Supreme Soul of
God-Who-Is-Love, in His eternal SAT-CHIT-ANANDA Transcendental Realm.
Although Maya Devi is the Mother of Gautama Buddha, and Durga / Maya
is considered the Mother of the Cosmic Manifestation, 'Maya' (the
name itself) does not mean 'Mother' in Sanskrit. MATA means Mother
in Sanskrit. The Transcendent Tara, also a Shakti of Vishnu,
incarnated as Maya Devi, because Tara is considered the Mother of ALL
Buddhas or incarnations of THE ONE ADI BUDDHA. Tara descends as the
Mother of the Incarnation or Avatara of Vishnu. Tara or Astraya in
Sanskrit means 'Star' and thus the STAR of Beth-lehem was the portend
of the Messiah's birth, and Mary is associated with Rhoda-Nymphia-
ASTARIA on the Isle of Rhodes, as STELLA MARIS, and SEKHET/
SHEKINAH / SHAKTI the Feminine 'energy' or creative 'Pleasure-
potentia' of HARI / ELI / HELI / HERU etc.
In the earliest sources, MAYA is always associated with the Feminine
Energy of Vishnu or Shiva. The word or concept has no separate
existence from this theistic context.
A pun associated with the name MAYA by Vaishnavas, is due to the
variant root meaning of ma as 'not' (where ma and na seem to be
confounded), thus giving the esoteric meaning of "not-Me" or "not-
Myself" or "not -I", where A, AHAM, YA etc. refers to KRISHNA OR
VISHNU AS ADI PURUSHA, the PLENUM / PURNAM, GIVING (MASCULINE)
ORIGINATING SELF OR SOUL OF ALL EXISTENCES. Thus Maya is the
eternal 'not-Me' Feminine Receiving Potentia (Shakti / Shekinah) of
the Godhead. Maya is Krishna-Vishnu's OTHER, Feminine, Receiving
Self. All finite jiva selves, or jivatmas, are receivers as tiny
expansions, emanations or incarnations of the Maya potency of the
Lord PARAM-ATMAN. This is why in the Divine Love (Bhakti) Bridal
Mysticism Traditions, the finite self or soul is always considered
feminine in relation to the Godhead. The Greek Platonists spoke of
PSYCHE / soul as feminine. Jewish Mysticism teaches about reuniting
the soul-sparks of the Shekinah with God. Catholic theologians speak
of the soul as feminine, harkening back to the Jewish Canticle 'Song
of Songs' Bridal Mysticism. Yang-Yin, Yab-Yum, Purusha-Prakriti,
Hari (Krishna-Vishnu) and Shakti, Hara (Shiva) and Shakti, HRIH (Adi
Buddha) and Tara-Shakti, ELI and Shekinah, HERU and SEKHET(Egypt),
Helios and Astaria-Hecate (Hexad).....it is all the same 'bridal
Mysticism' of Godhead Who is GIVING-AND-RECEIVING LOVE. We as
finite souls experience God as OTHER / LOVER, because we are related
to the MAYA SHAKTI or Prakriti NOT-SELF OTHERNESS of the Godhead.
YOGA as in the words YOKE (of oxen) and CON-JUG-AL means to unite two
as one, but not to merge two into one. The original Sanskrit
Shastras as evidenced by extant Vedic-Vaishnava and Shaivite Bhakti
Shastras today, do not contain any concept of MAYA outside of this
context of God as Krishna-Vishnu or Shiva, and Their Shakti and
Bridal Mysticism.
It amazes me that people can go on for years discussing MAYA and
BRAHMAN and other such Vedic-Vaishnava Sanskrit words, without ever
once considering what these words meant, what their content was, in
their earliest known context. I would recommend to everyone
seriously interested in the real meaning of such words, to at least
learn the Sanskrit Alphabet, which is not difficult at all, and
consult a good Sanskrit English (or whatever is needed) etymological
dictionary. Immediately one will see that these Sanskrit words used
in Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, Sufism, Theosophy and the New
Age 'spiritualities' originally are found in *VAISHNAVA LITERATURES,
where they often have very different meanings than what the later
impersonal and atheistic traditions have ascribed to them. Using
Hindu or Buddhist references edited from late Advaitan, Buddhist or
other non-Vaishnava perspectives, will not help anyone to understand
what these ancient Sanskrit words meant in their earliest Vaishnava
uses.
*The Purusha-based Vedas, and related texts, Srimad Bhagavatam and
the Puranas, The Epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana etc.
From: <dalval14@e...>
Date: Sun Dec 15, 2002 5:38 am
Subject: RE: Theos-World re Leon re Mahayana/Theosophy . . .
Dear Mauri:
The venerable "Sri Swami VP" quoted by L M is correct as the word
"Maya" used in Indian several languages including the Sanskrit is
"mother."
The Mother of Gautama Sidartha, Buddha, of Kapilavastu was also named
Maya.
But philosophically it is also "ILLUSION." [see T. Glossary, p. 211
top ].
Or does your encyclopedia say it differently?
Dallas
