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| A painting entitled "Maya The World of Illusion" by Kathleen Scarboro. This contemporary painting illustrates parallel dimensions and states of consciousness. |
The Vedic Studies Class, "A Word to the Wise," had its seventh meeting on Monday, May 20th at Shiva Sai Mandir Center for Vedic and Yogic Studies. The word we discussed was "Maya." Below follows an introduction to the course so named:
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| A painting entitled "Maya" by Julia Guthrie. A contemporary interpretation of Maya Devi, she is swathed in veils depicting the cosmos and elements of manifest creation, including time. She is beckoning us to move with her through portals into other dimensions. |
Illusion and Reality
What is seen is not the Truth
What is cannot be said
Trust comes not without seeing
Nor understanding without words
The wise comprehends with knowledge
To the ignorant it is but a wonder
Some worship the formless God
Some worship His various forms
In what way He is beyond these attributes
Only the Knower knows
That music cannot be written
How can then be the notes
Says Kabir, awareness alone will overcome illusion
-Kabir
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| Maya Devi showing her manifest forms, likely a Nepalese image. |
I imagine into being the whole world, moving and unmoving, through the power of my Maya.
Yet that same Maya is not separate from me; this is the highest truth . . .
In me this whole world is woven in all directions, O Mountain.
I am the Lord and the Cosmic Soul; I am myself the Cosmic Body.
I am Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, as well as Gauri, Brahmi, and Vaishnavi.
I am the sun and the stars and I am the Lord of the stars.
I am the various aspects of beasts and birds; I am also the outcase and thief.
I am the evil doer and the wicked deed; I am the righteous person and the virtuous deed.
I am certainly female and male, and asexual as well.
And whatever thing, anywhere, you see or hear,
That entire thing I pervade, ever abiding inside it and outside.
There is nothing at all, moving or unmoving, that is devoid of me;
For if it were, it would be a nonentity, like the son of a barren woman.
Just as a single rope may appear variously as a serpent or wreath,So also I may appear in the form of the Lord and the like; there is no doubt in this matter.
The world cannot appear without an underlying basis.
Accordingly, the world comes to be only through my own being and in no other way.
–from the Devi Gita
(from Teachings of the Hindu Mystics, edited by Andrew Harvey, Shambhala, 2001, pp. 49-50)
In me this whole world is woven in all directions, O Mountain.
I am the Lord and the Cosmic Soul; I am myself the Cosmic Body.
I am Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, as well as Gauri, Brahmi, and Vaishnavi.
I am the sun and the stars and I am the Lord of the stars.
I am the various aspects of beasts and birds; I am also the outcase and thief.
I am the evil doer and the wicked deed; I am the righteous person and the virtuous deed.
I am certainly female and male, and asexual as well.
And whatever thing, anywhere, you see or hear,
That entire thing I pervade, ever abiding inside it and outside.
There is nothing at all, moving or unmoving, that is devoid of me;
For if it were, it would be a nonentity, like the son of a barren woman.
Just as a single rope may appear variously as a serpent or wreath,So also I may appear in the form of the Lord and the like; there is no doubt in this matter.
The world cannot appear without an underlying basis.
Accordingly, the world comes to be only through my own being and in no other way.
–from the Devi Gita
(from Teachings of the Hindu Mystics, edited by Andrew Harvey, Shambhala, 2001, pp. 49-50)
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We have a discussion going and class material on this subject. Please let us know if you would like to be a part of the class. Materials are available for registered participants. For more information and to register for the class, follow this link: http://www.vedicstudies.org/a-word-to-the-wise.html — at Shiva Mandir Center for Vedic Studies.
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