The concept of Vidya Maya as put forth by Sri Ramakrishna
Would it have the explanatory power to?
Define or characterize say the different modes of relating to God that the srimad-bhagavatam
expresses. Would all those go under the category of Vidya Maya? Alright. The question is Vidya Maya.
Sri Ramakrishna talks about Maya. What is Maya? We can look at it from the function of what it does basically.
In Vedanta two things. Avarana (and) Vikshepa. Avarana means it hides the reality.
Where does it hide the reality?
Within us and outside us. I am Brahman, but I don't see myself as that. I see myself as body mind
so
Very interestingly. It's not that I do not experience Brahman. We are all
Experiencing within quotes. It cannot be experienced as an object.
But we are all experiencing Brahman, you know, you know how? It's like when I say look at the altar.
You see? Yes. Otherwise look at the wood this one. You see? Yeah, I can see the wood. It's the same thing.
Because we know the difference between the wood and the altar. The altar is a name and a form and a particular use we have
Put to this wood.
Are you with me so far?
So it's not that there are two things here. And when we look at the altar, we are looking at both together.
I mean, it's the wood with the name and form and function of the altar because we know the difference
When you say altar you mean this shape and this function and this name ALTAR
And when you say wood you mean the material out of the reality the material out of which it is made.
Now when we say I am body mind,
It's not that just the enlightened person will say, "You are experiencing Brahman right here, with the name and form of body mind."
But you cannot see the difference.
Literally you cannot see. You cannot understand. You don't appreciate the difference.
Drik Drishya Viveka says because of Maya internally within us, we do not appreciate the difference between, say, for
example mind and consciousness.
We see thoughts.
Conscious thoughts.
But the
difference is not seen, just as you understand the difference between altar and wood, the difference between thought and consciousness is not understood
And externally
Brahma Sargayo the Creation in universe and Brahman as pure being it appears together to us and we don't see the difference. So the
the difference is obscured by Maya. So that's one function of Maya.It obscures Avarana. Avarana literally means veiling and
Vikshepa Projection. It projects Brahman as this universe and as this individual being.
But that's not all.
it's... this is called Avidya Maya and it is experienced in life as
Anger and greed and jealousy and all the negativities which tie us down deeper and deeper into samsara.
But the divine qualities
Self-control, truth, integrity, love, and the higher spiritual practices,.. Bhavas. This is what he is referring to.
So what are these higher spiritual attitudes?
When you regard God as parent, father, or mother. Sri Ramakrishna loved God as mother... as Kali
Or
father
When you love God as friend, like Arjuna loved God as friend Saka.
When you love God as your own child Vatsalya Bhava.
Like the baby Krishna Gopala or the baby Rama, Ram Lala. Like that. Or you love God as
The attitude of the beloved. Madura Bhava. As gopis and Krishna.
Or the peaceful... the Jnani's enlightened person... the Jnani's attitude towards God
Shanta bhava, the peaceful attitude. Something of which we did in the meditation today. That's the peaceful attitude, Shanta bhava. Now what he's asking is
These are also within Maya, isn't it? They are there in this samsara. We are practicing these things
Yes, so Sri Ramakrishna calls all of these as Vidya Maya. You are right. These are modes of relating to God.
In Vedanta in the bhakti path, in the bhakti path, we have this principle-
"Divinize our relationship to human beings and humanize our relationship to God". Very beautiful principle.
What are all of them? They are none other than my beloved Krishna in all of these forms.
"Sab Gopal hain". All are Gopala to me.
And what is Gopala ... what is God?
God is my child. Gopala, little baby.
God is my mother,... Kali.
So you have a mother-child. These are human relationships, but you are applying them to God.
And one existence-consciousness-bliss in all beings. That's a divine thing. But you are applying it to human beings. This is called with Vidya Maya.
Vidya... Still Maya. It's still within Maya. But... what is the difference ?
Avidya Maya- the Maya of ignorance, the negativities, they trap us further in samsara.
And this Vidya Maya is the one to be cultivated.
Because it helps us to go out of samsara to be liberated, to be enlightened.
So Maya is not bad. Maya gets bad press. what's it called? bad rap!
bad press
Maya does both things. It's a very ancient Sankhyan Conception - Prakruti and Purusha.
So Prakriti, nature does two things for Purusha. Purusha is the conscious being. each of us is Purusha.
So Prakriti, material nature does... provides two services to you.
One is bhoga. one is apavarga. Bhoga means experience.
Experience often is translated as enjoyment but "enjoyment" is not quite right because pleasure and pain are both Bhoga
so
Material nature provides us that. Why would we want? We want pleasure.
But why would you want pain? In the nature of experience, to learn in life, all of these are necessary.
So these things keep coming. As long as we want samsara Prakriti will or nature will provide these two for us. Pleasure and pain
Happiness and misery. And this is Samsara, it will continue. When we
awaken to spiritual life, when we want something more, we will become a seeker. Then Prakriti will provide us a way out.
So it's apavarga is a very ancient Indian name for moksha. Moksha means freedom.
But Apavarga is the name for a very philosophical ancient name. It's used by the Sankhyans. It's used by the Naiyayikas
It's a very old name. Out of fashion nowadays.
So
that same Prakriti which provides bhoga and apavarga
experience and freedom. In Vedanta that Prakriti becomes Maya.
So Maya provides us with samsara and liberation, moksha.
For samsara, Maya becomes Avidya Maya. For liberation Maya becomes with Vidya Maya. Very good. Thank you.
Yes, very quick
So in terms of liberation, if you're relating with God in such deep levels, is, are you a liberated soul?
or you're gonna have to come back to finish and go past even that ?
If you're relating to God with these?...... In a very yes and very personal deep ways..In these ways...
...As a child or as a friend or lover whatever. It depends on whether it's a practice or it's a fact.
By this practice one reaches. This is "Sadhana" spiritual practice and there's a fulfillment of that Sadhana
when it becomes a living fact.
The monk who came to Sri Ramakrishna in Dakshineshwar, he worshipped the child Rama in a little image of Ram Lala
But the monk could see the child Rama. He would walk around climb on his shoulders
Nobody else saw anything else
But he would climb on his shoulders and he would play with that monk and then when he came to Dakshineshwar, the child Rama
And so that that was the fulfillment of his lifelong worship of that little image
Because now that person he sees God in that form.
It's the same Sat-Chit-Ananda. It's a beautiful spiritual technology,
If I may say so. the same Sat-Chit-Ananda and the impersonal existence consciousness bliss
Which we were talking about. We were singing there... Satyam Jnanam Anantham Brahmam... infinite-being -consciousness.
But the infinite-being-consciousness in a name and form. That name-and-form you might say is cultural because he's a Hindu
Because he is a worshipper of Rama. Rama-yet Sadhu. So he sees that. True.
No problem there
It's a lens through which he sees. You need a name and form to see it.
So that name and form is the name and form of the baby Rama
and
So, now is that person, is that person realized or will he have to come back?
No, he's realized. ya. A strict non dualist might insist. No, no, no one more step.
Aham Brahmasmi, I am that baby, that Ram Lala, I am that, are one and the same.
Sri Ramakrishna is much more liberal.He says if you have touched
the reality
In some way or the other
You are liberated. If you have touched it in devotion, you are liberated, you know the reality. You know
the reality than any non dualist who has memorized dozens of texts and argued and debated with many people but has not actually
experienced "Aham Brahmasmi". As Vivekananda said
"An ounce of practice is worth 20 tons of tall talk".
So, yes.
If that's a
vibrant living reality. And once one is well along the path
One need not worry about liberation, Moksha, Jeevan Mukti,
Liberated while living, Videha Mukti liberated after death. Don't worry!
You're already on the path. There is no backing out for you. It will come in its own time. That's secondary.
Enjoy the journey!
One beautiful thing I learned from Swami Smaranananda ji, who is our president, president of our Order in India, he said many years ago
he said
not only the end is bliss but the means must be bliss too.
When you're doing sadhana.
Talking about God, reading about God, whether it's in a philosophical non-dualistic way, or in a devotional dualistic way - It should be full of joy.
Be very happy because you are blessed.
Thank you for the question!
Thank you very much! Yes.