THE Doctrine of Maya - HolyBooks.com

"""""82 THE DOCTRINE OF MAYArepresenting a truth in a more concrete and simpleway to let it harmonize with the common understanding, repulsed by abstract truths. These peoplewant some concrete idea, which will give a colouringto their imagination whenever they venture to thinkabout the origin of the world in which they live andmove, and it is Theism which they will welcomeinstinctively.But how long and how far could such a separation between the Lord (Isvara) and the soul exist ?The natural consequence was a further degeneration,which in a clever way solved the dualism by strikingout one of its components, viz. ,the former. One hadto give way, and the empirical instinct in man wouldrather believe inthe existence of the soul than ofthe Isvara, which seemed more remote and was notwitnessed by the soul. In this struggle thereforethe conception of the Paramatman was ousted.There remained only the individual soul (namednow the Purusa) and the external real world(called the Prakrti). This is known as the Sankhyastandpoint, and may be called Atheism for want of abetter word. It may also be added very brieflythat the progressive realism further manifested itselftwo more aspects.inThe first was the denial even of the individualsoul.The existence of the world could not be denied,since it is perceived but one could doubt the reality;of the soul. Let us call those who did so Apsychists."This denial of the soul and the belief in an