THE Doctrine of Maya - HolyBooks.com

"""""""""""""HISTORY OF THE WORD "MAYA"29Prakrti (the primordial matter")as the source ofthe universe, with the distinct difference that thelatter is real. It is the equilibrium of the threequalities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. 1 It is alsocalled Pradhdna. It has a real and independentexistence and brings about the evolution of thewhole world in company with the Purusa. In otherwords, the Sankhya systemis based on an out-andoutdualism. This dualism isquestioned and finallysolved by the Vedanta in so far as the Prakrti istransformed into Maya, and the Purusa into Brahman, and so the mutual opposition of the two isdestroyed.The word Mayais derived from -^/ma, tomeasure miyate anaya iti," i.e., by which ismeasured, meaning thereby, as tradition has it, thatillusive projection of the world by which theimmeasurable Brahman appears as if measured.The same root gives further the sense of to build,leading to the idea of appearance or illusion.Sayana, 2 in his commentary on R.V. n. i. 7, tooderives the word from mad mane(i.e., \/ma, tomeasure). Further on, while explaining the formmayaya in R.V. iii. 27. 7 he derives it from ^md,to know, or to measure, and adds minute jamtekarma miyate anayeti va may a karma visayabhij -nanam," i.e.,, (i) <\/Ma, to know by which the ritual,1Sattva-rajas-tamasam samyavastha prakrtih."2For the derivations proposed by Sayana see also above,p. 8.