Illusion

 

 

Illusion

Sri Sankara and Maya or illusion

VlSHNUVARDHANA, the King of the Hoysalas, was a Vaishnavite and was greatly incensed at the doctrine taught by Sri, Sankara that everything here below is an illusion. He wanted to teach the exponent of this doctrine a lesson. So he invited the then Sri, Sankara to his palace. That holy man went there and stoutly maintained that everything in this world was illusion. The king had arranged to let loose an infuriated elephant against Sri, Sankara. The beast rushed at Sri, Sankara who took to a precipitate flight to save himself.

'Oh, Venerable Sir,' shouted the king, 'why do you run so fast seeing that the elephant is only an illusion?'

'Oh, king,' said Sri,Sankara in his course of his flight, 'my running too is an illusion. Everything in this world is an illusion.’

Similarly, the experiencing birth, life, death and the world are within the illusion. Due to ignorance the illusion is experienced as reality. The illusion is present in the form of ‘I’ or mind. Mind is present in the form of universe. Universe appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep. The three states are one in essence and that essence is consciousness. The consciousness (soul) is the innermost self. On the standpoint of the innermost self the three states are illusory.

 
Thus experiencing the birth, life, death and the world within the illusion (waking or universe) with the illusory self (waking entity or ego), within the illusory experience(waking) , has to be illusion.

The illusion is created, and sustained, and finally dissolves as consciousness, which is the innermost Self. Since, there is no second thing other than the consciousness (soul); the consciousness itself is ultimate truth or Brahman. The one who has realized this truth for him this illusion is passing show because he is fully aware of the fact that his body, his ego and his experience of the world to be consciousness. Practical peoples approach is more practical, and they are stuck with the reality of the practical life within the practical world, they take it as real whereas Gnani sees his body his ego and his experience of the world as consciousness. –FORMLESS PATH

By: Santthosh Kumaar