What holds us in the moment? Where is the distinction between past,
present and future? Where do the sweet, soft hymns and sun-kissed
days that fill our head in the darkest hour of the night run off to
with each waking dawn? Who am I now and was I myself then? The fusion
of the world's transient nature and the apparitions that tend to fill
it are what the Hindus call MAYA.
Maya, or
illusion, plays a vital role not only in Indian religion but also in
the storytelling in the Mahabharata
and the Ramayana.
Hinduism, much like the
eightfold path present in Buddhism, breaks the mirrors of
illusion through meditation and brings an end to suffering.
Meditation allows one to gain wisdom and perception enabling them to
see past the figments of their imagination which cloud life and
judgment.
In an attempt to help you grasp a better understanding of how Maya
plays
with your imagination, this Storybook provides insight into the
multifarious meaning of Maya and its different depictions throughout
the Indian epics Mahabharata
and Ramayana. Readers will
encounter various characters attempting to elude the treacheries of
Maya through establishing a distinction between what is fact and what
is fabricated. Illusion is something that can be good or evil, minute
or substantial, selective or unbiased - it knows no bounds. This
Storybook is a look at three different stories that incorporate the use
of Maya. Each story provides a unique approach as to how these
epics utilize the art of illusion. Maya integrates misconception,
delusion, and the idea of an alternate reality perceived by an
individual.
Therefore, the best way to really grasp insight into this alternate
reality is through their eyes. The stories are told through
the perspective of one of the main characters expressing their doubt or
perhaps their belief in the situation at hand. As you will see in
each story, it is the acceptance or rejection of illusions which
surround us that will provide us with our perception of reality.
Rama
is
Dead?
Through this story the reader may
develop an understanding of what maya is and how it may be
undone. The characters in this story are initially mislead by the
trappings of maya and only through an object is the reality of the
situation revealed. Here is an incident where the demon, Ravana
failed in his attempts to utilize Maya. The characters
ability to evaluate and reevaluate the situation around them that
allows them to stay afloat in the sea of maya.
Rama Sees Surpanaka
This story is a great demonstration of maya and the effects it has on
people. The story exemplifies maya and its manipulations.
It is told through Rama's eyes and allows the reader to experience maya
first hand. Rama's mind and body are overcome by the maya
presented by the female demon, Surpanaka. He alone sees her for
something she is not. In this story it is not an object that
reveals the maya but instead Rama’s senses. Her transformation from
beauty to beast is maya at its best.
Sita
is Dead
This final story is a look at maya from those that wield it. Many
times those who are using maya are doing so with malicious
intent. It is difficult to understand the inter workings of the
mind of those that control the illusions. What they hope to covey
and what we truly see may be two separate things. In this
particular story we see how those who control maya do not necessarily
control whether or not it is accepted or rejected.
Storybook
Cover Page
Image
Information
Title: Illusion of the Mind
Web Source: Saivism
