Swami Paramarthananda Saraswati Guru Puurnima 29 July 2026
Maayaa pancakam … Five verses on Maayaa by Shrii Shankara.
Maayaa is a very important topic in Vedaanta. Those who are not exposed to Vedanta may find it a little difficult to understand. But one advantage with Vedanta is, if you understand, you get Jnaanam, Self Knowledge. If you don’t understand, you get punyam, merits. Therefore, it is a win-win situation, whether you understand or not, if you sit through, you will gain benefit!
As a general introduction, Maayaa is looked upon as a mysterious power of Ishvara or Brahman. By using the word ‘mysterious’, Vedaanta indicates it is very difficult to define Maayaa and cannot be accurately defined. Vedaanta discusses this topic very much.
For the sake of a general understanding of Maayaa, Vedaanta uses an example for Maayaa, ie. nidraa, sleep, which everyone experiences and knows. Sleep is a great blessing, except that it should not come at the wrong time! At the right time and place, sleep is a great blessing. Maayaa is very similar to sleepm nidraa. By comparing Maayaa with sleep, we can gain some understanding of Maayaa.
What is sleep? We know what it is through our experience. Right now, we are awake and either listening to the talk on the Yogamalika website or reading this transcript, and therefore we are called ‘waker’, the one who is awake. We do have the sleeping faculty and when the right time comes, we go to sleep. When we enter sleep, sometimes we experience deep sleep and sometimes we experience dream in sleep.
Sleep has a power to project a dreamworld within ourselves. During sleep, not only do I project a dreamworld. After projecting, I myself enter into the dreamworld as a dreamer, a dream-individual, a dream-person in the dream. I have a dream body, dream sense organs, dream action organs, dream clothes, dream spectacles, dream hearing-aids, dream vehicles, etc. I become a dream-person experiencing the dreamworld. Thus, there is a dream-person, a dreamworld, dream-objects, etc.
Suppose that dream-person is a devotee and worships a God in the dream. He looks upon God as the Creator of ‘this world’. Who is the God of the dream-person? It is whoever is the creator of the dreamworld. God is generally defined as the creator of the world, shristi karta.
But who is the creator of the dreamworld? The creator of the dreamworld is the waker!! Thus, there is a dream-person, a dreamworld and the dream-person’s God who is none other than the waker. But the dream-person does not know that the waker is God. The God that the dream-person worships is none other than the waker! Despite that ignorance, the dream-person talks about a God and worships that unknown God.
Because of sleep, there are now three factors, a triad. There is the dream-person, the dream-person’s world and the dream-person’s God … jiiva, jagat, Iishvara. Thus, sleep is responsible for the jiiva-jagat-Iishvara of the dream-person. There are the dream-person, the dream-person’s world and the dream-person’s Ishvara.
Once the dream-person comes into the dreamworld, what happens is that the dream-person forgets that what he is experiencing is a dream. For a dream-person, dream is not a dream in dream. He experiences the dream as a real world.
Thus, sleep has two powers. One is the power to project the dream, the projecting power called vikshepa shakti. Once sleep comes, the dream-person does not know that he is actually the waker. This concealing of the truth is because of the aavarana shakti, the second power of sleep. Thus, sleep has two powers, vikshepa shakti, the projecting power, and aavarana shakti, the clouding or concealing power. The projecting power projects the dream. The dreamworld appears, the dream-person appears. The clouding power conceals the fact that it is a dream. The dream-person experiences pleasurable and painful sensations including nightmares, even though it is all an unreal dream. But for the dream-person, they are all very, very real.
After some time, the sleeping person on the bed wakes up. Now, on waking up, sleep is no more operational. When sleep is not operational, the triad of dream-person, dreamworld and dream-person’s God, disappears. The disappearance of the dream-person’s God must be understood properly. Who is that God? The waker! When the dream-person’s God is gone, it does not mean that the waker is gone. What is gone is the waker’s status as God. Only that status is gone, not the waker as such. That status as God was temporary, present only in the dream. The waker was temporarily God for the dream-person. The waker continues but the waker is no more God. The triad disappears on waking up.
Vedaanta encourages us to use and meditate on this example, ie. waker, sleep, the two powers of sleep, projection, concealment, the triad of dream-person, dreamworld and dream-person’s God, the disappearance of the triad on waking up. Vedanta says that by extending the example of sleep to the waking world, another lesson is given, a very profound lesson which is very useful in daily life.
The parallel is that right now, we are wakers. We have a waker’s world in which we exist. There is a waker’s God. The triad is waker, waker’s world and waker’s God. Vedanta says all these three are also projected. In the example of sleep, the sleep-triad is projected by nidraa, sleep. In the case of the waker, the waker-triad is projected by mahaa nidraa, the macro, ‘super sleep’ or Maayaa, which like sleep, has two powers, a projecting power and a concealing power.
Sleep belongs to or is associated with the waker when he goes to sleep. The ‘super-macro-sleep’, Maayaa, belongs to or is associated with the ‘super-absolute-waker’ called Brahman. It is Brahman who is the ‘absolute-waker’ and has the capacity of Maayaa.
This Maayaa has two powers of projection and concealment. Maayaa’s projecting power projects the waker’s world and the waker. Brahman as the ‘absolute-waker’ enters into the waking world as the waker-person, just as the dreamer did as the dream-person. The absolute-waker, Brahman, is now available in the waker’s world as the ordinary, regular waker-person. Thus now, there is a triad consisting of the waker-person, the waker’s world and the waker’s God.
Who is the waker’s God? The absolute-waker, Brahman. The absolute–waker, with the help of Maayaa, is responsible for the triad of waker-person, waker’s world and waker’s God, ie. jiiva-jagat-Iishvara. This formation is possible because of the operation of Maayaa. How long will the projection continue? For as long as Maayaa is operational. The absolute-waker, Brahman, because of Maayaa, has projected the waker-person, waker’s world and waker’s God.
In ordinary dream, the regular dreamer-person wakes up naturally after some time. Even the heaviest sleeper will wake up after some time. But in the case of the waker-person, he has to wake up to be the absolute-waker, Brahman. This waking up does not happen naturally. It requires a spiritual awakening. The Vedas address the waker: “O waker! Wake up from the super-sleep of Maayaa and discover yourself to be the absolute-waker, Brahman. When you become the absolute-waker, Brahman, and when macro-sleep, Maayaa is no more operational, the triad of waker, waker’s world and waker’s God, will disappear.”
Who is the waker’s God? The absolute-waker, Brahman! When we say that the waker’s God disappears, we do not mean that the absolute-waker, Brahman, disappears. We mean that the absolute-waker loses the status of God. There is only one absolute-waker. Now, it is the absolute-waker, Brahman, without the triad of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara. On spiritual awakening, the triad of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara disappears. What is left is only one absolute-waker called Brahman which is advaitam, non-dual.
This is the teaching of Vedaanta. You have woken up from the usual nightly dream. May you have a second awakening and may you come to discover: “I am advaitam Brahman in which the triad of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara are only a projection of macro-sleep, Maayaa.” These projections will appear real as long as macro-sleep, Maayaa, is operational. They will be understood as projections on waking up spiritually. This is the teaching of Vedaanta.
Shankara in Maayaa pancakam, describes the glory of Maayaa because of which there is the triad of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara, the waker, the waker’s world and the waker’s God. Whoever has awakened, is a Jnaani. The Jnaani is one who understands that the plurality of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara is only a projection by Maayaa. The Jnaani knows that what is really present is not a plurality but only advaitam Brahman and knows that Brahman is what he, the Jnaani, is… “Aham Brahmasmi; I am Brahman.”
Shankara describes this reality in five verses. He says Maayaa is so great because with its projecting power, it projects plurality. This means the projection is not real; it is like dream. Even though it is not real, the greatness of Maayaa is that with its projecting power, it projects an unreal plurality, a seemingly real plurality. With its concealing power, it makes the unreal to be mistaken as real.
Whoever is under the spell of Maayaa will look upon the projected plurality as real. As long as we do not wake up, there will be plurality, there will be the triad of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara. There will be problems called samsaara which will continue. To the unawakened person under the spell of Maayaa, samsaara will be real. To the Jnaani, samsaara is unreal. The ultimate solution to samsaara is to wake up to my real nature of Brahman.
The Voice of Sankara
मायापञ्चकम्
MAYA PANCHAKAM
Verse 1
निरुपमनित्यनिरंशकेऽप्यखण्डे
मयि चिति सर्वविकल्पनादिशून्ये ।
घटयति जगदीशजीवभेदं
त्वघटितघटनापटीयसी माया ॥ १॥
Nirupam anitya niramshake api akhande
mayi citi sarva vikalpanádi shünye
ghatayati jagad èsha jèva bhedam
tvaghatita ghatanápatiyasè máyá.(1)
Máyá is skilful in accomplishing the impossible. It brings about the divisions in the world. The Consciousness I am is unique and eternal, nondual and free from all divisions. Yet Maayaa divides Me into Iishvara, and jiiva.
SwP: Shankara writes this as a ‘super-waker’ himself. He is a Jnaani who has woken up from the second dream and says: “I am Brahman.” In the verse, he says my nature is ‘citi’ or caitanyam. My nature is Brahman which is Presence, Awareness, Limitless Consciousness. I am the nondual, eternal, all-pervading Consciousness, Brahman. As Brahman, I am matchless, incomparable because there is no second thing. Nityam means eternal. All the Sanskrit words in the first and second line in the verse mean free from all types of divisions.
Mayi Maayaa shakti … now Shankara speaks, not as a Jnaani but as Brahman. He does not say “That Maayaa”. He says: “My Maayaa shakti”. What does it do? It projects the triad projects exactly like the dreamworld is projected by sleep, nidraa. The waker’s world is projected by super-sleep Maayaa. Thus, there is the plurality of the waker, the waker’s world and the waker’s God, jiiva-jagat-Iishvara.
Is the plurality real or unreal? It is unreal, but because of clouding power, the plurality appears as real. What is Maayaa’s power? it is capable of doing the impossible, an expert at doing the impossible. It makes the indivisible Brahman to divide into the triad of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara. Even though it is a seeming division, as though divided, it appears as a real division. This is the glory of Maayaa. It divides the indivisible.
This verse is excellent for nididhyaasanam. Shankara does not say that Maayaa does it. He says: “I am Brahman. In Me, Maayaa creates the projection of jiiva-jagat-Ishvara. I, Brahman, am the support of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara. Normally, we say: “Iishvara supports me. Iishvara is my support.” But here, Shankara says: “I am Brahman, the support of jiiva-jagat-Iishvara. As Brahman, I am greater than even Iishvara.”
This is a difficult shloka for understanding but a good shloka for nididhyaasanam. It can be difficult to understand because Shankara says “Mayi” in Me. I am that Brahman.
Verse 2
श्रुतिशतनिगमान्तशोधकान-
प्यहह धनादिनिदर्शनेन सद्यः ।
कलुषयति चतुष्पदाद्यभिन्ना-
नघटितघटनापटीयसी माया ॥ २॥
srutishatanigamánta sodhakán
apyahaha dhanádinidarshanena sadyah
kaluúayati catuúpadádyabhinnán
aghatitaghatanápatiyasè máyá.(2)
Máyá is skilful in accomplishing the impossible. It deludes immediately, even those who have studied hundreds of Veda and Vedánta texts. Even so, they are trapped by seeking pleasure and wealth, thus making them like animals..
SwP: What is the glory of Maayaa? It projects this world and makes this world appear real. There are so many sense pleasures and much wealth in the world. They appear very real and people are attracted towards them. This delusion is caused by the concealing power of Maayaa. Because of that, people continue to seek them, running after money and pleasure, and continue in samsaara. Thus, they do not have the opportunity to wake up from this super-sleep, Maayaa.
Shankara says this delusion affects not only ordinary people. Even educated and even scripturally educated people are strongly attracted towards pleasure and wealth. They may have studied hundreds of Veda mantras, even Vedantic mantras, and even teach others. But they continue in the delusion caused by the clouding power of Maayaa and remain attached to pleasure and wealth. Pleasure and wealth attract so powerfully, like advertisements, that they pollute the minds of the people into being deluded. They are so deluded that they are like animals. Just as animals do not have discriminative power, these people lose their discriminative power because “My Maayaa deludes all the people.” Why does this happen? Such is the power and glory of Maayaa that it is our samsaara!
Verse 3
सुखचिदखण्डविबोधमद्वितीयं
वियदनलादिविनिर्मिते नियोज्य ।
भ्रमयति भवसागरे नितान्तं
त्वघटितघटनापटीयसी माया ॥ ३॥
sukhacidakhanãavibodhamadvitèyam
viyadaniládivinirmitau niyojya
bhramayati bhavaságare nitántam
tvaghatitaghatanápatiyasi máyá.(3)
Máyá is skilful in accomplishing the impossible. It makes the Self, which is of the nature of Fullness and Awareness and which is indivisible and non-dual, to be associated with the elements like space and air, and thus whirl around continuously in the ocean of samsára.
SwP: This Maayaa makes me forget my nature that I am really Brahman. What is Brahman? Happiness, Awareness, Consciousness. According to Vedaanta, I am the only source of happiness. Also, according to Vedaanta, the world does not have even an iota of happiness. But Maayaa again deludes and makes me run after a mirage, like the seeming sense pleasures of the world.
Consciousness is indivisible, nondual. Maayaa with its projecting power projects the world of elements like space, air, fire, water, earth. They are all projections of Maayaa. It is the combination of the elements which give rise to the sense pleasures I experience. The whole world is deluded by the temptress, Maayaa, whose other name is Mohinii, temptress, seductress. I am attached to, trapped in the world of projection and forget who I am in reality because of this delusion.
Shankara describes such delusion and attachment in his text called Bhaja Govindam. At every age, we are attached to something or other. All such delusions are the glory of Maayaa. Wonderful Brahman is now converted into miserable suffering person, a samsaari! I, wonderful Brahman am now converted into a miserable samsaari and I pray to Iishvara to please take me away at the earliest! Such is our lot, all because of the amazing power and glory of Maayaa! Who has to wake up? I have to wake up! No point pleading with or complaining to Iishvara!!
Verse 4
अपगतगुणवर्णजातिभेदे
सुखचिति विप्रविडाद्यहंकृतिं च ।
स्फुटयति सुतदारगेहमोहं
त्वघटितघटनापटीयसी माया ॥ ४॥
apagatagunavarna játibhede
sukhaciti vipraviãa dyahamkrutim ca
sphutayati sutadáraqgehamoham
tvaghatitaghatanápatèyasi máyá(4)
Máyá is skilful in accomplishing the impossible. It causes the appearance of divisions in pure Consciousness which is free from the distinctions of caste and stages in life. Maya causes attachment to son, wife and house, possessions, et cetera.
SwP: Not only is the world projected, but many living beings are also projected. Each individual living being is different from others. There are divisions like the four castes of Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shuudra. Even among them, there is stratification, superiority, inferiority. There is binding craving, aversion, jealousy, envy, etc. All these are products of Maayaa. As Brahman, I am beyond all the castes and stations in life, I am also beyond all the gunas of sattva, rajas, tamas. There really are no divisions in Me. But Maayaa projects all these divisions in Me who am of the nature of Happiness, Awareness. We can use the divisions, dharma for getting a purified and prepared mind. They are useful for that purpose. But if it produces an egotistical attitude, and I am stuck in egotism, then it becomes a problem.
Therefore, Shankara says the egotist who claims a particular caste and has a strong sense of me-and-mine, eg. my wife, my child, my house … it is all a solid delusion caused by Maayaa. We are stuck in this delusion all our lives and it creates samsaara in the form of worry, anxiety, fear, etc. because we are attached to family members, worry about their future after my death … all because of the power and glory of Maayaa.
Verse 5
विधिहरिहरविभेदमप्यखण्डे
बत विरचय्य बुधानपि प्रकामम् ।
भ्रमयति हरिहरभेदभावा-
नघटितघटनापटीयसी माया ॥ ५॥
vidhiharihara vibhedámapyakhande
bata viracayya budhánapi prakámam
bhramayati hariharavibhedabháván
aghatitaghatanápatèyasè máyá.(5)
Máyá is skilful in accomplishing the impossible. It deludes by producing divisions even in God, Ishvara, like Brahmaji, Vishnu and Shiva. There is only one reality without any distinctions.
SwP: Not only do we create divisions among living beings, we create divisions also in God, referring to Brahmaji, Vishnu and Shiva. Then we attach ourselves to one of the three and argue among ourselves as to who is the greatest and discriminate against others. Where do we impose divisions? In the absolute-waker, Brahman, Me. Such divisions occur even among educated people, even scripturally literate people. They create divisions among themselves and discriminate against each other, based on divisions in God because they are intensely deluded. To overcome such divisions, Shankara introduced panca aayatana puuja, a particular ritual in which divisions in God, including gender divisions, are all worshipped together.
We create divisions, all because of Maayaa. We need to grow out of the delusion caused by the concealing power of Maayaa. We have to wake up. How do we wake up? The Upanishad itself says: “Uttishtita jaagrata praapya varaan nibodhadata” (Katha Up. 1.3.14). Go to a teacher, study the scriptures and recognise: “Aham Brahmasmi” I am Brahman. Get rid of the eternal problem of samsaara.
This is the Maayaa Pancakam, the Five Verses on Maayaa, by Shrii Shankara.
