Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00518)

DOES 'MAYA' MEAN 'MOTHER' ? WHAT THE EARLIEST EXTANT SANSKRIT 
SOURCES TELL US ABOUT MAYA

from Bhakti Ananda Goswami 

Maya does not mean 'mother' in Sanskrit. This is an associative 
meaning from the fact that MAYA is the personal name of Vishnu's or 
Shiva's Feminine Shakti as YOGA MAYA (the 'Mother of Devotion'), or 
MAHA MAYA (Durga), Who is the 'Mother' of the material universes.
MA or MATA does mean MOTHER, but this is no where given as the root 
of the ancient Sanskrit word MAYA. 

Below are some corrections regarding modern misperceptions about 
MAYA. These are from my long experience in studying early Vishnu, 
Shiva and Shakti Traditions. For confirmation of many of my 
assertions, please see the 1979 Edition of the Oxford Monier-Williams 
Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Please note that in this standard 
reference text, the earliest sources for the Sanskrit words given are 
VAISHNAVA SHASTRAS. This means that these words came out of a 
religio-cultural linguistic milieu in which KRISHNA or VISHNU 
(PURUSHA) was worshiped with His Emanations and Incarnations as THE 
SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD. There were no generic 'Hindu' 
literatures in the ancient world, only 'sectarian' literatures 
exalting the supremacy of God Ess as Vishnu Hari-Shakti, or Shiva 
Hara-Shakti. 

In every case, the earliest surviving Sanskrit Literatures are not 
sectarian Shaivite, Shakta, Buddhist or Jain, they are always 
Vaishnava, and these are still part of the scriptural canon of living 
Vaishnavism today. The traditional commentaries on these Vedic-
Vaishnava Shastras are now voluminous beyond imagining. If one wants 
to understand the original meanings of the Vedic-Vaishnava Sanskrit 
words IN THEIR EARLIEST RECORDED CONTEXT OF USE, one cannot gain this 
understanding from Jain, Buddhist, separated Shaivite or Shakta or 
Vedantic sources. One must study the Vaishnava Sanskrit vocabulary 
of the Vaishnava Scriptures from the perspective of the Vaishnava 
Devotional (Bhakti)Tradition. Consulting the original texts, 
traditional Vaishnava commentaries and the living tradition, and 
making related interdisciplinary inquiries, is the way to understand 
the original Vaishnava meanings and uses of the Sanskrit words in 
these texts. 

In the same way, if we want to understand the later use of these 
Sanskrit words in Buddhism, or separate Shaivism etc., or in the late 
Advaita Vedantic Tradition of Shankaracharya, we have to study their 
meanings and uses in those contexts. Different lineages are like 
different historical streams of thought with distinct water-
courses. The use of words in these distinct traditions must be 
studied carefully IN CONTEXT to avoid erroneous assumptions regarding 
their meaning in other traditions. 

The words MAYA and BRAHMAN in Vaishnavism exist within the context of 
a Trinitarian monotheistic tradition. 1. Bhagavan, 2. Samkarshana 
(and His Vishnu Expansions and Incarnations) and 3. Paramatma are the 
1.Transcendent, 2. Emanating and Incarnating, and 3. Immanent 
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Brahman is the personal bodily 
effulgence and expansive Energy of the Lord, and Maya is both YOGA-
MAYA as God's Feminine Shakti Who facilitates UNITY WITH GOD, and is 
MAHA-MAYA as Durga, Who is the 'Mother' of the TEMPORARY BUT VERY 
REAL Material universes. Maya is our Mother, but Maya does not MEAN 
mother. 

p 804 gives root # 3. maa as measure, mete, meter, mark. M-Williams 
(M-W) says compare Zend ma; Greek metron, metreo; Latin metior, 
mensus, mensura; Slavonic mera; Lithuanian mera.

p 811 gives mfn (root 3. maa) measuring...; "creating illusions (said 
of Vishnu)". The Mahabharata is the source cited for this. 

Maaya, feminine is "art, wisdom, extraordinary or supernatural power 
(only in the earlier language); illusion..." In Samkhya and 
Vedanta, Maaya is identified with Prakriti (Shakti) and Pradhana as 
the source of the visible universe. 

Durga (Maya) is one of the nine Shaktis of Vishnu. These are all 
expansions of Radha. On the Minoan Era Isle of Rhodes, Rhoda, the 
Shekinah of Eli-Yahu / Helios Kouros was called Rhoda, Nymphia 
(Lotus) and Astaria (Star), which are the primary Shakti Names of 
Krishna's Shakti as Radha, Padme (Lotus, another name of Lakshmi or 
Sri) and Tara /Astraya (Star). Maya is a name of both Lakshmi or 
Durga. M-W says Maya is the name of "illusion personified"

With Saivas, Maya is a name of Durga as Shiva's Shakti. In Shaivism, 
maya may also mean one of the four Pasas or snares, which entangle 
the soul. 

Maya Devi is the mother of Gautama Buddha, but the word maya, as in 
Shaivism, acquires an evil connotation in Buddhism.

Mayin meaning 'enchanting' (creating illusions) is a name of God 
(Krishna-Vishnu) but M-W only gives it as a name of Brahma, Shiva, 
Agni, or Kama. 
Mayesvara or Maya-Ishvara means the 'Lord of Maya' and is used for 
Vishnu and Shiva, as the Lover or Spouse of Maya / Durga. 

The demon Maya-danava, who was an expert creator of material 
illusions, was also called Mayin. Maya with a negative connotation 
may mean cheating, magic, deceiving, juggling or trickery. Maya-vada 
(or Maya-vadin) refers to the path of Maya, or one on the path of 
Maya, or to those that teach that there is no reality to the material 
(or any) universe. The term may be used to refer to either 
atheistic Advaita Vedantists, Buddhists or now anyone else teaching 
that there is no reality to the universe or to any variegated 
or 'personal' existence. 

In Vaishnava Vedanta, the Material Universes are REAL but TEMPORARY. 
The ILLUSION is that the material manifestation of temporary 
composite forms subject to beginning, ending, injury and 
deterioration (birth, death, disease and old age) IS ALL THAT THERE 
IS. Vaishnava Vedanta asserts that the saha worlds are real (but 
temporary) facsimiles of the non-material eternal realm. In this 
realm, we are 'in Maya' as long as we think that this temporary 
existence is all that there is, and fail to realize the eternal 
nature of our own soul and our origin and end in the Supreme Soul of 
God-Who-Is-Love, in His eternal SAT-CHIT-ANANDA Transcendental Realm. 

Although Maya Devi is the Mother of Gautama Buddha, and Durga / Maya 
is considered the Mother of the Cosmic Manifestation, 'Maya' (the 
name itself) does not mean 'Mother' in Sanskrit. MATA means Mother 
in Sanskrit. The Transcendent Tara, also a Shakti of Vishnu, 
incarnated as Maya Devi, because Tara is considered the Mother of ALL 
Buddhas or incarnations of THE ONE ADI BUDDHA. Tara descends as the 
Mother of the Incarnation or Avatara of Vishnu. Tara or Astraya in 
Sanskrit means 'Star' and thus the STAR of Beth-lehem was the portend 
of the Messiah's birth, and Mary is associated with Rhoda-Nymphia-
ASTARIA on the Isle of Rhodes, as STELLA MARIS, and SEKHET/ 
SHEKINAH / SHAKTI the Feminine 'energy' or creative 'Pleasure-
potentia' of HARI / ELI / HELI / HERU etc. 

In the earliest sources, MAYA is always associated with the Feminine 
Energy of Vishnu or Shiva. The word or concept has no separate 
existence from this theistic context. 

A pun associated with the name MAYA by Vaishnavas, is due to the 
variant root meaning of ma as 'not' (where ma and na seem to be 
confounded), thus giving the esoteric meaning of "not-Me" or "not-
Myself" or "not -I", where A, AHAM, YA etc. refers to KRISHNA OR 
VISHNU AS ADI PURUSHA, the PLENUM / PURNAM, GIVING (MASCULINE) 
ORIGINATING SELF OR SOUL OF ALL EXISTENCES. Thus Maya is the 
eternal 'not-Me' Feminine Receiving Potentia (Shakti / Shekinah) of 
the Godhead. Maya is Krishna-Vishnu's OTHER, Feminine, Receiving 
Self. All finite jiva selves, or jivatmas, are receivers as tiny 
expansions, emanations or incarnations of the Maya potency of the 
Lord PARAM-ATMAN. This is why in the Divine Love (Bhakti) Bridal 
Mysticism Traditions, the finite self or soul is always considered 
feminine in relation to the Godhead. The Greek Platonists spoke of 
PSYCHE / soul as feminine. Jewish Mysticism teaches about reuniting 
the soul-sparks of the Shekinah with God. Catholic theologians speak 
of the soul as feminine, harkening back to the Jewish Canticle 'Song 
of Songs' Bridal Mysticism. Yang-Yin, Yab-Yum, Purusha-Prakriti, 
Hari (Krishna-Vishnu) and Shakti, Hara (Shiva) and Shakti, HRIH (Adi 
Buddha) and Tara-Shakti, ELI and Shekinah, HERU and SEKHET(Egypt), 
Helios and Astaria-Hecate (Hexad).....it is all the same 'bridal 
Mysticism' of Godhead Who is GIVING-AND-RECEIVING LOVE. We as 
finite souls experience God as OTHER / LOVER, because we are related 
to the MAYA SHAKTI or Prakriti NOT-SELF OTHERNESS of the Godhead. 
YOGA as in the words YOKE (of oxen) and CON-JUG-AL means to unite two 
as one, but not to merge two into one. The original Sanskrit 
Shastras as evidenced by extant Vedic-Vaishnava and Shaivite Bhakti 
Shastras today, do not contain any concept of MAYA outside of this 
context of God as Krishna-Vishnu or Shiva, and Their Shakti and 
Bridal Mysticism. 

It amazes me that people can go on for years discussing MAYA and 
BRAHMAN and other such Vedic-Vaishnava Sanskrit words, without ever 
once considering what these words meant, what their content was, in 
their earliest known context. I would recommend to everyone 
seriously interested in the real meaning of such words, to at least 
learn the Sanskrit Alphabet, which is not difficult at all, and 
consult a good Sanskrit English (or whatever is needed) etymological 
dictionary. Immediately one will see that these Sanskrit words used 
in Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, Sufism, Theosophy and the New 
Age 'spiritualities' originally are found in *VAISHNAVA LITERATURES, 
where they often have very different meanings than what the later 
impersonal and atheistic traditions have ascribed to them. Using 
Hindu or Buddhist references edited from late Advaitan, Buddhist or 
other non-Vaishnava perspectives, will not help anyone to understand 
what these ancient Sanskrit words meant in their earliest Vaishnava 
uses. 

*The Purusha-based Vedas, and related texts, Srimad Bhagavatam and 
the Puranas, The Epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana etc. 



From: <dalval14@e...> 
Date: Sun Dec 15, 2002 5:38 am
Subject: RE: Theos-World re Leon re Mahayana/Theosophy . . .




Dear Mauri:

The venerable "Sri Swami VP" quoted by L M is correct as the word
"Maya" used in Indian several languages including the Sanskrit is
"mother."

The Mother of Gautama Sidartha, Buddha, of Kapilavastu was also named
Maya.

But philosophically it is also "ILLUSION." [see T. Glossary, p. 211
top ].

Or does your encyclopedia say it differently?

Dallas