The concept of Creation in the Major Upanisads
by C. Poulose | 2009 | 39,559 words
This study deals with the Concept of Creation according to the Major Upanishads—ancient Indian scriptures that form a crucial part of Vedic literature and Indian philosophy. The present research investigates the Upanisadic philosophy in general as well as the school of Advaita Vedanta and other Indian philosophical traditions that incorporate Upani...
11. The Individual and Collective Aspects of Maya
Maya appears in two different aspects. They are the collective or samasti aspect and the individual vyasti aspect. In the [Vedantasara] ignorance is said to be one or many according to the mode of observing it either collectively or individually." The following illustrations are given to enlighten the two modes of maya. Samasti From the collective standpoint maya is one, but from the individual stand point it is many. [Vedantasara] gives the following 75
illustrations. One can look at a number of frees from the collective standpoint and describe the m as a wood or from the collective stand point one may describe a body of water as a sea or a lake. In fact samasti means an aggregate which is considered as made up of parts which are substantially the same as the whole. Vyasti 86 Maya appears to us in two different modes or aspects depending upon our way of looking at it. They are called the individual vyasti aspects; the individual aspects separate units which constitute the aggregate. From the individual standpoint it is many. Vedanta gives the following illustrations to explain this. One can regard a wood from the standpoint at the trees and describe it as a number of trees. One may describe a sea or a lake as quantities of water. 87