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Some of the best known terms in Hinduism that have been badly misunderstood for
centuries are illustrated here as an example.
Satya is Nitya = Truth is eternal
Asatya is Anitya = False
Maya = that which blurs the boundaries between satya and asatya through illusion
Illusion / Maya, real / unreal, truth / false – what does it all mean ?
Illusion – dictionary definition means – that which is unreal.
So what is “unreal” ?
Real – that which does not change.
That which is “real” does not decay – even with time.
So what is "real" ?
Sages, throughout the world, and especially in India have contemplated on this question of what is “real” and “unreal”, “permanent” and “impermanent”, “alive” and “dead”.
Unreal – that which is prone to change.
That which does not remain constant, and keeps changing, is called
“unreal / asatya” in Sanskrit. Time
transforms most things. Hence,
things that get transformed by time are called unreal. As material objects
are prone to change, they are called asatya - unreal.
What scriptures DO NOT MEAN is that material things (which are subject to change
and hence asatya) don’t exist ! As we can all touch and feel them,
they obviously “exist” – but – because they are constantly changing, these
material things have no permanent shape or form.
That which is impermanent, is called “unreal” in Sanskrit.
So, if we apply this to the term “illusion”, reading it from scriptural point of
view, it means, illusion is that which appears permanent, but is actually prone
to change. As it keeps changing,
and has no fixed name or form, it is unreal.
Example -
B
That which decays, dies.
Death in
this instance simply means - “absence of life”.
Though life is “transitory”, we see and feel material objects move, eat, talk
and interact as if "alive"! .
If material objects are prone to change and inherently "dead" what causes that
material object to appear to be “alive” ?
Sages reasoned that just as the chariot is unable to move without the charioteer, there must be something "inside" the material body that makes it appear to be "alive". When that something is present, the material body (plant or animal) moves and looks alive. When that something is no longer present, the material does not move and appears dead.
Sages called this - ATMA / Soul.
This soul must move in to the foetus to make it "alive". When this soul is present, the material body grows, transforms, transacts, and when it leaves the material body, that material body appears "dead". Without the presence of this soul, even if the material body is given nourishment, it does not grow, but rather, it decays. Hence, scriptures have judged “atma” – the spark of life – to be essential for "life".
Sages have judged this "spark of life" - atma - soul - to be essential.
Atma makes the “dead”, “material
world” seem alive.
Real – unreal – illusion – truth – these questions have vexed Indian
philosophers for centuries.
Huge number of Hindu sects and
philosophies in
From what they observed, sages concluded that the atma / soul is unchanging.
Body changes, but the atma does not. It is the only permanent thing. It does not change along with the
body.
Hence, the sages called this "material world" and all the "movements" we see in
it, an “illusion” or “maya”.
Maya has came to encompass all
“illusional” things – including what we call "life" !
Many
have decided that since the physical and material world is essentially
“transient”, its is not worth worrying about.
The only thing we should worry about is the “permanent” realm of the soul
– atma.
Based on this approach, and these interpretations, s
Many sects have exhorted their
followers to seek rewards in the “here-after” by living as if the “here and now”
has no value at all !
This is where I think a lot of Indian sects have got the wrong end of
the stick.
By being so fixated with real, unreal, illusion etc, they have
forgotten that they live in a physical world and must make every effort to make
it a nice place to live - for themselves as well as others around them.
Whether it is transient or evolving, it is a world that they can touch and feel.
It does not matter how we define it - it is physically "real". If a tree
is cut down, it dies. If a hand is cut, it bleeds. Even if that
blood has been transformed over time from food to blood, it is "real" enough to
cause a person to "die" ! So fixated by right, wrong, karma, dharma,
caste, creed, rebirth etc, they often do not recognise the misery of those
around them as "real". Maybe that is why temples continue to offer sweets
dipped in ghee, saturated with sugar and covered with silver leaf while beggars
starve outside their very doors.
If we do not take care of the here-and-now, how will we take care of the here-after ?
Krushna exhorts Pandavas to make the here-and-now as wonderful as they can.
If heaven is more important, why
would Krushna encourage Pandavas to fight the dreadful wars throughout their
career ?
Why would Krushna
encourage Pandavas to perform Rajasu-yagna or expand Indraprastha if this life
is so unreal ?
Why would Vishnu take so many incarnations if this world is just a figment of
someone's imagination ?
Why would Devi slaughter rakshashas if they are "unreal" ?
Why would Shiva bother to take a break from his meditation and come to teach
humanity if this entire universe is just an illusion and fake ?
Why bother with family, friends, civilisation, good behaviour, karma or dharma
if all of this is just a dream ?
This is why I think people need to interpret these words correctly and understand that when sages originally wrote these verses, they had no idea how tangentially people will interpret their words.