MAYA AS THE LIBERATING POWER (VIDYA)

In God there are both Vidya Maya and Avidya Maya. The Vidya Maya takes man towards God, whereas the Avidya Maya leads him astray. Knowledge, devotion, dispassion, compassion—all these are expressions of Vidya Maya; only with their help can one reach God.

It is Maya which reveals Brahman. Without Maya, who could have known Brahman ? Without knowing Sakti, the manifested power of God, there is no means of knowing Him.

It is only due to Maya that the attainment of supreme knowledge and final beatitude becomes possible for us. Otherwise who could even dream of all this ? From Maya alone spring duality and relativity; beyond Maya there is neither the enjoyer nor the object of enjoyment.

The cat catches her kitten with her teeth and they are not hurt; but when a mouse is so caught, it dies. Thus Maya never kills the devotee, though it destroys others.