Māyā
A contextual term for power, appearance and the problem of misapprehension.
Introductory source-based synthesis. External references were consulted for the stated scope; specialist peer review is not claimed.
Do not begin with a slogan
Māyā is often reduced to “everything is an illusion”. That shortcut can conceal the work the term does in a source. In Advaita discussions it belongs to questions about appearance, ignorance and the relation of the experienced world to brahman. A traditional explanation of appearance need not amount to a denial that ordinary experience has practical significance.
The Gītā offers another reading context
Gītā 7.14 places māyā within Kṛṣṇa’s teaching. Read its setting before importing a later technical definition. The important first question is how the word functions in that passage, not whether a familiar English equivalent seems convenient.
Separate two tasks
Keep a contextual glossary with a separate entry for each text or commentator. Record the explanation, its purpose and the limits of the comparison. Then ask how the account connects error, knowledge and release. This record identifies a subject for study; it does not present every Vedānta school as agreeing with Advaita, nor does it treat māyā as a scientific mechanism.
Questions to carry
- 01Does the source discuss appearance, power or ignorance?
- 02What reality does the argument assign to ordinary experience?
Sources & further reading
- 01Advaita Vedānta · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophyscholarly secondary
Reference consulted for the introductory account; follow the source for its full context.
Consulted 2026-11-07 - 02Heritage IITKanpur · Bhagavad Gītā 7.14primary source
Sanskrit verse identifier and opening text consulted; no translated quotation reproduced.
Consulted 2026-11-07