Here, in this post I am trying to share my limited understanding of Mahamaya.

The truth is whatever you look around you is Maya. The screen you are looking is Maya, the air you are breathing is Maya, the food you eat, your physical body, everything is Maya. If you are alive, it is by grace of Mother Divine as Maya.

Now let me explain you what according to me is maya. Consider a simple box lying on floor. It seems stationery, right. But, if you take a powerful microscope and look at it, it’s not stationery, it’s constantly vibrating, in fact, the whole existence is vibrating constantly, we never realize this (more in another post). The box is vibrating at subtle level but it seems stationery, this “Maya”, illusory reality as I have understood it. Maya doesn’t means that the world around you doesn’t exist. It means that we constantly look at gross physical form and fail to realise the unity, the oneness of existence. On gross level, a diamond is different from lump of clay but if you look at subatomic level, both are made of protons, neutrons and electrons (on a deeper level only of quarks and leptons, and on a more deeper level, only from energy). This is Maya, the illusion of things being different when at subtle level, everything is same.

Maya is the veil that surrounds Nirguna Shiva. Who can remove this veil? Only Ma Shakti, Mahamaya herself. It is said that Shakti is face of Shiva. All the physical forms of any deity, be it Har or Hari or any other, is on account of Maya Shakti. Pure supreme conscious, Shiva tattwa or Para Bhrama as you call it, is formless, devoid of any qualities, how will you worship the formless directly?

All the existence is Maya. Even a seeker, a sadhak needs Maya for spiritual progress. The scriptures, language, resources of knowledge fall under Maya. How long will one survive without food and water which is Maya. You need a place to meditate in solitude, how will you get it without Maya. We are born out of union of our parents. Human body is best opportunity for spiritual progress, but see, we owe it to Maya. Whatever you see, hear, taste, feel is Maya. Life itself is the play of Maya.

Jagdamba, Mother Divine is Mahamaya herself. No one can progress on spiritual path without her grace. Don’t blame Maya for your misery. If you get distracted by something, then it means weakness of your own consciousness. Ma resides in all women, if you look at women with eyes of hatred, “She is Maya, she is to be feared”, will Ma be happy, will such a person really progress? Irony of this existence is that if you run from something, often the same thing runs behind you. If Maya is so bad, why would have the creator created it.

Yes, Ma is Avidya, ignorance that binds but she is also Vidya, knowledge that liberates. Bondage and liberation is dual nature of existence. Instead of blaming Maya for everything, I think it’s much better to live in awareness and walk on our path sincerely. 

Now, if you still fear Maya, throw this thing in you hand into a dustbin!