Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
বেদ ও উপনিষদে মায়া - একটি সমীক্ষা দিব্যা চৌধুরী, গবেষিকা, বর্ধমান বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 31.03.2026 | Accepted: 07.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 70-77 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.270 | |||||||
Maya in the Vedas and Upanishads: A Study Divya Chowdhury, Research Scholar, University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
This paper offers a philosophical study of the concept of Māyā in the Vedas and Upaniṣads, examining whether the roots of illusion and ignorance (avidyā) are embedded within early Vedic thought. Indian philosophy, originating from the insights of Vedic seers, is fundamentally oriented toward liberation (mokṣa) through the realization of ultimate truth (Brahman). While the Vedas primarily emphasize ritualistic and external modes of spiritual practice, the Upaniṣads shift the focus toward inward realization and metaphysical inquiry. Against this background, the paper investigates the emergence and development of the idea of Māyā across these texts.
Through textual analysis of major Upaniṣads such as the Bṛhadāraṇyaka, Chāndogya, Māṇḍūkya, and Kaṭha, the study demonstrates that although Māyā is not explicitly systematized in early Vedic literature, its conceptual seeds are present in discussions of multiplicity, perception, and the nature of reality. The paper further explores how the experience of duality, sensory perception, and cognitive limitation contributes to the formation of illusion. It argues that Māyā, often associated with divine power, conceals the non-dual reality of Brahman, while avidyā operates at the level of the individual self, leading to bondage.
The study concludes that the Upaniṣads provide a philosophical foundation for later Advaita interpretations of Māyā, emphasizing that liberation is attainable only through Brahmavidyā, which dispels ignorance and reveals the unity of existence. Thus, Māyā is not merely illusion but a crucial explanatory principle in understanding the relation between ultimate reality and empirical experience.
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Keywords: Vedas, Upanishads, Māyā, Avidyā, Brahman, Advaita, Indian Philosophy |