Why Mahamaya?

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"Life cannot be known by the 'mind,' its secrets cannot be learned by the 'mind.' The proof of this lies in the incessant struggles and contradictions of opinion among those who trust in the mind. The 'mind' is even less capable of knowing itself, especially since it is invaded by the illusion that it truly knows, that it truly exists."

-Yoga Sutras, Patanjali-

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The Great Illusion

Mahamaya in the Hindu and Buddhist pantheon is the great cosmic mother . In Vedanta philosophy, "maya" or "mahamaya" refers to the power that creates the illusion of the material world and the cycle of rebirths, known as samsara.

MAHA means great

MAYA means illusion

In Hinduism, Mahamaya is one of the names of the supreme goddess Mahalakshmi , meaning "great illusion," because she controls the illusion that makes the universe appear. She is also considered the source of all divine power.

In Buddhism, Queen Mahamaya is the mother of Siddhartha Gautama , the Buddha. She died seven days after his birth and was reborn in a Buddhist paradise.

Supreme knowledge

Dedicating one's practice to Mahamaya means bowing before his power, accepting that reality is ultimately just one immense illusion.

Mahamaya is thus the supreme goddess of meditation in the sense that she leads to perceiving reality in its deepest form.

Being protected by his "eye" would lead to the source of supreme knowledge, liberation.

Infinite consciousness and creative energy

She represents space , she carries within her the entire universe, she is pure and infinite consciousness, the perception of the divine, she leads those who venerate her to inner peace.

She is the energy that emanates from the creation of the universe, the Shakti of Brahman, the energy that awakens absolute reality.

Mahamaya is a powerful aspect of the Divine Feminine in Hinduism. This power is described in the Vedas and Puranas as the source of creation, preservation, and destruction , and as the force that deceives the phenomenal world, making it appear real.

She is the one who destroys illusions and transcends our material condition, transcends our emotions and our thoughts.

The story of Mahamaya according to Markandeya Purana

The story of "Mahamaya" can refer to two major narratives : in the Markandeya Purana, she is the divine energy that deceives the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, allowing Vishnu to defeat them, as she is the power that keeps him in his cosmic sleep. In another version, she is the child born to Yashoda and Nanda to be exchanged with Krishna , later appearing as the eight-armed goddess who warns King Kamsa.

Madhu and Kaitabha

The story of Mahamaya and the demons Madhu and Kaitabha begins when the demons emerge from the earwax of Vishnu, who is asleep in a cosmic ocean. They attack Brahma, who prays to Mahamaya, the divine power, to awaken Vishnu. After a long battle, Vishnu is unable to defeat them. Mahamaya then intervenes by tricking the demons into doing him a favor. They grant Vishnu the favor of killing them, which he uses to defeat them by asking them to kill him where the earth is not covered by water, a condition they had promised to fulfill.

Madhu represented the quality of Tamas (darkness) , while Kaitabha represented the quality of Rajas (activity) . These qualities are the fundamental energies of creation which, in their negative aspect, lead to chaos and illusion.

Krishna's sister

The story of Mahamaya and Krishna centers on the goddess Yogamaya , an incarnation of Durga, who was born at the same time as Krishna to facilitate his abduction to Vrindavan. When Kamsa, warned by a prophecy, tried to kill the child, the child escaped, transformed into the eight-armed goddess, and warned him that his true assassin had already been born elsewhere before disappearing.