Brahma SatyaM Jaganmithyaa - (Brahman is the Only Reality, the World is False)

ब्रह्मसत्यं जगन्मिथ्या
(Brahman is (the only) Reality, the World is False)

Shankaraacharya says, "Brahman is the only Reality. The manifest world is a mirage." For this Shankara is called Maayasura, the demon of Maayaa. That this is not so is discussed here.

We begin with the definitions of words used in the introduction.

Brahman is the unmanifest Supreme Being, Who created the manifest world and you and me.

Reality is absolute existence, unborn, eternal, immutable. Sat is another Name. Satya is manifest Sat. If the world and creation were to vanish tomorrow, Sat remains Sat. PoorNasya poorNamaadaaya poorNamevaavashiShyate.

The world of dreams looks real for the time being. You go to sleep after a good meal and good drinks. In your dreams, you feel hungry and thirsty. Dream food and dream water satisfies both hunger and thirst. The whole dream world crashes out when you wake up. It was totally false, no Reality at all.

The world has phenomenal existence being superimposed on Sat/Brahman, like a rope mistaken in semi-darkness to be a snake. When you see intently, the snake vanishes and the subtratum rope only is seen. An enlightened man sees only Brahman and not the world as an independent entity. Phenomenal existence. The world disappears like the castles of a dream, in sleep or day dream, upon attaining enlightenment.

Knowledge of the mistaken notion is true awakening. Nothing need be done or undone. Be still and know I am God. Jesus said this. Knowledge or Jnaana is to be cultivated - Tattvamasi.

Mithyaa - Nonexistence believed as Existence. An illusion. Delusion is born of illusion, taking illusion to be true existence. In the case of a mirage, water seems real even after you realise it is false. But you cannot quench your thirst with the water of a mirage. So phenomenal utility does not confer reality on mirage.

Maayaa is the confusion caused by illusion and delusion. No substance in it but a powerful detractor of man. In simple words, All that glitters is not gold, is all that is called maayaa. Thinking something for something else, believing what is real as unreal and what is unreal as real is maayaa.

In the Mahaabhaarata, YudhhiShTira (Dharmaraaya) told the YakSha - Day in and day out thousands die. The rest still feel they will live on for ever. This is maayaa.

People think drinks take them heaven. But drinks actually take them to hell. This is maayaa.
Bush hanged Saddam. Actually he has put his neck in the noose. This is maayaa.
A buffalo laughs saying the buffalo in front is naked. It does not know it is naked too. This is maayaa.
Believing a blind man will show you the path is maayaa.

Shankaraachaarya continues: Brahman is reality. The world is a mirage. But Jeevaatmaa is nothing other than Paramaatmaa. In spirit, in essence, both are one and the same. And the world is real if considered as manifest Brahman. Hence the Achaaryaa cannot be called the demon of maayaa.

Gold ornaments look different. Ornaments with names and forms are impermanent. Gold is the only reality that gives ornaments their value. Throw ornaments into fire. Gold remains gold.

KShara means what wears away. AkShara is what that does not wear away. Break a word but the letters remain, unchanged. God is AkShara. We are all kSharas.

Awake, arise.