Maya in the modern age!
Hello all,
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to bring the ego under control to allow your mind to exactly work for the things you want in your life. As we have discussed many many times before, a mind that is balanced, controlled and focused is a true asset for our own life.
Treasure chest: Many times we find our self-worth in the outside things, whether it is our family, kids, home, land, car, or all the material things we possess. Yes, all of these add value to our life. But is it just that? As a being don't we have an innate value? I would discuss it in my next post. Among that innate value comes our mind, that many times is not balanced, controlled and focused. Every one of us is on our journey. There is no judgment here.
But a person who has come through some really difficult struggles in their own lives and found themselves on the other side also always wants to show the amazing gift everyone brings with them. (Of course, this is not about mentally challenged people. They have come to the Earth realm to work off some of the Karma they have or have come to have some experiences, only their Soul understands). This is about the normal everyday person like you and me. We as a being has come to this Earth realm equipped with everything we want to thrive here, in the form of our own brilliant mind.
We as a being have been provided with a treasure chest called the 'mind'. It seems locked and the key has been missing. To find that key we search around outside in the whole world, every nook and corner. Yes, I also have done that, discussing my career or purpose with every teacher, mentor or Professor I have come across. Searching for the key to my treasure chest everywhere outside. Then suddenly one day, by mere serendipity, I found the key within, actually on the keyhole itself.
So, the key is already inserted in the keyhole of the lockbox. We just have to turn the key and open that lockbox, to find our own treasure chest of goodies bestowed on us by our own Soul. But when we are looking everywhere outside, how can we ever find the lockbox with the key itself? This is the stage many of the humans are going through.
Exterior World: Now, let us come back to the stage of looking outside everywhere for our key. This is the topic for analysis today. In Vedic Philosophy, there is a term called 'Maya' - the grand illusion. What is Maya? According to Wikipedia, "In later Vedic texts and modern literature dedicated to Indian traditions, Māyā connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem"" So. it basically seems like a magic show. In this connotation, it is thought as things that are present but are not really not there.
How about we interpret 'Maya' in a different way in this post. This year is 2019. We are just one year away from the third decade in the twenty-first century. We have come so much in the area of industrial as well as technological revolution. The internet revolution has become so much now, from the informational technology revolution it is going towards data revolution.
Everything is about data- big data, metadata, statistics, views, likes, shares, customer data, consumer data, product data, gender data, race data, you name it, people or companies are interested in it. People really want to know what they can do to use the data towards their company bottom line, profits, shareholder profits, sales promotion and more. Everything is about targeting the consumer. This is from the company or a business side.
Then we have everyday people. Yes, 7B of us. We are busy taking selfies, posting pictures, looking at likes, sharing on Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter. We read up on things, we analyze, listen to the opinions of pundits, watch TV, listen to news, politics, sports. Then we are loaded upon with advertisements, for everything under the Sun, clothes, jewelry, home goods, medicines, fitness paraphernalia, electronic paraphernalia, technological paraphernalia, the list goes on.
Now, the next one. We are now 'eternal tourists'. We go places, visit countries, load up on pictures, run around to see everything in the trip, go on a mind-boggling run on places. We are on the run, physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically.
Now, due to this running around doing a hundred things we don't have time. We are rushed always. We have to catch up. We have to run. We can spare only a few minutes. We can only be there for a cup of coffee. We just came to say Hi and to rush off into our next adventure. We just had to go to that place, which we just cannot ignore anymore. See, how our life has become nowadays. Where are we rushing? What are we doing?
Rahu: In Western astrology, they say about the Aquarian age. It seems we have already entered into it. I don't know much Western astrology. But I know a little bit of Vedic. So, let us analyze this age using the Vedic. We have discussed Aquarius before. Aquarius is the sign of true humanitarian. This is the sign that comes between Capricorn and Pisces.
Capricorn is an Earth element, everything material. It is also the most mature sign among the three Earth signs- Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. So, Capricorn embodies everything material, the structures, organizations, huge corporations, everything that needs a solid foundation. The realm of the Earth. The ruler of it is Saturn, again the solid, determined, and disciplined planet.
Now, on the other side of Aquarius is Pisces. It is a water sign. It symbolizes the realm of emotions or water. It embodies huge expanse of water like huge lakes and oceans. When we think about Pisces, the image that should come up is that of the Pacific ocean- a huge expanse of water. Being a water sign, this is the realm of emotions. Our subconscious mind, the mind that has deep connections to the other side of the curtain in the form of spiritual guides, ancestors, ascended masters, divine beings, Gods and more, This is Pisces.
Lodged between these two signs is Aquarius. A person who has exalted or powerful Aquarius would use the knowledge coming from the other worlds or other realms in the house of Pisces, take it, transform it, and use it to bring changes into the house of Capricorn, the Earth realm. So, only Aquarius has the capability of taking divine knowledge or inspiration from Pisces, transform it and use it towards Earth or Capricorn. This is the case of exalted or an Aquarius operating from a very high vibration.
Now, Aquarius also has another side. Every house and every planet comes with a light as well as shadow side. Until now we discussed the light side. Now, to the shadow side. Along with Capricorn, Saturn also rules Aquarius. But Aquarius also has a co-ruler. Rahu! Rahu also we have discussed before. In the highest vibration, Rahu is the healer. He has amazing healing properties. But this is in the highest vibrations.
Lowest vibrations: Let us look at the lower vibrations now. Rahu also is a trader. He along with Venus is the ultimate trader. Now, look at our Earth nowadays. Can you see a giant market place? Isn't everything being traded or bartered? Many times things or undercurrents we have to sense. See from that perspective. There is the internet, social media and the print/TV/news media. We are actually bartering our emotions. We pay money to get a service, then watch that particular channel/ service/ media.
To get our entertainment as happiness, sadness or any other feeling (emotion), we pay the vendor our money and enjoy the service. Look at any service. Isn't that the truth? Another thing about Rahu is in the lowest vibration he shows us smoke and mirrors. He shows us the magic, illusion, and the could be. Let us take the best example of Rahu in the lower vibrational energy with a specific situation.
Think about a casino or a gambling place. It is glittery, glitzy and glam. All the walls and panels are very vibrant, inviting, and enticing. We get all that hospitality and the show of wealth. We become glassy-eyed thinking, 'What if we were just plain lucky?' Rahu! The snake oil salesman, the slick car dealer, the magician- he shows the magic. He shows you all the possibilities, how it can be. How it can be if you win a hand! How it can be if you win the majestic prize! What all you can get! The car, the house, the yacht, the world tour! The illusion. Ring any bell?
The Maya: The grand illusion of what can be! Isn't this the same energy we see all over the world nowadays, through social media, the internet, the politics, the virtual market place? Isn't everyone selling the 'dream of what can be' if you get the latest gadget, the latest toy, the latest machine, the latest trend, the latest hype, the latest diet, the latest inclination, the latest everything?
So, now what do we humans do? Remember we are in the eternal search for our key. We somehow sense a treasure chest waiting for us. We are searching for that key outside. So we search, every corner, every nook, every cranny of this virtual market place. We somehow sense something is missing. We need to find it to fill that space within our heart. So, we search, search, and search.
When we feel not content within, to fill that space we fall for anything the magician shows. We are in that illusion. The vibrant drama unfolding in front of our eyes. So, think, isn't the human race actually very much involved in the dance of the lady - Maya. Vedic Philosophy warns us. She can come as the seductress who makes us fall in love with her seeing her charm, sensuality, and out of this world allurement.
But would we ever find the key to unlock our treasure chest? Unfortunately no! Because the key is already within, it is not outside. Aren't we searching in the wrong place? There is even a story in Hindu mythology, where the sage Narada, the very enlightened one fell for her seduction. If a sage who is a very evolved Soul can fall for it, think about us the mere human beings.
The thing is we cannot totally blame Rahu. In his highest vibration, he is the true healer, a healer having the strength of a hundred physicians. That is why Rahu owns the nakshatra of 'Sathabhishak' (100 healers). The minute our awareness opens towards our own key to our happiness, the same Rahu from a charmer/ magician transforms into a healer.
So, the same internet/social media/world market place we can also use for very divine, chaste purposes. The same Facebook was used for the Arab spring. The same News media can be used to bring out corruption, fake news, and power grab. The same internet can be used to popularize vaccination, health and fitness news, and true information on medicine, drugs, law, legalities, and any number of avenues that work for the betterment of society.
The same social media can be used to keep in touch, interact, and have a genuine conversation among people, organizations, and corporations. The same thing works well in the shadow as well as the light side. The exact same internet is used to recruit for terrorist organizations, popularize propaganda, or spread fake news as part of some dictatorial regime. The very same internet can be used to educate people worldwide, bring more innovations and improvisations to the rural area, or bring medicines to the interior areas of the world as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) effort.
So, the Maya can keep us, prisoners, only as long as we are in a state of 'non-awareness'. The minute we start putting effort towards finding our key within ourselves, the Maya gets transformed into 'true reality'. But the needed effort towards that opening of awareness is in our own hands. The Universal Principle or Brahman is a stickler for our own free will and choice. The divine would not participate in anything that we are not doing with our own deepest true free will and choice. Period!
So, now the question for us all is, 'Shouldn't we take charge of our life to find our very own key to open our true destiny'? Of course, it is very much our free will and choice!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: The key - The Will Power!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and perspectives shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa, 2017- Eternity
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to bring the ego under control to allow your mind to exactly work for the things you want in your life. As we have discussed many many times before, a mind that is balanced, controlled and focused is a true asset for our own life.
Treasure chest: Many times we find our self-worth in the outside things, whether it is our family, kids, home, land, car, or all the material things we possess. Yes, all of these add value to our life. But is it just that? As a being don't we have an innate value? I would discuss it in my next post. Among that innate value comes our mind, that many times is not balanced, controlled and focused. Every one of us is on our journey. There is no judgment here.
But a person who has come through some really difficult struggles in their own lives and found themselves on the other side also always wants to show the amazing gift everyone brings with them. (Of course, this is not about mentally challenged people. They have come to the Earth realm to work off some of the Karma they have or have come to have some experiences, only their Soul understands). This is about the normal everyday person like you and me. We as a being has come to this Earth realm equipped with everything we want to thrive here, in the form of our own brilliant mind.
We as a being have been provided with a treasure chest called the 'mind'. It seems locked and the key has been missing. To find that key we search around outside in the whole world, every nook and corner. Yes, I also have done that, discussing my career or purpose with every teacher, mentor or Professor I have come across. Searching for the key to my treasure chest everywhere outside. Then suddenly one day, by mere serendipity, I found the key within, actually on the keyhole itself.
 |
| The treasure chest called the mind. It already comes with the key! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
So, the key is already inserted in the keyhole of the lockbox. We just have to turn the key and open that lockbox, to find our own treasure chest of goodies bestowed on us by our own Soul. But when we are looking everywhere outside, how can we ever find the lockbox with the key itself? This is the stage many of the humans are going through.
Exterior World: Now, let us come back to the stage of looking outside everywhere for our key. This is the topic for analysis today. In Vedic Philosophy, there is a term called 'Maya' - the grand illusion. What is Maya? According to Wikipedia, "In later Vedic texts and modern literature dedicated to Indian traditions, Māyā connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem"" So. it basically seems like a magic show. In this connotation, it is thought as things that are present but are not really not there.
How about we interpret 'Maya' in a different way in this post. This year is 2019. We are just one year away from the third decade in the twenty-first century. We have come so much in the area of industrial as well as technological revolution. The internet revolution has become so much now, from the informational technology revolution it is going towards data revolution.
Everything is about data- big data, metadata, statistics, views, likes, shares, customer data, consumer data, product data, gender data, race data, you name it, people or companies are interested in it. People really want to know what they can do to use the data towards their company bottom line, profits, shareholder profits, sales promotion and more. Everything is about targeting the consumer. This is from the company or a business side.
 |
| The modern world called the 'market place'! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Then we have everyday people. Yes, 7B of us. We are busy taking selfies, posting pictures, looking at likes, sharing on Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter. We read up on things, we analyze, listen to the opinions of pundits, watch TV, listen to news, politics, sports. Then we are loaded upon with advertisements, for everything under the Sun, clothes, jewelry, home goods, medicines, fitness paraphernalia, electronic paraphernalia, technological paraphernalia, the list goes on.
Now, the next one. We are now 'eternal tourists'. We go places, visit countries, load up on pictures, run around to see everything in the trip, go on a mind-boggling run on places. We are on the run, physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically.
Now, due to this running around doing a hundred things we don't have time. We are rushed always. We have to catch up. We have to run. We can spare only a few minutes. We can only be there for a cup of coffee. We just came to say Hi and to rush off into our next adventure. We just had to go to that place, which we just cannot ignore anymore. See, how our life has become nowadays. Where are we rushing? What are we doing?
Rahu: In Western astrology, they say about the Aquarian age. It seems we have already entered into it. I don't know much Western astrology. But I know a little bit of Vedic. So, let us analyze this age using the Vedic. We have discussed Aquarius before. Aquarius is the sign of true humanitarian. This is the sign that comes between Capricorn and Pisces.
Capricorn is an Earth element, everything material. It is also the most mature sign among the three Earth signs- Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. So, Capricorn embodies everything material, the structures, organizations, huge corporations, everything that needs a solid foundation. The realm of the Earth. The ruler of it is Saturn, again the solid, determined, and disciplined planet.
Now, on the other side of Aquarius is Pisces. It is a water sign. It symbolizes the realm of emotions or water. It embodies huge expanse of water like huge lakes and oceans. When we think about Pisces, the image that should come up is that of the Pacific ocean- a huge expanse of water. Being a water sign, this is the realm of emotions. Our subconscious mind, the mind that has deep connections to the other side of the curtain in the form of spiritual guides, ancestors, ascended masters, divine beings, Gods and more, This is Pisces.
 |
| The zodiac sign of Aquarius - The water bearer! Image credits - Unknown author [Public domain], Wikimedia Commons |
Lodged between these two signs is Aquarius. A person who has exalted or powerful Aquarius would use the knowledge coming from the other worlds or other realms in the house of Pisces, take it, transform it, and use it to bring changes into the house of Capricorn, the Earth realm. So, only Aquarius has the capability of taking divine knowledge or inspiration from Pisces, transform it and use it towards Earth or Capricorn. This is the case of exalted or an Aquarius operating from a very high vibration.
Now, Aquarius also has another side. Every house and every planet comes with a light as well as shadow side. Until now we discussed the light side. Now, to the shadow side. Along with Capricorn, Saturn also rules Aquarius. But Aquarius also has a co-ruler. Rahu! Rahu also we have discussed before. In the highest vibration, Rahu is the healer. He has amazing healing properties. But this is in the highest vibrations.
Lowest vibrations: Let us look at the lower vibrations now. Rahu also is a trader. He along with Venus is the ultimate trader. Now, look at our Earth nowadays. Can you see a giant market place? Isn't everything being traded or bartered? Many times things or undercurrents we have to sense. See from that perspective. There is the internet, social media and the print/TV/news media. We are actually bartering our emotions. We pay money to get a service, then watch that particular channel/ service/ media.
To get our entertainment as happiness, sadness or any other feeling (emotion), we pay the vendor our money and enjoy the service. Look at any service. Isn't that the truth? Another thing about Rahu is in the lowest vibration he shows us smoke and mirrors. He shows us the magic, illusion, and the could be. Let us take the best example of Rahu in the lower vibrational energy with a specific situation.
Think about a casino or a gambling place. It is glittery, glitzy and glam. All the walls and panels are very vibrant, inviting, and enticing. We get all that hospitality and the show of wealth. We become glassy-eyed thinking, 'What if we were just plain lucky?' Rahu! The snake oil salesman, the slick car dealer, the magician- he shows the magic. He shows you all the possibilities, how it can be. How it can be if you win a hand! How it can be if you win the majestic prize! What all you can get! The car, the house, the yacht, the world tour! The illusion. Ring any bell?
The Maya: The grand illusion of what can be! Isn't this the same energy we see all over the world nowadays, through social media, the internet, the politics, the virtual market place? Isn't everyone selling the 'dream of what can be' if you get the latest gadget, the latest toy, the latest machine, the latest trend, the latest hype, the latest diet, the latest inclination, the latest everything?
So, now what do we humans do? Remember we are in the eternal search for our key. We somehow sense a treasure chest waiting for us. We are searching for that key outside. So we search, every corner, every nook, every cranny of this virtual market place. We somehow sense something is missing. We need to find it to fill that space within our heart. So, we search, search, and search.
When we feel not content within, to fill that space we fall for anything the magician shows. We are in that illusion. The vibrant drama unfolding in front of our eyes. So, think, isn't the human race actually very much involved in the dance of the lady - Maya. Vedic Philosophy warns us. She can come as the seductress who makes us fall in love with her seeing her charm, sensuality, and out of this world allurement.
 |
| The world as the market place, the 'Bazaar'! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
But would we ever find the key to unlock our treasure chest? Unfortunately no! Because the key is already within, it is not outside. Aren't we searching in the wrong place? There is even a story in Hindu mythology, where the sage Narada, the very enlightened one fell for her seduction. If a sage who is a very evolved Soul can fall for it, think about us the mere human beings.
The thing is we cannot totally blame Rahu. In his highest vibration, he is the true healer, a healer having the strength of a hundred physicians. That is why Rahu owns the nakshatra of 'Sathabhishak' (100 healers). The minute our awareness opens towards our own key to our happiness, the same Rahu from a charmer/ magician transforms into a healer.
So, the same internet/social media/world market place we can also use for very divine, chaste purposes. The same Facebook was used for the Arab spring. The same News media can be used to bring out corruption, fake news, and power grab. The same internet can be used to popularize vaccination, health and fitness news, and true information on medicine, drugs, law, legalities, and any number of avenues that work for the betterment of society.
The same social media can be used to keep in touch, interact, and have a genuine conversation among people, organizations, and corporations. The same thing works well in the shadow as well as the light side. The exact same internet is used to recruit for terrorist organizations, popularize propaganda, or spread fake news as part of some dictatorial regime. The very same internet can be used to educate people worldwide, bring more innovations and improvisations to the rural area, or bring medicines to the interior areas of the world as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) effort.
So, the Maya can keep us, prisoners, only as long as we are in a state of 'non-awareness'. The minute we start putting effort towards finding our key within ourselves, the Maya gets transformed into 'true reality'. But the needed effort towards that opening of awareness is in our own hands. The Universal Principle or Brahman is a stickler for our own free will and choice. The divine would not participate in anything that we are not doing with our own deepest true free will and choice. Period!
So, now the question for us all is, 'Shouldn't we take charge of our life to find our very own key to open our true destiny'? Of course, it is very much our free will and choice!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: The key - The Will Power!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa, 2017- Eternity
![Unknown author [Public domain], Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aquarius2.jpg){kind=link}
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