Maha-maya

Maha-maya

महामाया, mahāmāyā
a great dimension, a general image of all psychophysical states

Maha-maya, also Maha-kundalini - the cause of the incarnation and rebirth of all living beings - this is the force leading to immersion in ignorance, imposing kanchukas on the jiva, is a source of accumulation of karma for a living being and, as a result, staing in samsara.

In Nathas tradition and in Tantra, Mahamaya is one of the names of the Great Goddess, the creative energy of the god Shiva, which is twofold:

• as Mahamaya, she envelops a person in a veil of ignorance, hides the nature of Shiva and turns him into a "conditioned" jiva;

• as Maha-vidya, she bestows the great liberating knowledge on jiva, shuddha-vidya, and leads it to moksha.

Vishnu said:
Worship to you, O Goddess, Mahamaya, the cause of creation and destruction [of the world],
Unborn and immortal, Chandi, giver of Delight and Liberation, auspicious. (40)

[Devibhagavata Purana, Book 1, Chapter 9]

Then Bhagavan Vishnu, seeing her smiling sweetly,
Said, through his own knowledge, coming to a conclusion in his mind: (50)
“This is Bhagavati Devi, the cause [that gave rise to] everything, [including] us,
Mahavidya, Mahamaya, complete, deathless Prakriti, (51)
Goddess, unknowable to the unintelligent, comprehended through yoga,
The will of the Supreme Spirit, transient and non-transitory [at the same time] in its nature. (52)
It is difficult for unfortunate people to honor her, for she is the Goddess, the good mistress of the universe,
Source of Vedas, big-eyed, mistress, the beginning of all [creatures]. (53)
During the death of the universe, she plays by destroying everything entirely
And placing the subtle bodies of all living beings in her body. (54)

[Devibhagavata Purana, Book 3, Chapter 3 "Seeing the Devi"]

According to the Nathas doctrine, Guru, Gorakshanath and the rest of the Navanaths are shuddha-vidya, and the Gods and various forces of the Universe are Maha-maya.

Maha-maya also means the transcendental state. In Durga Saptashati she is called Mahavidya (great knowledge), Mahamoha (great obscuration), Mahasuri (great demoness), Mahadevi (great goddess) - all this is Maha-maya, which is transcendent, above "bad" and "good". Maha-maya is above dharma and adharma, it helps the jivanmukta to be impartial in this world, being in sahaja.

Mahamaya bija is ह्रीं hrīṁ