In this excerpt from Bhagavad Gita: In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism (chapter 7, verse 14), Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals the key to subsiding māyā—illusion. Drawing on Abhinavagupta’s distinctive understanding, he explains that māyā is overcome not by rejecting it as something separate, but by recognizing it as none other than Parabhairava, the supreme reality itself.
This guṇamayi, guṇamayi is filled with sattvoguṇa, rajoguṇa, [and tamoguṇa]–the three gunas–it is māyā. And it is duratyayā, nobody has conquered this, nobody has won [over] this māyā. Now there is one trick, O Arjuna, I will tell you a trick of how you can subside māyā.
Māmeva ye prapadyante . . .
Other commentators have commentated upon this verse [in the following way]: “those who take refuge in Me, they [conquer] māya.” It is the commentary, which is done by other commentators [other] than Abhinavagupta.
Abhinavagupta has [explained], māmeva ye prapadyante, those persons, those elevated souls who think, “māmeva ye prapadyante, māyā is me, māmeva, māyā is the reality of Brahman.” [This is thought by] those who attribute māyā in their own nature. [When they feel] “I am māyā–māyā is Parabhairava”, then they are free from māyā. You should know that māyā is not other than Parabhairava, then you will succeed. Otherwise, there is no hope of getting rid of māyā, because this is guṇamayī daivī.1
tena sattvādīnāṁ vastutaḥ saṁvinmātraparabrahmān-atiriktatāyāmapi yattadatiriktatāvagamanaṁ tadeva guṇatvaṁ–bhoktṛitattvapāratantrayaṁ bhogyatvam / tacca bhedātmakaṁ-rūpaṁ saṁsāribhiranirvācyatayā, tān prati māyārūpam
And they are caught by that māyā . . .
ato ye paramārtha brahma prakāśa vida . . . [comm. verse 14]
Those, on the contrary, who are situated in the supreme state of Parabhairava, tad-anatiriktaṁ viśvaṁ paśyanto, they realize that this whole universe, which is created by the māyā of Lord Śiva, is not separate from the Parabhairava state; for them, there is no māyā. They have conquered māyā.
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1 “Daivī is divine. Divine mean devaḥ krīḍākaraḥ, devaḥ means who is always playful, Lord Śiva is always playful. Māyā and not māyā, illusion and not illusion, consciousness and unconsciousness–this is all His play.” Swami Lakshmanjoo, Bhagavad Gītā audio, Lakshmanjoo Academy Archives.
(source: Chapter 7, of the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism,
by Swami Lakshmanjoo). This video is also available as a video series.
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