Māyā as Cosmic Ignorance: A Philosophical Inquiry into Avidyā in Advaita Vedānta

Advaita Vedānta's concept of Māyā is a sophisticated philosophical theory explaining the appearance of plurality in a fundamentally non-dual world, not merely an illusion. Māyā operates at the cosmic level as a principle projecting multiplicity onto the unity of Brahman, while avidyā functions individually as epistemic ignorance hindering self-realization. The world exists as a dependent appearance rooted in consciousness, neither wholly real nor unreal. Knowledge eliminates ignorance, revealing the non-dual identity of the self and Brahman, leading to liberation (mokṣa). Advaita Vedānta thus offers an epistemological approach to metaphysics where freedom results from altered understanding, remaining relevant to contemporary debates on reality, knowledge, and existence.

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Abstract

This essay explores the Advaita Vedānta's concept of Māyā as cosmic ignorance and its connection to avidyā, emphasizing how these concepts explain reality, perception, and emancipation. It contends that Māyā is a sophisticated philosophical theory that explains the appearance of plurality in a fundamentally non-dual world rather than just an illusion. Avidyā functions at the individual level as an epistemic constraint and misunderstanding that hinders the realization of the true essence of the self, whereas Māyā functions at the cosmic level. The research emphasizes how ignorance actively impacts human experience by projecting multiplicity onto the unity of Brahman, drawing on both contemporary philosophical interpretations and classical Advaita texts. The essay delves deeper into the ontological position of the world, demonstrating that it exists as a dependent appearance rooted in consciousness rather than being wholly real or wholly unreal. The study shows how Advaita Vedānta resolves the seeming conflict between unity and diversity by looking at the relationship between Māyā, consciousness, and appearance. Additionally, it highlights that knowledge eliminates ignorance and shows the non-dual identity of the self and Brahman, leading to liberation (mokṣa). The study comes to the conclusion that Advaita Vedānta provides a profoundly epistemological approach to metaphysics, where freedom results from the alteration of understanding. This philosophical paradigm is still very applicable to arguments about reality, knowledge, and human existence today.