Maya — Illusion, the Veil of Appearances

Maya is the anirvachaniya shakti (inexplicable power) of Brahman that projects the appearance of multiplicity upon the non-dual real. Shankara's Vivekachudamani and his bhashya on the Brahma Sutras define maya through its two functions: avarana (concealing Brahman's true nature) and vikshepa (projecting the world of nama-rupa). The classic illustration from the Mandukya Karika of Gaudapada is the rajju-sarpa — the rope mistaken for a snake in dim light. Maya is neither sat (real) nor asat (unreal) but mithya (dependent appearance), and liberation (moksha) comes through viveka-jnana — the discriminative knowledge that pierces the adhyasa (superimposition) and reveals the substratum that was never actually veiled.