[Advaita-l] Mithya and Maya

Jaldhar H. Vyas jaldhar at braincells.com
Tue Sep 1 00:25:46 CDT 2009


On Tue, 1 Sep 2009, Sarma KV wrote:

> Dear Sri Jaldhar,
>
> The word *mithya* doesn't mean "false." It means "transient", not constant,
> not permanent, not lasting (naSvaram = bound to perish), and
> not-independent. Jagat is leela.
> In contrast brahma is satyam. It is not-transient. It is independent,
> Sudhdham and nityam.
>
> This is Sankara's view behind using the word "*mithya*" rather than "*
> asatyam*" or some other word to mean "false."
>

This is the problem with translating Sanskrit concepts I suppose.  What I 
specifically mean by false is epistemologically false.  Perhaps it is 
better put as "invalid" rather than "false".

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>



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