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Upanishads · Sarasvatīrahasya 4.17
॥
Devanāgarī
यः स ईश्वर इत्युक्तः सर्वज्ञत्वादिभिर्गुणैः । शक्तिद्वयं हि मायाया विक्षेपावृतिरूपकम्
Transliteration (IAST)
yaḥ sa īśvara ityuktaḥ sarvajñatvādibhirguṇaiḥ | śaktidvayaṃ hi māyāyā vikṣepāvṛtirūpakam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यः सः ईश्वरः इति उक्तःyaḥ saḥ īśvaraḥ iti uktaḥhe who is called the Lord
सर्व-ज्ञत्व-आदिभिः गुणैःsarva-jñatva-ādibhiḥ guṇaiḥby omniscience and other qualities
शक्ति-द्वयं हि मायायाःśakti-dvayaṃ hi māyāyāḥmāyā indeed has two powers
विक्षेप-आवृति-रूपकम्vikṣepa-āvṛti-rūpakamhaving the form of scattering and of covering
Translation
He who, by omniscience and other qualities, is called the Lord — māyā indeed has two powers, having the form of scattering and of covering.
Version
e0635ffd6058 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Two powers of māyā are named, and on them everything that follows rests; it is worth examining them, for the construction is well thought out. Vikṣepa-śakti — "the power of scattering," from vi-kṣip, "to scatter": the one that produces multiplicity, creates worlds, bodies, and distinctions. Āvṛti-śakti — "the power of covering," from ā-vṛ, "to cover": the one that conceals the truth.
That is, the trouble is twofold: one power makes much, the other hides the one. This construction, to my mind, is precise and explains why knowledge alone is not enough: even after knowing, a person continues to see multiplicity, for the first power still works as before. The Vaiṣṇava side recognizes both powers and has her own correspondence; and it is worth citing it, for it is built differently.
For her these same two are called yoga-māyā and mahā-māyā. The first conceals Him from those without a share and reveals Him to those with a share: it is not a misfortune but His own arrangement, discussed when reading the Gopāla-tāpanī. The second covers and holds.
The difference here is decisive: for her, a veil can also be good. And her argument is this: if there were no veil at all, there would be no play; for play requires that the players not know in advance, and a mother hiding from her child does not hide out of hostility.