Māyā is that which can be measured. The whole world can be measured, that is why it is māyā. All five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether – can be measured.
Can space be measured?
Only in space can things be measured. Space is the first dimension of measurement.
Measurement is always relative and not absolute. For example, if something weighs 6 kilograms on Earth, it will weigh only 1 kilogram on the moon. The light of the star you see today is not really today’s light. It can take years for the light to reach you! Both size and weight change in air, water and earth. So measurement is relative. Your bones, skin, body, environment and the five elements can be measured; you can put a value, a quantity, to them. So, the whole world is māyā!
All measurements only provide a relative understanding. Einstein’s theory of relativity correlates with the Advaita (non-dual) philosophy.
But what is not māyā? All that cannot be measured is not māyā. You cannot say an ounce of love, two ounces of peace, and five kilograms of happiness. Can YOU be measured? It is not possible. Your body has weight, but not YOU. Truth cannot be measured, ānanda (joy) cannot be measured, and beauty cannot be measured. All these are part of consciousness or Ishvara (the Divine), and are not māyā.
What does it mean to be drowned in Maya?
When someone says, “You are drowned in Maya,” it means you are drowned in small little things that are not permanent, because Maya means that which is always changing. Ever-changing events and things around you is what Maya is. And if you are drowned in the ever-changing, and you are not logged on to the non-changing, life is very unstable. Stability comes when you log on to something in you that is not changing – that remains the same throughout time. That is termed as “getting out of the web of Maya”.
If you are stable, still, and content within yourself, then everything runs towards you. That is why I have said from the very beginning – If you follow joy, misery follows you; and if you follow knowledge, fun follows you.
