Shiva Sutra #3: (Impurities in) Maya Leads to Bondage

योनिवर्गः कलाशरीरम् | yonivargah kalashariram

yoni = the womb, the source, māyā, matrix, mother

vargah = class, family, group (of tattvas)

kala = activity of mechanical or fine art

shariram = form, body

The third Shiva Sutra is “Yonivargah Kalashariram,” which is often translated as “(Impurities in)Maya leads to bondage”.

Understanding Yoni, Maya, Gunas and Malas

Before delving into the explanation of this sutra, let’s clarify a few key concepts.

Yoni signifies the source or cause of the universe, often described as the creative womb or matrix from which all of creation emerges.

From Yoni emerges Maya, the manifestation of a dual world, characterized by thoughts such as "He is mine, he is not mine. This is beautiful, this is not beautiful. This is good, this is bad." Maya is often translated as illusion, but to define more accurately it is a primal force of creativity, the mother of all forms. Its creativity is expressed through three qualities (gunas):

• Sattva (purity) brings wisdom and tranquility.
• Rajas (passion) drives ambition and desire.
• Tamas (inertia) leads to depression and inaction.

Guna is symbolically interpreted as 'rope' in Sanskrit, suggesting that, like ropes tied into knots, these gunas bind us, confining us within the hologram or matrix.

Within Maya, there are Malas or impurities, which are like layers of “dirt” that cloud our understanding, leading to ignorance and, consequently, bondage. There are three types of impurities:

• Anavamala or Egoism is associated with the sense of individuality, limiting our recognition of our true nature.
• Mayiyamala or Illusion creates duality and separates us from the awareness that everything is ultimately One.
• Karmamala or Karma, associated with the effects of our actions and the karmic cycle. It binds us to the consequences of our past actions, influencing our present and future experiences.

Now let’s get back to the meaning of this Sutra.

Ignorance leads to Bondage

These three impurities cling to the human soul upon birth, preventing it from understanding itself and breaking free from the suffering caused by past actions (karma). Unfortunately, rather than shedding these negative elements, the soul often accumulates more karma on their human journey.

The impurity of Maya (malas) clouds one’s intellect and memory, leading to a craving for worldly pleasures, trapping the soul in the cycles of pain and pleasure and preventing liberation (moksha) from the cycle of reincarnation.

Anavamala is the impurity associated with the sense of individuality or Ego. It confines us within the sense of self, leading us to say, “I am rich… I am beautiful… I am successful… I am small… I am sick… I am so and so.” This impurity drives individuals to seek to fill a perceived gap within themselves, as if there’s an inner emptiness that needs to be filled. This limited sense of individuality prevents them from recognizing their true, boundless nature.

Mayiyamala is what makes us see things in terms of ‘mine’ and ‘not mine,’ creating duality. For example, it’s the sense of ‘this is mine… this is not mine… that person I love… that person I hate.’ Our separation from the awareness that everything is ultimately One, due to Mayiyamala or Impurities (malas) in Maya, confines us and restricts our true nature with dualistic thinking.

Kalashariram refers to the embodiment of actions (karma) of our body. Every thought and action in our life leaves a mark in our subtle body, impacting our sense of self, actions in this life, and shaping our future lives. We carry these accumulated thoughts and actions with us as impressions on our soul, propelling us from one body to the next, incarnating again and again, trapped in a cycle known as samsara.

As long as we’re controlled by our gunas and compelled to act through our habits, tendencies, and compulsions, we’re not free. Unawareness about the mechanics of Maya and her qualities keeps us from realizing our true selves. The path to liberation lies in recognizing the Oneness.

Mindful Awareness is what helps us detach from their influence. By applying our own intelligence (buddhi), we can observe how the “gunas” influence our compulsions. Once we notice how these gunas repeatedly create patterns in our behavior and thought processes, we can gradually detach our consciousness from their controlling influence.

Once we awaken to the truth that we’re not the sole doers and that the Oneness is the true doer, we can access our Free Will and break free from Maya’s influence.

Bhagavad Gita V.8: The knower of truth thinks, I do not do anything. “…it is only the senses operating on their objects.”