Acharya Prashant explains a passage where a king asks a sage, "Who is this Goddess you call Mahamaya?" The sage has just presented a narrative explaining that at the root of the suffering of both the king and a merchant, and also at the root of their potential liberation, is the one and only Bhagavati Mahamaya. This naturally makes the king curious to know who this Mahamaya is, as she is the one who has entrapped him and she is the one who will grant him liberation. The king asks the sage to tell him about Mahamaya. The rest of the scripture, therefore, will be an account of Mahamaya. The king asks, "Who is this Goddess you call Mahamaya? O Brahman, how did she come into being? What are her deeds? O great sage, best among the knowers of Brahman, whatever her influence, whatever her form, and how she came into being, I want to hear all that from your mouth." The sage replies that in reality, the Goddess is of an eternal form (Nitya-swarupa). She is the form of that which is eternal. The eternal is Brahman, the Truth. The form of Brahman is called Maya. The entire world is her form; she pervades the entire universe. Her appearance happens in many ways. Although she is eternal and unborn, she appears to accomplish the work of the gods. At that time, it is said that she is born in the world. In reality, she is eternal and unborn because she is Brahman, and Brahman is eternal and unborn. But when she appears to us, we say she has come into being.
