Acharya Prashant explains the difference in perspective on 'Maya' between an enlightened sage like Ramana Maharshi and an ordinary person. For the Maharshi, there is no real difference between Truth and its material and mental manifestation, which is called Maya. He sees Truth in every aspect of Maya, so for him, Maya is something innocuous and harmless. When the Maharshi talks of Maya, it is not a threat because he can penetrate it and see its source. Maya is the entire manifestation—the world, the universe, people, relationships, mind, and matter. When the Maharshi looks at the mind, he penetrates it deep enough to see its source, so even when looking at the mind, he is actually seeing the source. For the Maharshi, Maya is just Truth, and it can do him no harm. In contrast, for an ordinary person, Maya is distinct from the Truth and is seen as an alternative against the Truth. This is why Maya carries a negative connotation for most people. We find refuge in the world to turn away from the Truth, and we start expecting from the world what can only be expected from the Truth. We make the mistake of taking the world *as* the Truth. The Maharshi, on the other hand, sees the world as a sprouting of the source, the Truth. He is not held captive by the senses, expectations, or desires, and therefore sees right through the world to its source. Acharya Prashant uses an analogy to clarify this distinction. When the Maharshi sees a shadow, he smiles because it indicates the proximity of the beloved (Truth). The shadow is beautiful because it is the shadow *of* the beloved. The ordinary person, however, looks at the shadow and starts hugging and kissing it, thinking the shadow *is* the beloved. The shadow becomes a convenient, less-demanding alternative to the Truth. Liberation, therefore, is to see that there is no real alternative to that which you are seeking liberation from. It is to realize that Maya is an expression of Truth, not the Truth itself.