The world is unreal I
THIS world is Asat or unreal. It is mere appearance. That which exists in the past, present and future, that which has no beginning, middle or end and that which is unchanging is Sat. Sat is Brahman or Atman. That which is real is Svayambhu (self-existent), Svatantra (independent) and Svayam Jyoti (self-luminous). What you see with your physical eye is ever-changing. It is Anitya or Avinasi. It is Asara, Kshanabhangura and Apadaramaniya.
This world is shadow or reflection of Brahman or God. The reflection of your face in the mirror or water is unreal. Even so, this world which is a mere reflection of Brahman is unreal. Through the force of Maya or Avidya it appears as real. If Vairagya and discrimination dawns in a man, the whole angle of vision becomes changed. There are various kinds of dirt in the mirror-mind and hence the reflection of Paramatman is not clearly seen in the mind. As soon as one gets Chitta-Suddhi or purification of mind, he becomes a changed being. Remove lust, egoism, anger, selfishness, pride, etc., and you will get Chitta-Suddhi. You will experience sublime divine feelings. When there is attraction and attachment in the mind for sensual objects, the mind is bound to this world.
Earth is the only solid reality. Pots, jars and other forms of that earth are made out of minds and are therefore mere appearances. They are in name only. The solid reality at the back of these names and forms is mere mud only. When these forms are broken they become mud again. Even so these names and forms are all unreal. The solid reality is Brahman or God who is the basis for this world. The waves, ripples, foam, etc., belong to the ocean. They are mere water only. They have come out of the ocean. They exist in the ocean and dissolve in the ocean. Ocean always exists. Even so all these names and forms have come out of Brahman. They exist in Brahman and dissolve in Brahman.
Just as snake is superimposed on the rope, silver on the mother-of-pearl, water in the mirage, man in the post, so also this world and body are superimposed on the pure Atman. When you know the Adhishthana of snake which is only the rope, when you get knowledge of the rope, the Bhranti or illusions of snake and fear vanish. Even so, when you get knowledge of Brahman this body-idea and reality of the world will totally vanish. It is Avidya that has created these troubles. It is only a wrong notion of the mind that the body is the Self, that is the root cause for all human ills and sufferings.
When you attend a cinema, you actually think that the pictures are all real. They move, talk and sing. But you are fully aware that these pictures are false and the real persons are different from these unreal persons who appear on the screen. This world is exactly a cinema show. The names and forms that you see are all false and the operator behind this show, the real Antaryami and director of this universe, is alone real.
Whatever you see is Maya-Jalam or jugglery of Maya. This jugglery is set up by Maya through the Indriyas and the mind. Just as the juggler is not affected by the tricks, so also a knower of Brahman is not in the least affected by the play of Maya.
The waking state is only a long dream. There is not much difference between the waking state and the dreaming state. The only difference is that the waking state is a long dream. Fire burns in the dream. Knife cuts in the dream. You are frightened when a tiger pounces upon you. You shriek and wake up immediately. Just as the dream proves false when you wake up, so also this world appears as a dream for a Jnani who has knowledge of Brahman. He may work. He may eat. He may talk. But his mind is ever resting in his own Svarupa. The idea that this world is a dream is firmly rooted in his mind. He actually feels and experiences this phenomenon.
When you are in a running train, all the trees and the paddy fields appear to be moving. The train seems to be stationary. When you are in the train in a junction, the train in which you are seated seems to move when the adjacent train moves. The moving train appears to be stationary. Even so, Atman is ever silent and stationary. He is Niravayava (without any limb) and so he is Nishkriya. But the action and enjoyments are superimposed on the Atman on account of Avidya. Just as the motion of the clouds is attributed to the sun or the moon, so also the motion of the body and the Indriyas is attributed to the sun or the moon - the immovable (Achala) Atman. The boat actually moves but the trees on the shore appear to move. Even so, the movement of the body and the Indriyas are attributed to the steady Brahman.
When the mesmerist hypnotises the whole audience, all people believe that the man is ascending the rope in the air. All people see that he mesmerist devours a big sword and cuts the body of a lad in the box. Even so, you are all hypnotised by Maya and Avidya and you take this unreal world as a solid reality. De-hypnotize yourself by getting know
Source: https://www.sivanandaonline.org/?cmd=displaysection§ion_id=815