The superimposition on the Eternal of the temporary, the snake on the rope. Thick covering in which one is enveloped. Concealment of the real. Distortion in the mind due to identifying oneself wrongly with the body. (JV, pp. Glossary ,76)
There are three causes for this aberration: Mala, Vikshepa and Avarana. Avarana refers to that which envelops man. What is it that has enveloped man? The answer is Desires. Man is covered by desires all over He cannot get away from desires in any situation. He is bound by every kind of desire--for wealth, health, power, position and fame ad lib. Desires are not bad in themselves. But there should be a limit to all of them. Desires should be gradually reduced. Recognise the Divine in all that you do and dedicate the fruits of your actions to God. (SSS Vol.24, p. 22)
Avarana is the covering which envelops the mind and prevents it from seeing things properly. It makes you feel that the body is your true self. The cover which distorts your vision is made up of the six enemies of man--lust, anger, greed, pride, delusion and envy. Of these evil qualities the worst is mada (pride). Students should totally eschew pride and cultivate humility and reverence, which are the hallmark of true education. To get rid of Avarana, love has to be developed. You have to be rid of the sense of Ahamkara (I) and Mamatva (mine). (SSS Vol.23, p. 54)
The third distortion of the mind is Avarana. This may be likened to a thick cloth covering the mirror of man’s mind, which does not at all permit of any reflection whatsoever of the image of the Self. Thus, while Mala does not enable us to have a clear and correct image of the Self and while Vikshepa results in seeing the Self as wavering, Avarana altogether hides the Reality Self, and makes one identify himself wrongly with his body.
Students! Recognise that what you are experiencing as the real world is only the ‘Reaction’, ‘Resound’, ‘Reflection’ of your ‘Real Self’. Now, the question arises, ‘What exactly is the thick cloth that covers the mirror of one’s mind? This cloth is made up of Arishadvarga – the gang of six internal enemies of man – viz. Kama (Desire), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed), Moha (Attachment), Mada (Pride), Matsarya (Jealousy, Envy). Pride is of eight kinds – Pride of money, learning, caste, affluence, beauty, youth, position or authority and Tapas (spiritual pride). If you ponder over the two facts you can overcome this enemy namely pride.
Firstly, if you look around instead of being like a frog in the well, you will find that in respect of each of these eight items of pride in you, there are many other people who are superior to you. Secondly, all these items – money, authority, youth etc., - are highly transient. Therefore, get rid of pride as well as the other five enemies included in the Arishadvarga. If you want to remove the Avarana covering your mind’s mirror. The best means to remove this cloth of Avarana is to develop love for all. Love is God. Live in Love. (ICS , pp. 81-82)
Avarana refers to that which veils or covers. How does it cover? With what does it cover? How can you uncover this thing, which it has covered? If it does not have form itself, by what means does it cover? How can it be removed? These questions cannot be answered. Maya is mysterious and inexplicable. Delusion and confusion are its very nature. Consider a rope lying on the road. In the darkness you are deluded into believing that this rope is a snake. What is it that has covered the rope? Try to understand what happened. You were suddenly filled with a feeling of fear because you imagined a snake lying on the road before you. So, it was in your mind that the rope became covered by the snake and you got frightened. Is the snake really there? No, there is no snake there. Then how can the rope be covered by a thing, which doesn’t exist and never has existed? This is the delusion. Under what circumstances does this delusion exert its influence on you? If is during twilight or in the dark that you imagine you see the snake when there’s only a rope there. It is through darkness that delusion comes and envelops you. In truth, no snake has covered the rope but the delusion beclouds the mind of man and covers his clear perception. This delusion is Maya. When you shine your torch on the area you find no snake there; there is only a rope lying there. Thus, in the light, delusion disappears and the real object is seen. That which exists will always exist; it will never cease to exist. It remains forever unchanged. There cannot even be the slightest variation in the existence. It is only the delusion covering it, which comes and goes. The form that this delusion takes in the mind is Vikshepa, the second powerful force of maya. (DBG, pp. 239-240)
The avarana is of two kinds. One is called asat, related to untruth, and the other is called abhava related to wrong ideas. The idea that sprouts from the feeling that the particular thing does not exist is represented by untruth or asat. If there is a feeling that one does not know whether that particular item exists or does not exist, it is referred to as abhava. This type of abhava is responsible for samsara. Vikshepa is the main path for liberation or moksha. (SSB 1977, p. 226)