According to the Purvapakshin, Maya is the cloud that hides the light of the Sun. But the Siddhantin answers, " You cannot speak of the sun being hid by the clouds, unless there is a seer. The cloud has no capacity to hide the sun but it has power to hide the seer's eye. This sun is Siva. The cloud or cataract in one's eye is the Anava Mala; the seer or his eye is the Jiva or Atma or soul. When the soul is enshrouded by Anava Mala and is without action will and intelligence, it is its night - the Kevala State.* When God, out of His great love, sets him in evolution giving it the body and the worlds out of Maya for his enjoyment and experience, whereby his kriya sakti etc., are, aroused, this is called its sakala condition. Anava Mala is night and darkness, and Maya acts as the lamp-light - the power of million arcs is the Suddha Maya - in darkness. But when the sun rises, all darkness and night vanish and there is no need of any lamp, however powerful, and the soul is fully enveloped in that Supreme Splendour, that "Light of Truth, that, entering body and soul, has melted all faults and driven away the false darkness." This is the soul's Suddha or Nirvana condition.

* The technical term to denote the Mala called Anava.

Mrigendragama.

Siddhanta Saravali.

"This day in Thy mercy unto me Thou didst drive away the darkness, and stand as the Rising Sun: Of this, Thy way of rising - there being naught else but Thou -

I thought without thought. I drew nearer and nearer to Thee, wearing away atom by atom, till

I was one with Thee. O Siva, dweller in the great Holy Shrine, Though art not aught in the Universe, naught is there save Thou. Who can know Thee?" $

The above expresses the kernel of Saiva Advaita Siddhanta. This leads us naturally to the discussion of the nature of Advaita postulated by the Saiva School, and before we do so, we will glance at the nature of the Jivatma or soul itself, as this is essential to the understanding of the Advaita.

* From start to finish, life consists of series of awakenings till the final goal is reached. Accordingly existence itself is five-fold.

Abuddha, Buddha, Budhyamana, Prabuddha and Suprabuddha. $ From St. Manikkavacagar's Tiruvachakam.