Avarana is the veiling power of maya—the cognitive covering that obscures recognition of the Self and gives rise to ignorance, misidentification, and spiritual confusion.

Ignorance is not the absence of knowledge—it’s the presence of misperception. In Vedanta, ignorance (avidyā) is what makes us mistake a rope for a snake, or the body for the Self. This essay explores the subtle but pervasive force that distorts reality, and how knowledge—not belief—dispels it.