Material World through Ancient Eyes

External world is considered as Maya or illusionary.  Pursuit of worldly objectives by expending the limited lifetime available is considered wasteful.

The external world is considered transient, illusory and ever changing.  The Atma is considered permenant and unchanging. Thoughts and contemplation are therefore to be directed at liberating the Atma from the physical world constraints.

The external world is considered a direct reflection of the self and a product of the thought process.  It is considered to be an outcome of the individual's Karma. 

Tries to move away from limitaions by withdrawing from, and disowning the external world.

The Vedas and the Shastras propound that the mind takes root from its sense based perception of the Material World.  

To put it differently, thought is born with a fixed sequence of events (based on the Atma's Karma),  which is also perceived  as the material world.  

The material world perception, which is responsible for the initial nurturing of the thought process, also acts as a magnet that pulls the mind and holds it firmly in its clutches.   

It offers irresistable temptations and challenges to ensnare the mind and keeps it distracted away from its primary objective. 

The Puranas identify the temptations and challenges of the material world as being the direct opposing force to attaining Moksham. Overcoming these opposing forces takes the mind to a state of tranquility which is the stepping stone to Moksham.

The mind associates reality with this perception, so much so that it forgets its own true state.

Krishna Paramathma uses the word "Maya" to describe this attachment of the mind to the physical world. 

It has also been said that the ATMA which is the force of perception, is lost in the push and pull of the Mind, which is attached to Karma. When the mind attains tranquility and is free of Karmic forces, the ATMA is not burdened by the forces of Karma and attains freedom from the cycle of births and deaths. This state of the Atman is called Moksham.

What is meant to be conveyed by "Maya" are two primary concepts that represent fundamental truths. 

The first is that this physical world is transient.  Its state and existence are constantly changing.  We would all agree that a true blissful state is one that does not change and is limitless. 

We instinctively believe only what we perceive through "our own" senses as the truth. The physical/material  world goes through cycles of birth and death, and is limited by time and space.  Consequently, while one should be physically aware, one should not be carried away to believe that it represents the truth.   

The second aspect about the physical world is that it is subservient to the thought process.  The Puranas emphasize the supremacy of the human thought process over all other known/observable phenomenon.  The Material world is in a state of repetitive cycles of events.  If the mind becomes enamoured of these repetitive cycles and tries to anticipate whether it is going to be misery, or happiness, that is lined up next, and how to avoid misery and maximize happiness, it is going to decend to the level of the material world and would never escape from the cycle of births and deaths. 

Maya which is responsible for the birth of the human mind has the inbuilt capability to delude the mind with its "realistic"  changes. The mind then begins to grapple with the physical world, in an attempt to align it with its requirements [which is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain].

In order to avoid being pulled into an unending cycle, the Paramathma wants us to recognize this world as a delusion and use it only for the purpose of perceiving and learning about our inner self,  which represents permanence. 

Material World Through Modern Eyes

Relates and identifies existence with the perceived physical world.  External world is perceived as REAL. Thought process is based on sensory perception of external world events. External world influences the thought process.

External world and the individual are seperated into two different entities, with the individual being transient and short lived and the external world being of a more permenant nature (although ever changing).

External world events are considered independent of the self.

Tries to shake off limitations and discomforts by manipulating the external world through "intelligence".