In the Vishnu Sahasra Nama bhashya Shankara has cited a verse, reference to which is not available:
स्वमायया स्वमात्मानं मोहयन्द्वैतमायया ।
गुणाहितं स्वमात्मानं लभते च स्वयं हरिः ॥
[By his own Māyā, deluding himself with the illusion of dvaita, Hari Himself comes to see himself endowed with guṇas.]
In the following Gauda Pada Karika 2.19 bhashya we see the above idea depicted:
प्राणादिभिरनन्तैस्तु भावैरेतैर्विकल्पितः ।
मायैषा तस्य देवस्य ययायं मोहितः स्वयम् ॥ १९ ॥
19. (This Self) is imagined to be the infinite objects like Prāņa (the Vital Force) etc. This is the Maya of that self-effulgent One by which He Himself is deluded.
Bhashya:
यदि आत्मैक एवेति निश्चयः, कथं प्राणादिभिरनन्तैर्भावैरेतैः संसारलक्षणैर्विकल्पित इति ? उच्यते शृणु — मायैषा तस्यात्मनो देवस्य । यथा मायाविना विहिता माया गगनमतिविमलं कुसुमितैः सपलाशैस्तरुभिराकीर्णमिव करोति, तथा इयमपि देवस्य माया, यया अयं स्वयमपि मोहित इव मोहितो भवति । ‘मम माया दुरत्यया’ (भ. गी. ७ । १४) इत्युक्तम् ॥
Eṣā māyā, this is the Māyā tasya devasya, of that self-effulgent Self. As the magical spell, created by the magician, makes the very clear sky appear as though filled with leafy trees in bloom, similar is this Māyā of the self-effulgent One, by which He Himself seems to have become influenced like a man under delusion. It has been said, “My Māyā is difficult to get over” (G. VII. 14).
Here, Atma is Brahman, which alone appears as the jiva as per Advaita. We see that the verse cited by Shankara in the VSN bhashya echoes this very idea: Brahman is as though deluded by its own Maya.
Here too we see the non-difference between maya and avidya: the same power maya, from the view point of Brahman, is avidya from the view point of the jiva. Shankara citing the Bh.Gita verse is also significant when he is saying: brahman is as though deluded by its own maya.
Om
