The link between Vyavaharika and Paramartika

[Chandran, Nanda (NBC)]

Even my supposedly coherent post yesterday ended up incoherent, I've
been thinking long and hard on this subject :-)

My point is that if we associate the individual Jiva even remotely (as
the substratum, as a reflection, as a part of the composite etc) with
Brahman it will fail the Eternal Absolute test. Atleast I'm unable to
think of any way out of it.

My main basis of argument is that I *who am being affected by the realm
of Maya* can in no way be the Eternal Absolute. If an Eternal Absolute
exists in me (1) it cannot be the "I" nor (2) can't form a part of the
"I" (as a substratum) or (3) even be remotely associated with the "I"
(as a reflection).

Case (1) - how can the Eternal Absolute be affected in the realm of
Maya?

Case (3) would beg the question as to how an Eternal Absolute, which is
by definition inefficient, can be the cause of a reflection?

Case (2) is the more complex and quite difficult to explain. For Eg : I
look at a beautiful woman. So who's looking at her? My mind? My Ego? My
Jiva, whose substratum is Brahman? It cannot be *just* the Mind or Ego,
for that would give them a seperate identity which would sever
connection with the substratum. So if it's a composite which is looking
at her, the composite would include the substratum too, to however small
a degree, which is being influenced.

If it's stated that Brahman can only be seperate from the "I", then the
question would prop up ,"How do you know it exists?"

Rama states that Shankara keeps silent on Avidya, as talking about it
would prove it's reality. But wouldn't that mean that at the Vyavaharika
level, where Maya is all encompassing, all we can do is talk about an
Entity whose existence we can't logically prove nor make a link to?

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