Intellect and Reality

[Venkatraman.Chandrasekaran at NOKIA.COM]

> Nanda Chandran wrote:
> 2. If the Atman were the knower then the Atman being eternal, 
> all knowledge obtained would also be eternal and there thus
> cannot be cases like loss of knowledge which happens due to 
> old age or loss of memory.

  Actually when we say Atman is the knower, don't we mean that 
Atman adds "experience" to the whole biological process of "knowing" 
rather than having its own memory?
Mere biological process of "knowing" which involves accessing memory 
cells in the brain doesn't mean much, unless enlightened by the 
consciousness. If this is the case, then knowledge need not be eternal 
just because Atman is eternal. Atman plainly enlivens the knowledge
if the latter exists.
  As long as the "known" exists, knowledge also exists
and when the "known" perishes, knowledge can cease to exist too.
But Atman should remain unaffected by all this. So "loss of
memory due to old age" doesn't disprove the knower-ship of
Atman.

> 4. As it is established in itself in the state of deep sleep 
> where there's neither knower nor known.

  What we experience in deep sleep "where there's neither knower
nor known", is a plain "void" just like coma state. Isn't it? Isn't 
the self-realised state different from this state of mere "void-ness"?
There has to be a reason why yoga teachers advise students not to
go into sleep while meditating.

  Regards,
  chandrasekaran