[Advaita-l] How can one claim to know Brahman?

[sriram]

Dear Sri Mahesh
If the problem is analysed from the angle of physiology the answer could be
construed as follows.During deep sleep the brain which is the cockpit of all
sense activities puts the entire system in an automatic mode and goes to
rest.Perhaps the SPINAL CORD takes over and responses are involuntary when a
person is in a deep sleep state.The master is taking rest and no conscious
work is possible.Even there will be no dream.When you observe how you go to
sleep you will appreciate how the brain withdraws itself from the awareness
state to deep sleep state.Deep sleep state need not be for longer
duration.Even for a micro second it can take over and that so many vehicle
accidents have resulted because of this factor.You may think you can control
sleep but it is impossible.Try to keep awake with full consciousness and
honestly observe what happens.You would have nodded and slept even for micro
seconds.A person may deny this but he will not be able to remember or
recount what happened at that very particular duration however small it
is.It shows that brain has withdrawn itself from the scene and the
individual is under autonomous nervous system which may fail to respond
effectively when confronted with new situations and before the master is
awakened as it were damage is already done.So in deep sleep state brain is
at rest and does no work.When once comes to awareness state -this also is
voluntary in the absence of external loud stimuli -one only concludes that
one should have slept.Nothing gets registered and nothing is
recallable.Shakespere says in Macbeth -what is sleep but each day`s
death-meaning that when a man goes to sleep he is dead to his immediate
environment.The secret of good health is in good sleep.The brain gets
rejuvenated during sleep and is ready to help the individual to sustain
himself AS SOON AS IT IS READY.Really brain is very difficult to fathom to
know why it works the way it works.Generally we can say it is the guardian
angel of that particular being and is not a perfect slave like a computer as
Carl Sagon would put it.Krishnamoorthy.
----- Original Message -----
From: Mahesh Ursekar <mahesh.ursekar at gmail.com>
To: <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 4:44 PM
Subject: [Advaita-l] How can one claim to know Brahman?


> Esteemed readers,
>
> The seers say that when one realizes Bramhman, the knower, the knowing
> and know become one. In that is indeed true, then when one returns to
> the normal state, how can one claim that Brahman was experienced as
> Sat-chit-ananda? That claim can only be made if the knower was
> different from the known during the experience.
>
> One philosopher I conversed with said that the situation is similar to
> the deep sleep state wherein one is aware of it even after the
> experience as in the claim - "I had a deep sleep last night". However,
> my objection to that is that nobody can describe the state of deep
> sleep or how one felt while in that state - one can only claim to
> being in that state after feeling refreshed the next day. However, in
> the case of realization, one can describe, however inaccurately, the
> experience one had during that state.
>
> Can anyone explain this conundrum?
>
> Regards, Mahesh
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