[Advaita-l] Problems in Rope-Snake Analogy

[Suresh]

Friends,

The idea of superimposition is often explained with
the analogy of the rope-snake. But doesn't this raise
questions such as: if the rope is mistakenly perceived
as a snake, then there must be a real snake. Or, why
would there be a perception of snake? We cannot
recognize something that doesn't exist. 

A person who doesn't have knowledge of snake wouldn't
mistake the rope for the snake. So how did this
knowledge of snake come about, if it were unreal?

This is usually the argument of dvaitins, but these
questions crop up anyhow, if we are to consider this
analogy. How is it explained in advaita?

Warmly,
Suresh