[Advaita-l] Can a mithyA-vastu produce an effect? असत्यवस्तुनः अर्थक्रियाकारित्वम्

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

2011/4/26 V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>:
> 2011/4/26 Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com>
>
>> Namaste
>>
>>
>> If we tell a lie to a mother her soldier son is dead in the war she
>> will weep with sadness. Her son is not dead but her tears are not
>> false. But when she comes to know after some time it is a lie she will
>> think I wept for no purpose. It was a waste. What is the use of her
>> tears?  Where is the Arthakriyakaritva of the lie?
>> --
>> Regards
>>
>> -Venkatesh
>>
>
> Namaste.
>
> In the first instance, the lie told to her has had its effect -  of invoking
> grief in her; she shed tears..  This is the arthakriyAkAritva of the lie.
> This is because the one who told her the lie had in his mind this or some
> other effect to manifest. That objective is achieved once she gave in to the
> grief which manifested in the form of her shedding tears.
>
> Regards,
> subrahmanian.v


But Yudhisthira told a lie Ashwatthamo Hataha to Drona. Ashwatthama
was not dead.  But Drona thinks he is dead.  He puts down his weapons.
Then the Pandava army kills him. The lie had a purpose. It made Drona
put down his weapons.  If we tell the lie to the mother of her son
what is the use of this lie? What is the motive? This lie is useless.

Some lies may have Arthakriyakaritva but we cannot say all lies will have it.

Sometimes somebody may see a woman in a dream and get excited and
there may be a flow of seed. The woman is a dream woman only and may
not be there in real life.   He wakes up. What is the use here? He has
wasted his Brahmacharya.

-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh