[Advaita-l] World is Flower in the Sky

[vinayaka ns]

On Thu, Apr 4, 2013 at 8:40 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Namaste
>
> Gaudapada Karika is saying in Vaitathya Prakarana
>
> 5 Thoughtful persons speak of the sameness of the waking and dream states
> on account of the similarity of the objects perceived in both states on the
> grounds already mentioned.
>

Yes, both are unreal from absolute standpoint. The reason being both are
'seen'.


> 13 The Lord (Atman), with His mind turned outward, imagines in diverse
> forms various objects either permanent, such as the earth, or impermanent,
> such as lightning, which are already in His mind in the form of vasanas, or
> desires. Again, He turns His mind within and imagines various ideas.
>
> 14 Those that are cognized internally only as long as the thought of them
> lasts and those that are perceived outside and relate to two points in
> time, are all mere objects of the imagination. There is no ground for
> differentiating the one from the other.
>

Here is a note from Swami Nikhilananda which may help you in the proper
understanding of the kArika:

"As a potter or weaver, in order to produce a pot or a cloth, first of all,
imaginges these in his mind and subsequently manifests them outside,
associating them with appropriate names and forms, so also the great Lord,
first of all, conceives in his mind as an idea, the external world to be
and then project it outside associating it with suitable means and forms.

"The world that is seen extended in time and space, with its permanent and
impermanent objects as well as the various ideas which are distinguished
from matter, all are nothing but the ideas in the mind of the creator i.e.,
Atman as Ishwara. This Atman or the causal Self creates by his imagination
the ego and the non-ego as well as their mutual relationship.

"The word 'Imagination' is used as the equivalent of 'kalpanA'. The English
term is generally used to denote the mental construction of the individual
soul of self. The sanskrit term applies to both Ishwara (the Atman) and the
individual soul.



> Both objects in waking and dream are imagined. No real object is there
> outside. No real object is there inside.
>
> All objects are imagined all objects are equally false. They are Asat. You
> cannot say one shell silver is Mithya and another Rabbit Horns is Asat.
> Because you imagine silver shell and you imagine Rabbit horns also. They
> are same.
>
>
According to vEdAnta the 'ego' never creates the 'non-ego' . If that was
the case, then it is not at very different from solipsism. I am giving the
relevant portions of the bhAshya for your reference:

*All Vedânta-texts moreover declare that the Lord is the only cause of all
creation. And his creating all creatures in forms and conditions
corresponding to--and retributive of--their former deeds, is just what
entitles us to call the Lord the cause of all fruits of actions. BSB 3.2.41*

*
*

*na cha girinadIsamudrAdishu nAnAvividheshu nAmarUpeshu anIshwarasya
jIvasya vyAkaraNasAmarthyam asthi.*

*
*

And with regard to all the manifold names and forms such as mountains,
rivers, oceans, etc., no soul, apart from the Lord, possesses the power of
evolution....

BSB 2.4.20


With this I stop. If you still have doubts, the systematic study of
prasthAnatraya under a competent AchArya is the only way to get your doubts
resolved.


-- 
Best Wishes,

Vinayaka