[Advaita-l] Sri Shankara Declares

[Aditya Kumar]

 Pranams Bhaskarji,
   

>  likewise, a waking world object would not serve any utility in dream state.  So, waking state objects serves ONLY waking world's practical utility and dream world's object serves the purpose in its corresponding state ONLY i.e. dream.  
A : The objects are perceived by their respective indriyas. We can hear only through ears and see only through eyes. So objects, by definition, correspond to their respective indriyas. However, the panchendriyas are not in play in dreams. Hence when it is called a dream 'object', it is not taken in the literal sense. 



>  well when we look at these things with the above view point, the answer is quite clear, all 'socalled' objects hold water only in its respective domain :-)
A : The Vedas themselves consider pratyaksha pramana - a valid means of knowledge. This honour is given to jagrat avastha but why not svapna if both are exactly the same? All the other pramanas like inference etc are based on jagrat avastha. If objects in waking state serve only the utility in jagrat avastha, then does that mean we have to study the Vedas separately in dream avastha as well? If someone gets moksha/realizes the self in waking state, then that person could be a hedonist in dream state and should start all over again? 
The objects serve their purpose when they come in touch with their respective indriyas. That is the reason dream state can never be a pramana and that is also the main difference between jagrat and svapna. 
 


>  the mAndUkya, kArika-s and bhAshya on it vehemently argue to prove both waking and dream are one and the same and Atman is avasthAteeta.  Shruti also elsewhere says tasya traya avasathA trayi svapnAH :-) But it does not deny the srushti of Ishwara which is available for us in jAgrat avasthA.  Hence bhAshyakAra elsewhere clearly differentiates the two states and categorically says that in dream objects there is no 'smell' of paramArtha where as for the srushti , which is available for our day to day transaction, Ishwara is the both material and efficient cause.  
A : The MK only draws similarities between the two states in relation to sushupti. Neither Shankara nor Gaudapada say they are the same. But that is only my understanding. 

>  As you know all these things need to be understood keeping different prakriya-s in mind.  
A : Well it's like two completely different versions of Advaita. 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar