[Advaita-l] Ghost of the mind

[V Subrahmanian]

Ghost of the mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwAmL95uo3s

Here the Swami says: 'The man died of fear, not by the snake-bite nor by
the mouse-bite.'

Unreal cause results in real effect

Shankara's words enacted in a live incident:

In the BSB 2.1.14 while explaining that an unreal cause can result in a
real effect, Shankara says:

न हि रज्जुसर्पेण दष्टो म्रियते ; नापि मृगतृष्णिकाम्भसा पानावगाहनादिप्रयोजनं
क्रियत इति । नैष दोषः, शङ्काविषादिनिमित्तमरणादिकार्योपलब्धेः,
स्वप्नदर्शनावस्थस्य च सर्पदंशनोदकस्नानादिकार्यदर्शनात् ।
तत्कार्यमप्यनृतमेवेति चेद्ब्रूयात्, अत्र ब्रूमः — यद्यपि
स्वप्नदर्शनावस्थस्य सर्पदंशनोदकस्नानादिकार्यमनृतम्, तथापि तदवगतिः सत्यमेव
फलम्, प्रतिबुद्धस्याप्यबाध्यमानत्वात् ; न हि स्वप्नादुत्थितः स्वप्नदृष्टं
सर्पदंशनोदकस्नानादिकार्यं मिथ्येति मन्यमानस्तदवगतिमपि मिथ्येति मन्यते
कश्चित् ।

We certainly do not observe that a man bitten by a rope-snake (i.e. a snake
falsely imagined in a rope) dies, nor is the water appearing in a mirage
used for drinking or bathing 1
<http://www.bharatadesam.com/spiritual/brahma_sutra/brahma_sutra_sankara_34153.php#fn_286>.--This
objection, we reply, is without force (because as a matter of fact we do
see real effects to result from unreal causes), for we observe that death
sometimes takes place from imaginary venom, (when a man imagines himself to
have been bitten by a venomous snake,) and effects (of what is perceived in
a dream) such as the bite of a snake or bathing in a river take place with
regard to a dreaming person.--But, it will be said, these effects
themselves are unreal!--These effects themselves, we reply, are unreal
indeed; but not so the consciousness which the dreaming person has of them.
This consciousness is a real result; for it is not sublated by the waking
consciousness.

//  http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/workers-panic-as-
lizards-tail-is-found-in-breakfast/article8623198.ece

Workers panicked after they heard that a colleague had found a lizard’s
tail in his breakfast plate in a private industry in the Naubad industrial
area here on Thursday.

As the news spread, around 30 workers vomited thinking that they too might
have consumed “poison”.

“They were all admitted to hospital and discharged in a few hours. They are
all healthy and fit, and will soon return to work,” factory manager Rajesh
Rao said.

A team of Health Department officers visited the unit and gave tips on
handling such situations, District Health and Family Welfare Officer
Baburao Hudgikar said.//

regards

subbu