[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** Re: [advaitin] rope has some problem in rope snake analogy :-)

[Vikram Jagannathan]

Namaskaram Shri Bhaskar ji,

While there are ongoing deeper discussions, I would like to get your kind
attention to your earlier response.

// I reckon first we have to take a deeper look at Sri Venktaraghavan
prabhuji's observation i.e. snake is not 'mental imagination' but has a
locus outside rope. Because this is what exactly I was having in mind when
I was talking about  rope is having some problem in -rope-snake' analogy. //

If I understand your position correctly, the perceived snake is purely a
"mental imagination" and doesn't have any reality whatsoever (paramarthika
/ vyavaharika / pratibhasika) outside the mind. Thus the locus of the
snake, even while being perceived as such, is the mind alone.

If so, I have some detailed follow-up questions for you (and others
interested in this exercise), to flush out all ambiguity, and earnestly
solicit your response:

Let's consider the following scenario - Part 1:
Ram and Shyam are walking in Ram's house. In a dimly-lit corridor they
perceive a long thin curled "object" lying on the floor, which actually is
a rope. Ram cognizes it as a rope and is indifferent to it. Shyam cognizes
it as a snake, becomes fearful and starts shivering.

>From Ram's current perspective:
Q1: What, per his understanding, is the locus of the object of his
cognition - rope? Object on the floor / mind?
Q2: What is the relative ontological status of the rope as the object? Sat
(vyavaharika) / mithya (pratibhasika) / asat?
Q3: What is the relative ontological status of the snake as the object? Sat
(vyavaharika) / mithya (pratibhasika) / asat?

>From Shyam's current perspective:
Q4: What, per his understanding, is the locus of the object of his
cognition - snake? Object on the floor / mind?
Q5: What is the relative ontological status of the snake as the object? Sat
(vyavaharika) / mithya (pratibhasika) / asat?
Q6: What is the level of reality of his experience of his body shivering
from the cognition of the snake? Vyavaharika / pratibhasika?

>From the rope's current perspective:
Q7: Hypothetically, if the rope has cognitive awareness, does it cognize
itself as possessing the nature & attributes of a rope or a snake? Rope /
snake?

Next, let's continue with the scenario - Part 2:
Seeing Shyam fearful, Ram clarifies that "it is just a rope". On hearing
these words, Shyam recognizes the object as a rope. His fear is gone but
his body is still shivering

>From Ram's new perspective:
Q8: Has there been any change in his cognition of the object? Yes/ no?

>From Shyam's new perspective:
Q9: What now, per his current understanding, is the locus of the object of
his current cognition - rope? Object on the floor / mind?
Q10: What now, per his current understanding, is the locus of the object of
his earlier cognition - snake? Object on the floor / mind?
Q11: What is the relative ontological status of the rope as the object? Sat
(vyavaharika) / mithya (pratibhasika) / asat?
Q12: What is the relative ontological status of the snake as the object?
Sat (vyavaharika) / mithya (pratibhasika) / asat?
Q13: What now is the level of reality of his experience of his body
shivering from the cognition of the snake? Vyavaharika / pratibhasika?

>From the rope's new perspective:
Q14: Hypothetically, if the rope has cognitive awareness, has there been
any change in its cognition of its nature & attributes? Yes / no?

Furthermore,
Q15: When did Shyam realize that his experience was an adhyasa (error /
avidya / ignorance) of "rope misunderstood as a snake"? End of part 1 or
end of part 2?

As an additional request, as it would help streamline deeper discussion, I
would like you to please indulge in reviewing alignment of the 50 points I
shared in the link ->
https://archive.org/details/reflections-on-fundamentals-of-advaita

with humble prostrations,
Vikram