[Advaita-l] Prapatti - Jiiva and Iswara

[Kalyan K]

Sri Subramanian writes: "The Self is the Knower as the sAkShi of the
operations of the mind-sense
organ combine.  Whether it is ignorance or knowledge that these operations
generate, the sAkShI knows.  'Knowing' by the sAkShI is only a figurative
expression; the sAkShI only illlumines the operations of the mind-sense
organs.  The pramAtA, the knower, who is the one endowed with the mind and
sense organs, operates the sense organs, the pramANas, to know an object,
prameya, in order to gain a knowledge  called pramiti.  The sAkshi just
illumines the entire process."


Dear Sri Subramanian-ji, I am sorry I still did not understand this. Is it
the mind that knows? Or is it the pramAtA, who is endowed with mind and
sense organs that knows? If the latter, who is this pramAtA?

I understand that the Self is the witness. But what does it mean to say
that the Self illuminates the entire process? What does the word illuminate
mean here?


Regards
Kalyan