[Advaita-l] Sri Shankara Declares

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Apr 2, 2018 at 1:11 PM, Aditya Kumar <kumaraditya22 at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> The main difference between a dream object and an object in waking state
> is that dream objects don't serve any practical utility. I can't cook with
> a dream vessel, can't use the gold obtained in dreams etc. Further, dream
> is not a pramana but the waking state world is pratyaksha pramana.
>

In the svapnadhikarana in the Brahma sutra bhashya, there is one sutra for
informing us that 'some dreams are indicators of an event in the future
waking.'  There is a svapna shaastra that all Vedantins have agreed upon
that talks about these things. In the Ramayana, for instance, Trijata
(Ravana's daughter) had a dream in which Ravana was riding a donkey,
smeared in oil and going towards a particular direction. And Rama was
riding a white elephant, etc. This dream is indicative of an imminent
disaster for Ravana and victory for Rama. She shares her dream with Seetha.
And the things that unfolded is there for all to see.


> Although pratyaksha is lesser pramana, it is still a pramana nonetheless.
> However dreams cannot be pramanas.
>
> A mirage and an oasis are never the same. It need not be the same for
> Brahman to be ultimately real. The only pointer is that we can draw
> similarities between dream state and waking state. We only infer the other
> two states in waking state. Inference is again rooted in practical
> evidence. The only similarity between dream and waking state is the triad
> of experiencer,experienced and the experience. In sushupti this triad is
> absent.
>

Actually in sushupti too there is a triad; the Mandukya Upanishad/Karikas
talk about bhoga, bhokta, bhogya in sushupti as well. Only that objects of
the waking/dream are not experienced. Nevertheless, the bliss of sleep, the
ignorance prevailing then are all experienced by the jiva, praajna. He
recalls upon waking 'I slept happily, did not know anything.' This
recollection cannot be unless there has been an experience of these in the
sleep and an experiencer.

regards
subbu

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