Ignorance of Brahman projects this world

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ADVAITA BODHA DEEPIKA[LAMP OF NON-DUAL KNOWLEDGE][Originally

Sri Shankaracharya and other great Sages hadwritten several works like the commentary on the Vedanta Sutrasand thus furnished the methods for those engaged in Self enquiryto accomplish their purpose.From those, Sri Karapatra Swami later condensed thesalient

points

into

Sanskrit

verse

in a work of twelve chapters,called Sri Advaita

Bodha Deepika.Still later, some great man seems to have translated thisinto Tamil prose. For some unknown reasons only some eightchapters

of

the

same

are found published.]ON SUPERIMPOSITION31-32. Disciple: What is Projection?Master: Though he is the unchanging, formless, Supreme, Blissful,non-dual Self, the man thinks of himself as the body with handsand legs, the doer and experiencer; objectively sees this man andthat man, this thing and that thing, and is deluded. This delusionof perceiving the external universe on the non-dual Realityenveloped by it, is Projection. This is Superimposition.33. D.: What is Superimposition?M.: To mistake something which is, for somethingwhich is not — like a rope for a snake, a post for a thief, andmirage for water. The appearance of a false thing on a real issuperimposition.34. D.: What is here the unreal superimposition on thereal thing, the substratum?M.: The non-dual Being-Knowledge-Bliss or the SupremeBrahman is the Reality. Just as the false name and form of snakeis superimposed on a rope, so also on the non-dual Reality thereis superimposed the category of sentient beings and insentientthings. Thus the names and forms which appear as the universe,make up the superimposition. This is the unreal phenomenon.D.: In the Reality which is non-dual, who is there to bringabout this superimposition?M.: It is Maya.D.: What is Maya?35. M.: It is the ignorance about the aforesaid Brahman.D.: What is this Ignorance?M.: Though the Self is Brahman, there is not the knowledgeof the Self (being Brahman). That which obstructs this knowledgeof the Self is Ignorance.D.: How can this project the world?M.: Just as ignorance of the substratum, namely the rope,projects the illusion of a snake, so Ignorance of Brahman projectsthis world.36. M.: It must be regarded an illusion because it issuperimposed and does not exist either before (perception) orafter (knowledge).D.: How can it be said that it does not exist either before(perception) or after (knowledge)?M.: In order to be created, it could not have been beforecreation (i.e. it comes into existence simultaneously with orafter creation); in dissolution it cannot exist; now in the intervalit simply appears like a magic-born city in mid air. Inasmuch asit is not seen in deep sleep, shocks and Samadhi, it follows thateven now it is only a super imposition and therefore an illusion.