When Swami-ji answers questions
he often pauses and does not finish sentences, leaving the listener
to complete it in his mind. This is done by the context and by
the thought present in the room at the time. The pauses are shown
as (- -) some of them are completed to help readers with the
meaning.
Swamiji
Your question - - you are all practising
(sadhana) so your questions are relevant; I appreciate
it (real questions). (Later) we will talk (- -) (in more detail),
" How we can reach this faith?"(i.e. penetrate the
veil of separateness) and really speaking this veil is also imagination;
that is the beauty of it.
But as long as we are in a
dream we think it (the dream) is true, is it not? Only when we
are awakened to wakefulness, then we realise it is a dream (mithya).
In the same way, when we are (- -) ; those who have transcended
the empirical plane and reached that absolute plane; --- they
say that these (dreams of the world) are all passing away, transient
is the best word, rather than "not real".
Until, those who know mithya,
Shankaracharya used the word mithya. ---- but mithya has two
meanings one is - no thing - there is nothing - that is mithya
(i.e. a dream is not really in existence)- the other meaning
is - that which is removed by knowledge (i.e. like the magicians
trick to one who knows it) - is mithya.
(A man sees a piece of rope
in a corner of a room in the half light and imagines it is a
snake this brings fear etc. with it.) You are mistaking a piece
of rope in the dusk (half light). You are mistaking a piece of
rope as a snake, when you come to know the true nature of the
rope, the snake disappears. Is it not? That means (when) the
true nature of the rope (appears) you (have) removed your ignorance.
That (ignorance) is what is
called mithya. In the same way as long as the jagat (the
idea of the world), is real, to those people it is real, those
who have not thought of the higher thing, the reality, for them
the world is real, as long as it (the ignorance) is there, so
mithya has the latter meaning, that which is removed by knowledge.
That is mithya.
If we know the substratum
of the world, (also of) our own existence including the body,
then we come to know that these (ideas of the world) are all
(mithya). The transient things are (- -) (mithya), not the real.
The substratum is real.. The snake is not (really) there. Because
of our ignorance of the true nature of rope the snake (appears
to) come . That also, see how beautiful it (the analogy) is,
that also (happens) in dusk. Not in daylight.
Complete daylight you can
see the rope, and complete darkness you wont see the rope either.
(i.e the worldly person has no concept of the illusion). So the
jiva (individual self) has got a vague idea of its true nature,
in spite of himself (his ego). That is the beauty. So learn that
knowledge (the knowledge of experience), that is the purpose
of practise.
I think it (the analogy) is
clear. You can think (about it) and ask your questions afterwards.
I like such (questions from) those who have practised (the philosophy
in their lives). Simply pedantic questions and answers there
is no use. It is wasting the time you know. We must translate
whatever we have read or know (heard) into (a meaning) in our
life. Otherwise it is a wild goose chase. ---