The Existence And Non Existence Of Ignorance!-Part II

An opponent asks, "If everything is unreal then what is the status of the Vedas: the Scriptures? They point out different worlds and methods of attaining them. They also point out that we are in bondage and must seek and gain knowledge to liberate ourselves. The Vedas are unreal then they will lose their authority as means of knowledge"

The Vedantin responds, "When do the Vedas lose their validity, before or after gaining knowledge? If after gaining knowledge the Vedas become meaningless, then it is a desirable thing. But before gaining knowledge they act as valid means of knowledge. To satiate dream-hunger we must eat dream-food even though when we wake up the whole dream becomes unreal.

In the non-apprehension(ignorance) of the Self, misapprehensions such as sufferings, heaven, liberation etc. arise. Wake up and from the Self lookout; there is Self alone.

In this long dream (consisting of the universe, projected out of the great sleep called the ignorance of the Self) alone do all these delusions like heaven liberation etc, spring forth.

The whole universe of things and beings is a long, long dream. This world, other worlds, individuals who are striving to gain heaven or to gain liberation, the means which they adopt, the fruits which they gain - all these have the same degree of reality. This great dream is caused by the great beginningless sleep.

When we are dreaming we make use of the dream-requirements. In the same way we should make use of the Vedas. The different worlds pointed out in the Vedas are as real as the world in front of us. The so called rational people deny the existence of the other world, but readily accept this world blindly! In the Absolute Truth, of course, no worlds exist.

Vedanta is bold enough to say that even the idea of liberation is unreal! If bondage, which is caused by ignorance is only an illusion then how can liberation be real? The idea of liberation in comparison with the idea of bondage is false but liberation as the nature of the Self, is real (nitya mukta).

If an individual feels that he is bound then he should gain liberation. Without understanding the Truth, to say that everything is a dream is not proper. The Vedas are the valid means of knowledge to realise that 'Truth' which is always beyond both knowledge and ignorance!