THE Doctrine of Maya - HolyBooks.com

88 THE DOCTRINE OF MAYAhence possess no independent existence whatever.It isonly the ignorant, says Sankara, who regardthe image in the glass as real (ii. 6).But it may beobjected that the two phenomena in question arenot quite similar, consequently to deduce the futilityof either from its similarity to the other is not valid.The objects seen in dreams are not copies of thoseseen in the waking condition. In dreams one is notalways having experience in harmony with the objectsof sense, but sees objects transcending the limits ofexperience. For instance, one sees objects which arenever found in the waking condition and has strangeexperiences, such as finding oneself with eight handssitting on an elephant with four heads, and so forth.All these are not copies of anything unreal, hencethey are real in themselves. But it may be repliedthat all this rests on a misunderstanding. Thatwhich issupposed to transcend the limits of experience in dreams is not an absolute reality in itself butonly a condition of the cogniser conditioned by thatstate. As those living in heaven, such as Indraand others, have a thousand eyes, etc., by the veryconditions of their existence, so the transcending ofthe limits of experience is the very condition of thecogniser in dreams. Hence, as the rope, the serpent,the mirage, etc., being merely the conditions of thecogniser, are unreal, so the transcendent phenomenaof dreams are only a result of the condition of thecogniser, and, therefore, unreal 1 (ii. 8). Further,1See Dvivedi, Mandukya Upanisad, etc., trans, p. 42.