Ultimate Advaitic Example

So far, we have looked at many classic Advaitic examples. The first blog on “illusions” makes us aware that what we see and experience is not the ultimate reality. The second blog on “cause” shows a material cause behind creation, leading to the dualistic schools of philosophies. The third blog, combines “illusions” and “cause” to walk through the four stages of Advatic philosophy using the clay-pot and clay example. In this blog, ultimate Advaitic example, we look at the most profound example – rope and snake.

The example – rope and snake

There is a rope on the ground. A person, from far way, sees the rope and thinks it is a snake. This scares the person. When the person walks up closer and examines the snake, he/she sees that it is only a rope. The person is relieved.

Philosophical Explanation

The “snake” is like the “clay pot”. It is the observed world, including our body and mind. If we do not examine further, we will experience the vicissitudes of the changing world and will experience joy and sorrow like the first stage in the previous blog.

Knowledge and examination help us realize that in reality there is only a rope. The rope in the example is the “Atman” or consciousness.

In this example, the rope was not a material cause of the snake. However, if the rope were not there we would not have mistaken it for a snake. So, the rope is a cause for the vision of a snake, even if it were not the material cause. The example is most appropriate for Advaitic Vedanta because it completely skips the confusion of creation.

The third stage in the previous examples involves the cause permeating the effect. In this example, this step is mostly skipped allowing you to directly jump to the last step.

In the last step, when you realize there is only the “rope”, you understand that the “snake” was an illusion and that the “snake” did not have any reality apart from the “rope”. Therefore, the “rope” is the ultimate reality. Or “Atman” or consciousness is the ultimate reality.

The main difference between this example and the clay-pot, clay example is that here the world is given no importance and is swept away as an illusion. In the clay-pot example, the clay-pot is real and has a purpose. Like the world, body, and mind are real and have a purpose. In the snake-rope example, Advaitic Vedanta asks you to give very little importance to the world, body, and mind and implores you to strive to use knowledge to realize the ultimate reality – the Atman.

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