Dear James,
The term “superimposition” is not easy for me to understand. I understand this verse to mean that the “qualities” of silver (the luster, the value) are transferred to mother-of-pearl. Mother of pearl borrows these qualities. In a corresponding way, the always present I (ME – Awareness) is transferred to the Jiva-I (as the I-sense). If so, then the verse should have to be: … the “I” is superimposed on the jiva (not on the self)”?
James: The transference can go either way. Ignorance transfers Awareness to the subtle body and it transfers the reflection to Awareness. Superimposition means that one thing is confused with something that is similar but is actually different. The “I-sense” is like the Self but it isn’t the Self. When a person sees a piece of a sea shell on the beach it looks like silver but it is actually calcium carbonate, which is called mother of pearl. It looks valuable from a distance but it is revealed to be just a common chemical when you examine it.
The “I-sense” or the Subtle Body, which is made of sattvic matter, reflects awareness. it seems to be conscious but it isn’t actually conscious. The Self, which is consciousness, is the only knower but it gains gets the power of knowledge and life when Maya adds sattva. It looks like a conscious entity, but it actually isn’t. It is consciousness appearing as a conscious entity, a human being. Superimposition happens because the Self is more subtle than its reflection in the Subtle Body. Vedanta i.e. discrimination between satya and mithya removes superimposition, the confusion.
Love,
James
