Question: It is unknown to those who know it and known to those who do not. You do not keep the non-dual state when awake. Awake you will never be aware of it, the mind can’t experience it. How do you know you have it?
Shri Prabhuji:
It is unknown to those who know it.
Atma is not an object to be known. Mind cannot know it as object. Atma is unknowable by mind.
It is known to those who do not.
Those who know atma is unknowable object but pure subject I know it. Knowing atma means “I am unknowable Atma” – knowing is being.
Awake you will never be aware of it.
Awake here means mind projecting thoughts. In waking state and dream state, mind keeps projecting thoughts. In sleep there are no thoughts.
Awake in Vedanta means you are awake to the world. Subject object duality is there in this state of ignorance. Hence you will never be aware of True SELF beyond subject object duality.
How do you know you have it?
Only when you recognize true SELF in waking sleep (jagrat sushupti) through SELF enquiry/Nidhidhyasa you will know it always – in waking, dreaming, deep sleep. In all the states True SELF is always present. You will recognize ” I am SELF presence in all states
When movie is projected on screen, screen is not seen. However if you see the screen, you know screen is there in all movies. Here movie is mind, screen is SELF.