The classic Advaita analogy of the rope and snake (rajju-sarpa) makes its appearance. In dim light, a rope is misperceived as a snake; when examined, only the rope exists — the snake was never there. Similarly, the universe (viśva) is a superimposition (kalpita) on Brahman. For one who knows the reality of Brahman, the question of accepting or rejecting the world is moot — you cannot accept or reject what was never truly there. This analogy, also used by Śaṅkara, is the definitive illustration of vivarta-vāda, the theory that the world is an appearance, not a real transformation.