Tattva Bodha - Post 20

DEEP SLEEP STATE

Atha sushupti avasthaa kaa?

                       “Aham kimapi na jaanaami”,             

Iti sushupti avasthaa.

Kaarana shareera abhimaani

aatmaa “Praajna” iti uchyate.

Then what is the Deep Sleep State?

“I do not know anything”,

“A good sleep was enjoyed by me”;

such a state is called Deep Sleep.

Identifying Itself with the causal body,

the Self is called “PRAJNA” in this state.

Sushupti Avastha – Dreamless Sleep 

The third state is the state of sleep. Sometimes this is translated as Deep Sleep to indicate a dreamless sleep. In Sanskrit we call this Sushupti Avastha. 

Mind 

Unlike Jagrat Avastha and Svapna where the mind was fully functional and half-functional respectively, in Sushupti Avastha the mind is fully non-functional and almost zero functional. 

That is why since emotional faculty is not there in sleep, emotions are not there, since rational faculty is not there, no knowledge, and since memory faculty is not functioning, no memory, and since Ego faculty is not functioning, there is not even the sense of ‘I am sleeping’. All these are dormant. 

Nature 

                                                                 

Since sense-organs are not functioning, the external world is not there. 

Since memories are not functioning, internal world is not there. 

Therefore, there is neither external concrete objective world nor internal abstract subjective world. Therefore, it is an experience of blankness. We call it as Ajnaana Anubhavaha – state of total ignorance or blackout or blankness. This is the nature of the experience. 

Medium 

The dominant medium is to be seen now. 

Sthoola Shareeram is not dominantly functioning because sense organs are not functioning.

Sookshma Shareeram is not dominantly functioning because memories are not thrown out. Therefore, what is dominant is the Kaarana Shareeram Pradhana Avastha. A state in which Kaarana Shareeram is dominant when Sthoola Shareeram and Sookshma Shareeram are as though resolved because they are not functional. Whatever is not functioning is as good as resolved. 

During Kaarana Shariram Pradhana Avastha, all our internal and external experiences remain in dormant condition and from that alone they will come back the next day. 

Hence to summarise, when I am associated with Jagrat Avastha, I am called the Waker. When associated with Svapna Avastha, I am called Dreamer. When associated with Sushupti Avastha I am called a sleeper. 

Explanation of the Terms VISWA, TAIJASA and PRAJNA: 

These were the terms used for the ego-self experiencing each of the states described above, namely the waking, dream and deep sleep respectively. 

Because the ego experiences itself differently when it is in the different states, the ego-self is given different names depending on which state it is experiencing. 

i) Visva: This is the normal state of the ego, in the waking state. All three bodies are available to it and hence it is called “Visva”, meaning all-encompassing. 

All the associations related to our physical existence play a role in building up the “Visva” ego-sense. Our family relations, our friends, our enemies, our image in the eyes of the world, our earthly possessions, our ambitions, our bundle of desires, and all our actions in trying to fulfil them – all these are part of our Visva-ego. 

The more identified we are with this world, the thicker is the ego entangling us to it. 

ii) Taijasa: This is the ego of the dream state. The physical body and the senses and intellect are not available in this state. Only the mind (with the memory available to it) to create the dream “stuff”, and the Vasanas to give them some form, are available. 

Because there are no physical restrictions in this state, the mind bursts into expression in all its restless, energetic fervor, giving the name “Taijasa” to this ego. The ego experiences the freedom of having no intellect to keep watch over it, so although what it does in this state may bring no Karma to itself, if we analyze our dream from the point of view of how the ego behaved in it, we would come to some astonishing facts about our own ego. 

iii) Prajna: This is the ego-sense experiencing “nothingness”. It is free from mind and intellect, so it is unoppressed ego. It is quite happy being in this condition, therefore enjoying it as “refreshing, relaxing, being happy,” etc. It is what the wise enjoy consciously in Samadhi. And, indeed, we have to say that everyone, even the most evil-minded, is a saint when in the deep sleep state! Prajna means “the bliss of ignorance”. 

Dear All,

The three states were described lucidly in a small talk in which the author described thus:-

    1) He went to a temple, had a good darshan and came back - WAKING STATE

    2) He had a nice dream – DREAM STATE

    3) Same night, he slept without any dream – DEEP SLEEP STATE

And, he concluded by saying that there was someone, something, who had been witnessing all these three states and conveying to him. This presence of someone/something other than the author is proved beyond doubt when, in the 3^rd state, next morning, he is aware that he had a nice sound sleep without any dream the previous night.

In that deep sleep, as explained earlier in the post, none of the 3 equipments - his body, his mind and his intellect was active. That means, there was some witness existing even while the BMI was non-existent, which conveys to him that he had a nice sleep previous night.

We shall take up more on this eternal witness in some later post/theme.

Love.