Sleep

Aruni speaks to Svetaketu

Chandogyopanishad

 

What happens when a person sleeps?  What does it mean by the condition of sleep? What is its significance? If at all sleep state has any significance?

Uddalaka Aruni explains the state of sleep (Svapna) to his son Svetaketu.

 

Note: ‘Sva-pna’ means sleep.  ‘Sva-pna’ is derived and explained as ‘svam apiti’, which means ‘one returns to one’s true Self’. 

           

            Aruni: “My Dear son, Svetaketu, I would like to impart you the finest wisdom about the state of sleep. When a person enters into deep sleep condition, does he get connected to his True Self, his very own Self?  Yes, it is very much so! That is why it is a highly enriching a state. People know it as ‘Svapna i.e. Svam-apitah iti svapnah’ – ‘one has got to one’s own real Being’.

            “My Dear! An analogy will help you getting through my point.  Just as a bird, tied to a post with a string, flies to far away distances in the sky, yet does not find any foothold to rest upon and therefore finally returns home, same is the case of human mind. It is so since mind is tied to Prana in the first instance (And then it is rooted to Consciousness)”.

 

Note:  State of mind. It is helpful to understand mind to have clarity on sleep state. An analogy will help. Moon does not have its own light.  But ‘moonlight’ is a fact through it is not true.  Secondly, an image of moon fallen on a mirror or water appears bright and illuminated, though this brightness is not real.  It is rather false and illusive. Similar is the case of mind, senses and body which appear to have consciousness, but it is not their own consciousness.  But the hard fact is that these are (jada) non-conscious.  Mind and senses give a false impression of being conscious due to their proximity to Consciousness (Brahman). 

It is just like a reflection of a person appearing on a mirror, similarly, mind, senses and body appear to be conscious. But the fact is otherwise.

Let us take it to the next level. A ‘Living Self’ is an individualized entity.  It appears perfectly independent and free having no connection to anything else. Vedanta says that this is the myth and this has to be unraveled through wisdom of Advaita (monism).  Sun has entered into water and a reflection is created on the surface.  Brahman (Pure Consciousness) has entered into an individual, mind, senses, body and its organs —all of this in combination is an ‘individual self’ —looks like conscious, but just on the surface. Just as we can do some work under the (false) moonshine, in the same manner, we can conduct our worldly activities by using mind, senses etc. under the (borrowed) light of Brahman.      

This significant matter has been spoken of in other Upanishads as well.  Here are a few quotes:  “As if reflecting, as if scintillating, becoming dream, he passes beyond the world” (Brihadaranyakopanisad.4.4.5); “This Self indeed is Brahman”' (ibid.2.4.1)’  “Consisting of cognitions, consisting of the mind” (ibid.4.4.5);  “Through dream, entering the body etc.” (ibid.4.3.1); “While breathing, he becomes Prana” (ibid.1.4.7) and so forth.

Now this ‘Personal Self’, subsisting in the mind and coming to be called by the name of mind, becomes turned away from the objects of sense-experience, on the cessation of the mind and retires into (sleep) and subsists in Brahman which is his own Self.  In the deep sleep state (Svapna), the ‘mirror’ (outwardly pulls of the worldly engagements through mind, Prana and senses) has been removed.  The person is now on his ‘own’.   

       During the waking state (jagrad-avastha) owing to merit and demerit, one experiences pleasure and pain.  This is excessively tiresome (Brihadaranyakopanishad-1.5.21 confirms this in these words: ‘Speech is tired, eyes are tired etc.’).  This ‘mirror’ poses as a true challenge.  Hence it is said that ‘the bird is bound to come back’ to Self.