Dream and beyond dream

The three states of existence (The words in italics are the Sanskrit words. These words can be read in the Sanskrit English dictionary by Sir Monier Williams, available in Internet at <http://www.sanskritlexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/> The Sanskrit words in italics are in Itrans version.) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Our three basic states of existence have been cited in details in various Upanishads(Upanishads are parts of Vedas).We are either awake, or asleep or in dream. The realm of dream has been stated as "saMdhi (Junction) sthaana(station, place)",i.e. the place of the confluence of sleep and wakeful state. It has been stated that like a tired bird returning to the nest after the whole day's chores, we return, flying in our inner sky, toward our nest, the place of rest and reach the lands of dream and sleep. During our dream we get every thing inside us, in us, which all we otherwise get when we are wakeful. During dream we see without eyes, we run without legs, we wave without hands! Some dreams are so thoroughly enjoyable that we feel sad if the dream ends prematurely. It is as if somebody (mother nature) is teaching us that we can have a state where even without our physical organs we can continue to live in a very similar way as during the wakeful state. Dream is called ''svapna" in Sanskrit meaning ''svayam(soul) + apnoti(to achieve)".Further it is told "svayam nirmaya(made by the soul),

svayam vihattya (annihilated by the soul; the physical state is annihilated during the dream) sveyna bhasa(by the soul's radiance) svayam jyoti(by the soul's formation, geometry)". Soul means the real ''you'', real ''we'', the One by whom we are created, in whom we live, in whom we die, by whom we are made, the ONE who is all'', whose fragmented selves are our selves. So, Rishis, seers have told, during the state of dream, the physical state is removed, every thing is recreated by Him, by His own radiance (expression), by His own formation. Another hymn of Upanishads says "svapnena (by the dream) sharIram(body) aviprahattya(by kiling, anihilating) asupta( who is always awake, who never sleeps) suptaM (who is sleeping) avichakashiti(looks at him); sukram adaya(giving back his elements) punaraity(again bring him back) sthanam(to the station or place where he is awake) hironmoyo(golden) purusha(soul, who lives in the 'pur' or body) aeka (one) hansa(the flying or moving Prana, the Divine Life). (The Soul destroys the physicality during the dream, HE the ever wakeful keeps on looking at the one sleeping, He again brings him/her back to his/her wakeful state by instilling in him/her all his/her elements as before. HE is the Golden one staying in him/her, HE is the only ONE flying every where!).The state beyond dream is called suShupti or the state of sleep. It is the state where one never dreams, where one never desires (na kamchana kamam kamayatey---never desires ,na kamchana svapnam dadarsha..---never dreams). It(state of sleep) is his/her state of '"atichhanda''(beyond all rhythms or vibrations),''apahata-papma''(devoid of

sins, beyond mortality),''avoyam"(beyond fear) ''ruupam''(state).Here the Upanishad has further "described the state of sleep as the state of a man who does not know what is there out side and what is there inside when he is embraced by his dear woman similarly the one sleeping goes beyond ''in'' and ''out'' being embraced by the Omniscient ever-wakeful soul during the state of sleep. We can not recall this when we are get out of sleep because we do not know Him consciously, He who is the soul, the Greater of us''. {This is written from the teachings received from the seers Shri. Bijoykrishna Chattopadhaya (1875-1945), and his principle disciple Shri Tridibnath Bandopadhaya(1923-1994).on the Chapters of Dream and Sleep in the Upanishads------Debkumar Lahiri (you may write to the author at dkldk@rediffmail.com or debkumar.lahiri@gmail.com for any comments or query)