ULTIMATE REALITY: The world exists only in our minds
Do not believe what you see, hear, or feel. Everything that has a name, form, and appearance is an illusion…
Picture these two situations:
- You had a good sleep the previous night. On waking up you share with your spouse, “I slept like a baby last night.”
- You see a random dream in your sleep. The next morning you recollect details of the dream; even if not vividly, you remember you had a dream.
Think about it. If you were actually “sleeping” then how do you know that you slept like a baby? Likewise, how are you able to recall your dream the following day if you were fast asleep?
Don’t you find it mind-perturbing?
Broadly speaking, in the situations mentioned above we are either awake, dreaming, or in deep sleep. Apparently, in the realm of consciousness or the Self, as per the , these are the three states in addition to the 4th one that the majority of people are oblivious of.
I discovered this when I read the , one of the many philosophical-religious texts of Hinduism. The one I read is with Gaudapada’s karika and Adi Shankaracharya’s commentary and is translated by Swami Nikhilananda. It is incumbent upon me to share what I have learned through this ancient text.
SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDEGE.
IT IS A WAY TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY.- Dalai Lama
3 states that are experienced commonly are:
- Gross self (sthoolatma in Sanskrit) — It’s our physical world in which we identify with the external world or objects, and everything that we experience feels real. Here, the Self is associated with the gross (material) or the physical universe which is experienced in the waking state (Jagrat awastha).
- Subtle self (sooshmatma in Sanskrit) — In this state, everything we experience in the dream seems real. So, there is a dream and a dreamer who identifies with the internal objects. Consciousness is experienced in the mind in the dream state (Swapna awastha).
- Causal self (karanatma in Sanskrit) — There is no distinct subject or object in this state. There are no dreams, no experiences, no desires and no physical universe. There’s only a uniform blankness, indistinct oneness. It is experienced in the deep sleep state (Susupti awastha).
But guess what? The Mandukya Upanishad says that all the above states are false and unreal. There’s only one reality and that’s Turiya the 4th one. This is the only true aspect of the Self or consciousness, the remaining three — waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, all of which have names, forms, and appearances, are false or mithya (illusion).
Let’s go back to where we started:
If you were actually “sleeping” then how do you know that you slept like a baby? Likewise, how are you able to recall your dream the following day if you were fast asleep? Don’t you find it mind-perturbing?
We human beings experience ourselves either in the physical world or the dream world or in deep sleep. It is Turiya, the 4th, that witnesses us in all three states — waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. This witness (sakshi in Hindi) is our real Self or Brahman. It is through Brahman we remember we had a good sleep or that we saw a dream the previous night.
A simple analogy is used in the Mandukya Upanishad karika to reveal this fundamental reality. It uses clay as an example to illustrate this and states that the items made with clay such as pots, jars, etc. are only names, forms, and appearances. In essence, they are nothing but clay. Likewise, the waking, dreaming and deep sleep states are nothing but all-pervading Self, the highest reality, pure bliss.
It’s like we are watching a movie with three characters who appear totally different to us. We assume the roles are essayed by three different actors. Towards the end of the film we realise that all three roles were played by the same actor.
So, in a nutshell, exactly the way we mistake a rope for a snake in darkness, in our pure ignorance, we incorrectly interpret the 3 states differently with varied names, shapes, and appearances, albeit they are no different than the formless, indestructible, and omnipresent Brahman, the Self.
While reading Pavan K Varma’s book , I came across Dashashloki, a Sanskrit hymn in ten verses (with English translation) that blew my mind. Interpreting the nature of the Self or Brahman, in one of the verses, Adi Shankaracharya compares the three states (gross, subtle, causal) with Turiya, and says:
न जाग्रन् न मे स्वप्नको वा सुषुप्तिः
न विश्वो न वा तैजसः प्राज्ञको वा ।
अविद्यात्मकत्वात् त्रयाणां तुरीयः
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥
It translates to, Neither the state of waking nor that of dream nor that of deep sleep is for me; neither the Visva nor the Taijasa nor the Prajna (am I).
The states that numerous scholars contend that when young Shankaracharya first met Govindapada in his mid-teens, the latter enquired, “Who are you?” Shankaracharya responded by reciting Dashashloki. Govindapada was so stunned that he took Shankaracharya as his disciple right away.
Isn’t it fascinating?
