[Advaita-l] Sleep, tamas and brahman

[S Jayanarayanan]

On Monday, April 30, 2018, 10:08:12 AM PDT, Kalyan via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
 
> 
> // The Upanishad only gives deep sleep
> as an analogy to the liberated state //
> 
> I would disagree here. The upanishad literally equates deep sleep to the highest state. It is not a mere analogy.
> 
 
If that were the case, why does Sankara say that the state of Deep Sleep is filled with dark tamas, vide Sankara's upadeshasaahasrii, 2.16.18 (translation by Swami Jagadananda):
 
  jAgratsvapnau tayobIjaM suShuptaakhyaM tamomayam.h .
  anyonyasminnasattvaachcha naastItyetattrayaM tyajet.h ..
 
  "Transmigratory existence consists of waking and dream.
  Their root is deep sleep consisting of Ignorance.
  No one of these three states has a real existence because
  each goes out of existence when another remains in it.
  One should therefore give up all these three states."
 
More at  https://lists.advaita-vedanta.org//archives/advaita-l/2010-April/024194.html
 
Regards,
Kartik