[Advaita-l] Sleep, tamas and brahman

[Kalyan]

//Thus Shankara is not saying that ignorance is absent in deep sleep, but
that the Atma is absent from ignorance can be understood from the
experience of deep sleep.//


Dear Sri Venkatraghavanji,

Your reading is not correct. The bhAshya means that the form of the self that is free from ignorance is experienced in deep sleep. You are welcome to check translation of Swami Madhavananda. 

In fact, the whole teaching stands because the self is free from ignorance in deep sleep. Otherwise, ignorance will become the nature of the self.

By observing the 3 states and showing that in deep sleep, there is no ignorance, it is shown that the self can achieve liberation, as ignorance is not in the nature of the self.

Regards
Kalyan