[Advaita-l] Sleep, tamas and brahman

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Kalyan prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Dear Sri Bhaskarji

//Okay, at least why he does not know himself that he is brahman in sushupti??//

(Does nirguNa brahman know itself as nirguNa brahman? I think this is an open question.) In Sushupti, the self does not know because it is completely merged (becomes one with)  nirguNa Atman. However, the Atman does not lose its vision or potential to know.


Ø     Yes, you are right prabhuji, the point the needs to be kept in mind here is we are doing avasthA traya viveka on behalf of jeeva who is ‘experiencing’ these avasthA-s in day in day out.  So, the scenario is jeeva after entering  sushupti getting merged with brahman (embracing the brahman as you know shruti gives stree Alingana example for this ☺ So, we have to talk about complete mergence and waking up of the same jeeva as well.  So, jeeva-brahma Ikya and coming back to jAgrat avasthA by same jeeva with same avidyA is the kriya which will be taken care by Ishwara who knows everything says bhAshyakAra.  Shankara gives hamsa-ksheera example here.  Anyway, this is a different topic, let us focus on avidyA in sushupti and the type of avidyA that exists in sushupti.

//Now the question is how the same jeeva arise from sushupti with his avidyA, saMskAra, guNa, individual identity etc.  when he is brahman itself in sushupti?? //

If you have been following the previous discussions, I mentioned at a few places that Shankara asks such a question in BU, but does not answer that. I have no answers myself.


Ø     Shankara clearly answered this doubt in mAndUkya kArika.  He clarifies if there was no seed (agrahaNa) when the individuals become one with sat in deep sleep and in pralaya, they could not have come to the waking state and creation again, when they come so, one should admit that there was seed in deep sleep and in pralaya.  But again as I have said :  not knowing the reality and the existence of the reality are not opposed to the siddhAnta of non duality in sushupti because not knowing is not a thing (bhAva rUpa vastu it is abhAva / jnAnAbhAva) hence oneness of brahman in sushpti is not denied here.

//But we can look at it after wards since here main bone of contention is avidyA in sushupti //

Sir, in my opinion, there are two answers -


1.     There is no avidya in sushupti is the stand taken by BU.


Ø     Yes, when the sushupti is viewed in its own domain without any prejudices from the waker ☺


2.     There is avidya in sushupti is the stand taken by MaU

Ø   Yes, since we donot know that we are brahman in sushupti ☺

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar