Sleep, Consciousness and Bliss.

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

 

 

We have seen a lot of discussions on this topic in this list. And Atmananda’s

teachings as presented by Shri Ananda Wood had much to say on this. Just

recently I read the 11th chapter of Panchadashi by Vidyaranya (A publication by

Ramakrishna Mutt, Mylapore). Shlokas 58 to 70 of this chapter deal in depth

about this topic. I think it might be worthwhile to have a correct

understanding of what Panchadashi has to say on this. Since the matter is

reasonably technical, I reproduce below the exact translations of the shlokas

and also some comments on some of the shlokas. Both the translation and the

comments are Swami Swahananda’s. Nothing is mine. In fact I do not want to dupe

myself into believing that I have understood it. But I present all this below

so that an expert scrutiny can be done to see whether it differs from

Atmananda’s teachings, and if so, in what way. In particular I want to draw

attention to the comments on shloka 64 and shloka 68 below, by Swami Swahananda.

(Kindly pardon me for this long post).

 

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58. A text of the Atharva Veda says: ‘In the state of deep sleep, when all the

objects of experience have been absorbed, and only darkness (Tamas) prevails,

the Jiva enjoys bliss.

 

Comment: Kaivalya Upanishad.13.

 

 

 

59. A man from deep sleep remembers his happiness and ignorance and says: ‘I was

sleeping happily; I knew nothing then’.

 

 

 

60. Recollection presupposes experience. So in sleep there was experience. The

bliss experienced in dreamless sleep is revealed by consciousness itself which

also reveals the undifferentiated ignorance (ajnAna) covering bliss in that

state.

 

Comment: In the state of dreamless sleep the Self reveals itself as Bliss and in

that self-revelation it reveals its knowledge of avidyA or Ignorance, which

expresses itself as ‘I knew nothing’.

 

 

 

61. The Vajasaneyins say: ‘Brahman is of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss’.

Therefore the self-luminous bliss is Brahman itself and nothing else.

 

Comment: Br.Upan ishad 3.9.28. It forms part of the Vajasaneyi branch of the

Yajurveda.

 

 

 

62. The mind and the intellect sheaths are latent in the state called ignorance.

Deep sleep is the condition in which these sheaths are latent and it is

therefore a state of ignorance.

 

Comment: How can there be recollection of the bliss and state of non-duality in

deep sleep by the intellect and the min d, for they did not exist? They existed

in the latent state in the ajnAna, their cause, so it is quite possible. They

come out of the deep sleep, with the feeling, ‘There was abundance of bliss’, ‘I

did not know anything else’.

 

 

 

63. Just as melted butter again becomes solid, the two sheaths in the states

following deep sleep again becomes manifest. The state in which the mind and the

intellect are latent is called the bliss-sheath.

 

 

 

[Comment by VK: This definition of ‘bliss-sheath’ is new to me]

 

 

 

64. (Text):

 

supti-pUrva-kshhaNe buddhi-vRttir-yA sukha-bimbitA /

 

saiva tad-bimba-sahitA lInAnanda-mayas-tataH //

 

 

 

The modification (Vrtti) of the intellect in which, just before sleep, bliss is

reflected becomes latent in the state of deep sleep along with the reflected

bliss, and is known as the bliss-sheath.

 

 

 

Comment:

 

So the bliss-sheath is (1) a Vrtti or modification of the intellect (2) which

had become latent, (3) in the deep sleep state and (4) catching the reflection

of the bliss of Brahman (or bliss that is Brahman ). Or in other words, the

bliss-sheath is the sheath of the intellect gone inward; and in going inward it

is divested of the sense-organs and it catches and retains the reflection of the

bliss of Brahman, which the sheath of the intellect has not.

 

The modifications (Vrttis) of the intellect are all bright, clear and distinct.

But this Vrtti, the material cause of the Anandamaya, is not bright, it is vague

and indistinct. It is because it has gone latent; and also because (as the next

shloka says) it is interpenetrated by the Vrttis or modifications of ajnAna or

ignorance, with whose help it enjoys the reflected bliss. We must however

remember here that in all cognitions or experience the Vrtti of the intellect is

always ‘tipped with chidAbhAsa’ but not in internal cognitions or experience.

This being an internal experience Vrtti is automatically illumined by the

witness and not by CidAbhAsa. And the sense-organs having been left behind do

not play any part in the enjoyment of the bliss. This makes it inexpressible,

unique.

 

Another point is to be noted here. Here the attention of the cidAbhAsa or Jiva

is complete. In this state the experiencer is a latent Vrtti of the intellect,

enlivened and illumined not by the cidAbhAsa but by the witness directly,

reflecting its bliss on it with the help of a Vrtti, not of intellect but of

MulAvidyA, thereby preventing the complete identity of the Jiva and Shiva, the

individual and the Absolute and keeping the experience vague, and revealing its

(MulAvidyA’s) existence simultaneously.

 

 

 

65.(Text)

 

antarmukho ya Anandamayo brahmasukham tadA /

 

bhungkte cid-bimba-yuktAbhijnAnotpanna-vRttibhiH //

 

 

 

This Vrtti, thus turned within, which is termed the bliss-sheath, enjoys the

bliss reflected on it in association with the modifications of ignorance,

catching the reflection of consciousness.

 

 

 

66. The adepts in the Vedanta say that the modificatrions of ignorance are

subtle, whereas those of the intellect are gross.

 

 

 

67. (Text):

 

mANDUkya-tApanIyAdi-shrutishh-vetad-atisphuTaM /

 

Ananda-maya-bhoktRtvaM brahmAnande ca bhogyatA //

 

 

 

This is fully explained in the Mandukya and Tapaniya Upanishads. It is the

sheath of bliss which is the enjoyer, and it is the bliss of brahman which is

enjoyed.

 

 

 

Comment: MANDUkya Up.5. PrajnA or the Consciousness reflected in the

bliss-sheath is the enjoyer of the bliss of brahman reflected in the Vrttis

(subtle modifications) of ignorance. As the finer vRttis are no longer clearly

differentiated, the bliss-sheath is called compact mass of consciousness or

undifferentiated ignorance.

 

 

 

68. (Text)

 

ekIbhUtas-sushhuptasthaH prajnAna-ghanatAM gataH /

 

Anandamaya Ananda-bhuk ceto-maya-vRttibhiH //

 

 

 

This profusion of bliss (AnandamayaH) having become concentrated into one mass

of consciousness in the deep sleep, enjoys the (reflected) bliss of brahman with

the help of modifications (Vrttis) reflecting a superabundance of Consciousness.

 

 

 

Comment. This shloka is a paraphrase of MANDUkya-5, where all the other words

occur except the ‘ceto-maya-vRttibhiH’, in whose stead the Mandukya word is

‘cetomukhaH’, which, however, means the same thing. In shloka 65 it is stated

that it enjoys the bliss with the help of or in association with the

modifications of ignorance catching the reflection of consciousness. Here this

‘cetomayavRttibhiH’ refers to these modifications of ignorance.

 

 

 

All experience is through the ajnAna-vRttis, ‘modifications of ignorance’, but

all, except those in the Anandamaya sheath, are through buddhi or citta-vRttis.

Those in the Anandamaya are directly concerned in the production of experience,

not indirectly through buddhi-vRttis. But ajnAna-vRttis ‘with superabundance of

Consciousness’ is an expression which seems to involve contradiction. It is

really not so, for this ignorance – that I did not know anything –is itself

known. This requires interference of consciousness which is supplied by witness

itself. ‘Superabundance’ is because the function is not through buddhi-vRtti, or

through the phala, cidAbhAsa-cum-buddhi-vRtti but directly of the witness. But

in shloka 66 it is said that the ajnAna-vRttis are sUkshhma, i.e., subtle,

indistinct. ‘Superabundance of Consciousness’ and ‘indistinctness’ are again

contradictory. Its ‘indistinctness’ is however , from the Jiva’s point of view –

Jiva, who is more conversant with knowledge derived

through buddhi-vRtti than with direct knowledge. So, though in reality there is

superabundance of Consciousness, it, being abnormal, is indistinct.

 

 

 

Does not the explanation seem to be laboured? It may appear to be so but it is

based on experience, it is a fact. And if a fact appears to be tortuous – which

it is not – the explanation is not faulty. As stated above, the uniqueness of

the experience is responsible for this so-called laboured explanation. The

experience itself is, however, simple and direct, where most media of experience

have been dispensed with.

 

 

 

69. The Self (cidAbhAsa) in the waking and dream states, is connected or

associated with various sheaths such as vijnAna-maya and appears as many (i.e.,

plays various roles). In the deep sleep state, however, they get merged and

become latent like a dough of many (powdered) wheat-grains.

 

 

 

Comment: It is to be noted that in the Ananda-maya kosha, cidAbhAsa has all but

disappeared. It has given place to a buddhi-vRtti turned inward and catching the

reflection of the witness consciousness and its bliss, conjointly with

ajnAna-vRttis.

 

 

 

70. The modifications of the intellect, which are instruments of cognition,

unite and become one in the state of sleep, just as drops of cold water in the

Himalayan regions solidify into a mass of ice.

 

 

 

Comment: During the state of wakefulness, the modifications of the intellect,

cover objects of knowledge, i.e., ideas about them remain distinct and separate.

They are known as PrajnAnas. In the deep sleep condition they become one un

differentiated mass of consciousness.

 

 

 

praNAms to all advaitins

 

profvk

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

Also see the webpages on Paramacharya's Soundaryalahari :

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/DPDS.html

 

 

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

wrote:

> >

>

> We have seen a lot of discussions on this topic in this list. And

Atmananda's teachings as presented by Shri Ananda Wood had much to

say on this. Just recently I read the 11th chapter of Panchadashi by

Vidyaranya (A publication by Ramakrishna Mutt, Mylapore). Shlokas 58

to 70 of this chapter deal in depth about this topic. I think it

might be worthwhile to have a correct understanding of what

Panchadashi has to say on this. Since the matter is reasonably

technical, I reproduce below the exact translations of the shlokas

and also some comments on some of the shlokas. Both the translation

and the comments are Swami Swahananda's.

 

 

Namaste,

 

At least it appears to be quite similar to Swami

Krishnananda's essay on the Philosophy of the Panchadasi (pp 103-120):

 

http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/panch/panchadasi.pdf

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder