The Sleep of the Awakened - part 6 of 6

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(continued from Part 5)

 

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The Sleep of the Awakened

 

 

We go to sleep each night not only to rest our tired

limbs and jaded mind. A study of the Mandukya -- and

deep reflection upon its theme as exemplified by the

lives of yogis -- enables us to understand that Sleep

is not only bodily need but spiritual function too.

"sUshUpti" is God's way of extending a standing

invitation to us to drop in on Him, take a little tour

of His realms and find out for ourselves about the

"abiding bliss" the Upanishad declares prevails there.

If Man chooses not to take up God on His invitation,

it could only be due to sloth and ignorance --

"nidrAlasya pramAdOttham tat-tAmasam-udhAhritam" to

recall the words of the Bhagavath-Gita above. It is

only sloth or ignorance, or both, that can keep our

spirit from advancing upon Heaven's gateways situated

in the inner world of our consciousness -- the world

which our Waking-state, preoccupied as it is forever

with what is mundane and desire-ridden, conspires to

keep shut always.

 

 

Sleep is certainly not, on account of all this, the

equivalent of God-experience; but it is perhaps the

nearest approximation of it known to Man. It is within

easy grasp, too, of one and all. The secret of

"sUshUpti" lies in being able to 'awaken in sleep' and

look through the eyes of the Mandukya at what lies

beyond. Sleep will then no longer seem slothful

activity ("tAmasa-nidra"). Instead, every night we go

to bed it will seem to us as if we are preparing to go

into "yOga-nidra" where, like AndAl's "munivargaLUm

yOgigaLum", we might seize the sacred opportunity for

true meditative joy and lasting mystical fulfillment…

 

 

Who knows? It is probable we might then find it quite

easy to cultivate the old custom of our wise

forefathers: going to bed uttering "Madhava, Madhava,

Madhava!" and awaking with "Hari" bellowing seven

times upon our lips!

 

 

 

 

*** CONCLUDED ***

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

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