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What are the three states?
अवस्थात्रयं किम् ?
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यवस्थाः ।
avasthātrayaṃ kim ?
jāgratsvapnasuṣuptyavasthāḥ .
What are the three states? They are the waking, dream and deep sleep states.
What is the waking state?
जाग्रदवस्था का ?
श्रोत्रादिज्ञानेन्द्रियैः शब्दादिविषयैश्च ज्ञायते इति यत्
सा जाग्रदावस्था ।
स्थूल शरीराभिमानी आत्मा विश्व इत्युच्यते ।
jāgradavasthā kā ?
śrotrādijñānendriyaiḥ śabdādiviṣayaiśca jñāyate iti yat
sā jāgradāvasthā .
sthūla śarīrābhimānī ātmā viśva ityucyate .
What is the waking state? The state of experience in which the sense objects like sound are perceived through the sense organs like the ears, is the waking state. The Self, identified with the gross body, is then called viśva.
Characteristics of the waking state
Gross sense organs perceive gross sense objects
The mind and the intellect are both active
The Self identifies mainly with the gross body and the subtle and causal bodies
This waking state and the waker are temporary and are negated by the dream state and dreamer, and deep sleep state and deep sleeper, and so the waker (viśva) cannot be the Self
What is the dream state?
स्वप्नावस्था केति चेत् ?
जाग्रदवस्थायां यद्दृष्टं यद् श्रुतम्
तज्जनितवासनया निद्रासमये यः प्रपञ्चः प्रतीयते सा
स्वप्नावस्था ।
सूक्ष्मशरीराभिमानी आत्मा तैजस इत्युच्यते ।
svapnāvasthā keti cet ?
jāgradavasthāyāṃ yaddṛṣṭaṃ yad śrutam
tajjanitavāsanayā nidrāsamaye yaḥ prapañcaḥ pratīyate sā
svapnāvasthā .
sūkṣmaśarīrābhimānī ātmā taijasa ityucyate .
The world that is projected while in sleep from the impressions born of what was seen and heard in the waking state is called the dream state. The Self identified with the subtle body is called taiijasa.
Characteristics of the dream state
Subtle sense organs perceive subtle sense objects
The mind is active but the intellect is not active
The mind creates the dream world out of strong impressions accumulated during the waking state
The Self identifies mainly with the subtle body and then the causal body
This dream state and the dreamer are temporary and are negated by the waking state and waker, and deep sleep state and deep sleeper, and so the dreamer (taijasa) cannot be the Self
What is the deep sleep state?
अतः सुषुप्त्यवस्था का ?
अहं किमपि न जानामि सुखेन मया निद्राऽनुभूयत इति
सुषुप्त्यवस्था ।
कारणशरीराभिमानी आत्मा प्राज्ञ इत्युच्यते ।
ataḥ suṣuptyavasthā kā ?
ahaṃ kimapi na jānāmi sukhena mayā nidrā’nubhūyata iti
suṣuptyavasthā .
kāraṇaśarīrābhimānī ātmā prājña ityucyate .
Then what is the deep sleep state? That state about which one says later ‘I did not know anything, I enjoyed a good sleep,’ is the deep sleep state. The Self identified with the causal body is called prājña.
Characteristics of the deep sleep state
Nothing is perceived
Both the mind and the intellect are not active
Impressions gathered during the waking state become dormant
The Self identifies with the causal body
Since the mind is not active, we experience the most peace during this state
There is no distinction in the experience of this state among anyone – all of us have the same experience in deep sleep
This deep sleep state and the deep sleeper are temporary and are negated by the waking state and waker, and dream state and dreamer, and so the deep sleeper (prājña) cannot be the Self
Deep sleep teaches us that objects and relationships are not required to experience bliss