तस्य वा एतस्य पुरुषस्य द्वे एव स्थाने भवतः—इदं च परलोकस्थानं च; सन्ध्यं तृतीयं स्वप्नस्थानं; तस्मिन्सन्ध्ये स्थाने तिष्ठन्नेते उभे स्थाने पश्यति—इदं च परलोकस्थानं च । अथ यथाक्रमोऽयं परलोकस्थाने भवति तमाक्रममाक्रम्योभयान्पाप्मन आनन्दांश्च पश्यति; स यत्र प्रस्वपिति, अस्य लोकस्य सर्वावतो मात्रामपादाय स्वयं विहत्य, स्वयं निर्माय, स्वेन भासा, स्वेन ज्योतिषा प्रस्वपिति, अत्रायं पुरुषः स्वयं ज्योतिर्भवति ॥ ९ ॥
tasya vā etasya puruṣasya dve eva sthāne bhavataḥ—idaṃ ca paralokasthānaṃ ca; sandhyaṃ tṛtīyaṃ svapnasthānaṃ; tasminsandhye sthāne tiṣṭhannete ubhe sthāne paśyati—idaṃ ca paralokasthānaṃ ca | atha yathākramo’yaṃ paralokasthāne bhavati tamākramamākramyobhayānpāpmana ānandāṃśca paśyati; sa yatra prasvapiti, asya lokasya sarvāvato mātrāmapādāya svayaṃ vihatya, svayaṃ nirmāya, svena bhāsā, svena jyotiṣā prasvapiti, atrāyaṃ puruṣaḥ svayaṃ jyotirbhavati || 9 ||
9. That man has only two abodes, this and the next world. The dream state, which is the third, is at the junction (of the two). Staying at that junction he surveys the two abodes, this and the next world. Whatever outfit he may have for the next world, providing himself with that he sees both evils (sufferings) and joys. When he dreams, he takes away a little of (the impressions of) this all-embracing world (the waking state), himself puts the body aside and himself creates (a dream body in its place), revealing his own lustre by his own light—and dreams. In this state the man himself becomes the light.
That man has only two abodes, no third or fourth. Which are they? This and the next world. The present life, consisting of the body, organs, objects and their impressions, which we now perceive, and’ the future life to be experienced after we have given up the body and the rest.
Objection: Is not the dream state also the next world? In that case the assertion about ‘only two abodes’ is wrong.
Reply: No, the dream state, which is the third, is at the junction of this and the next world; hence the definite pronouncement about two abodes. The junction of two villages does not certainly count as a third village. How do we know about the existence of the next world, in relation to which the dream state may be at the junction? Because staying at that junction he surveys the two abodes. Which are the two? This and the next world. Therefore, over and above the waking and dream states, there are the two worlds between which the man (the individual self), resembling the intellect, moves, in an unbroken series of births and deaths.
How does he, staying in the dream state, survey the two worlds, what help does he take, and what process does he follow? This is being answered: Listen how he surveys them. Whatever outfit—‘Ākrama’ is that by means of which one proceeds, i.e. support or outfit—the man may have for the attainment of the next world, i.e. whatever knowledge, work and previous experience he may have for this end, providing himself with that—just ready to take him to the next world, like a seed about to sprout—he sees both evils and joys. The plural is due ío the varied results of virtue and vice, meaning both kinds. ‘Evils’ refer to their results, or sufferings, for they themselves cannot be directly experienced; thçN joys are the results of virtue. He feels both sufferings and joys consisting of the impressions of experiences of previous lives; while those glimpses of the results of merits and demerits that are to come in his future life he experiences through the urge of those merits and demerits, or through the grace of the gods. How are we to know that in dreams one experiences the sufferings and joys that are to come in the next life? The answer is: Because one dreams many things that ate never to be experienced in this life. Moreover, a dream is not an entirely new experience, for most often it is the memory of past experiences. Hence we conclude that the two worlds exist apart from the waking and dream states.
An objection is raised: It has been said that in the absence of the external lights such as the sun, the man identified with the body and organs lives and moves in the world with the help of the light of the self, which is different from the body and organs. But we say that there is never an. absence of lights such as the sun to make it possible for one to perceive this self-effulgent light as isolated from the body and organs, because we perceive these as always in contact with those external lights. Therefore the self as an absolute, isolated light is almost or wholly a nonentity. If, however, it is ever perceived as an absolute, isolated light free from the contact of the elements and ìheir derivatives, external and internal, thçn all Jfovṇ: statements will be correct. This is being answered,: #s .follows:
When he, the self that is being discussed, dreams freely, what is his outfit then, and in what way does he dream, or attain the junction between this world and the next? The answer is being given: He takes away a little of this all-embracing world, or the world we experience in the waking state. ‘All-embracing’ (Sarvāvat): Lit. protecting or taking care of every thing; it refers to the body and organs in contact with sense-objects and their reactions. Their all-embracing character has been explained in the section dealing with the three kinds of food in the passage beginning with, ‘Now this self,’ etc. (I. iv. 16). Or the word may mean, possessing all the elements and their derivatives, which serve to attach him to the world; in other words, the waking state.—‘Sarvāvat’ is the same as ‘Sarvavat.’—He detaches a portion of these, i.e. is tinged by the impressions of the present life. Himself puts the body aside, lit. kills it, i.e. makes it inert or unconscious. In the waking state the sun and other deities help the eyes etc. so that the body may function, and the body functions because the self experiences the results of its merits and demerits, The cessation of the experience of those results in this body is due to the exhaustion of the work done by the self; hence the self is described as killing the body. And himself creates a dream body composed of past impressions, like one created by magic. This creation too is the consequence of his past work; hence it is spoken of as being created by him. Revealing his own lustre, consisting in the perception of sense-objects, the mind itself being modified in the form of diverse impressions of the latter. It is these modifications that then take the place of objects, and are spoken of as being themselves of the nature of lustre in that state. With this his own lustre as object, and revealing it (the mass of impressions of sense-objects) by his own light, i.e. as the detached subject or witness possessing constant vision, he dreams. Being in this state is called dreaming. In this state, at this time, the man, or self, himself becomes the detached light, free from the contact of the elements and their derivatives, external and internal.
Objection: It is stated that the self then has glimpses of the impressions of the waking state. If so, how can it be said that ‘in that state the man himself becomes the light’?
Reply: There is nothing wrong in it, because the glimpses are but objects (not the subject). In that way alone can the man be shown to be himàelf the light then, and not otherwise, when there is no object to be revealed as in profound sleep. When, however, that lustre consisting of the impressions of the waking state is perceived as an object, then, like a sword drawn from its sheath, the light of the self, the eternal witness, unrelated to anything and distinct from the body and the organs such as the eye, is realised as it is, revealing everything. Therefore it is proved that ‘in that state the man himself becomes the light’?
Objection: How can the man himself be the light in dreams, when we come across at that time all the phenomena of the waking state dependent on the relation between the subject and object, and the lights such as the sun are seen to help the eye and other organs just the same as in the waking state? In the face of these how can the assertion be made that ‘in that state the man himself becomes the light’?
Reply: Because the phenomena of dreams are different. In the waking state the light of the self is mixed up with the functions of the organs, intellect, Manas, (external) lights, etc. But in dreams, since the organs do not act and the lights such as the sun that help them are absent, the self becomes distinct and isolated. Hence the dream state is different.
Objection: The sense-objects are perceived in dreams just the same as in the waking state. How then do you adduce their difference on the ground that the organs do not function then?
Reply: Listen—