The absence thought-flow of deep sleep is : In that, there is no experience like that of waking and dream. Furthermore, since there is nothing that is cognized in deep sleep, "the self also does not stay there", is what ignorant people assume. But, when objects are seen as they are not or as absent, in both, there is ignorance of the object. Similarly, in waking and dream state, the self is imbibed incorrectly in the form of subject-object, and in deep sleep state, there is absence of imbibing the self. In all these three states, there is ignorance of the factual nature of the self. Brahman is beyond the known as the unknown (Kena Upanishad 1.3).
Waking and dream states are known, deep sleep is unknown. Scene and the absence of the scene are both "seen", and take the refuge of the seer. Therefore, waking-dreaming-deep sleep has an appearance-oriented reality (praatibhaasika sattaa) and the seer has absolute reality (paaramaarthika sattaa). This is a methodology of the soul school (jeeva vaada). From the perspective of the appearance school (aabhaasa vaada), the world is transactional nature (vyaavahaarika sattaa), dream and deep sleep are appearance-oriented reality, and tureeya is absolute reality.
The non-knowledge (aprabodha) of the essence alone is deep sleep. The waking and dream appearing (prateeta) in the non-knowledge of the essence is the play of deep sleep alone. Waking means understanding the essence. Therefore waking, dream, deep sleep - in all these three, where there is equal non-knowledge of the essence, in order to point out the specialty of deep sleep, it has been differentiated from waking and dreaming (Maandookya Upanishad 5).
That state in which the sleeping person does not desire any enjoyment, nor sees any dream, is called deep sleep. That which is the location of deep sleep, in which prajnyaa becomes coalesced (ekeebhoota) and compacted (ghaneebhaava), that which is filled with bliss, that which is the enjoyer of bliss, whose mouth is consciousness (chetana), that is the third step of the praajnya self.
The location of deep sleep in the body is said to be the heart, the throat of ream, and eyes of waking. From a macrocosmic standpoint, that causal object in which, that time in which the entire world attains its seed-form (dissolved form), where there is neither the appearance of a subtle world nor a gross world, that causal state is called deep sleep.
This deep sleep alone is indicated by the form of seed-state (beejaavasthaa roopa).
Vishva is a brahmachaari, service oriented. Taijasa is a householder, thinks a lot about the past and future. Praajnya is a retiree, there is no enjoyment, but there is the seed of duality. The self god is a sanyaasee, wandering, independent.
Waking and dream are the pulsations of the mind, the mind vibrates in these. The entire world of duality is a pulsation of the mind because in samaadhi, when the mind is quietened, the world is not experienced. But in deep sleep, the pulsations of the mind coalesce, different objects do not pulsate, just like in darkness, trees and houses are where they are, but do not appear distinct from each other. Due to the veiling of ignorance in deep sleep, there is no cognition (prateeti) of the world. But the world stays where it is. This state is called the seed-state. In the dream state, it is as though the intellect - the waking and dream pulsations - coalesce, that is why, no object arises and no subject arises which requires these object in there. This is a state of immense ignorance. It's cause is sleep or tamoguna.
In deep sleep, even though ignorance stays, it is the state of "bliss-ness". Bliss-ness means that there is an absence of sorrow. Which sorrows? In the waking and dream states, the mind has to keep changing its shape as subject-object-nature again and again, this is sorrow. In deep sleep there is absence of this sorrow, the absence of sorrow is not happiness. That is why the shruti says that in deep sleep, there is "bliss-ness", not bliss. Bliss-ness means there is no pure bliss, since the bliss of deep sleep is possessed with ignorance. Due to ignorance alone do we do not accept the bliss of deep sleep as the bliss of the self. That is why upon waking up, we say that "that bliss is not with us anymore". If we knew the bliss-nature of the self, then "I was, am and will always be bliss", would become our conviction.
The happiness of action and enjoyment in waking and dream is perishable, since objects are perishable, senses have limited abilities and the enjoyer is not ever active.
Even though the happiness of deep sleep does not require objects or instruments, it is unknown, since at the time of experiencing this happiness, "I am happiness" such a knowledge does not occur. Also, since it is dependent upon a state, it is not stable. The inherent bliss nature of the self is not disconnected due to state, place or time, and is also not unknown. That is why deep sleep is bliss-ness, not bliss.
In the world, if someone is having fun without any effort or work, we say that he is in a lot of bliss. Similarly, without any effort or work in deep sleep, the shruti terms the deep-sleep-located praajnya self as eater of bliss or "ananda bhuk". In other words, deep sleep is the effortless-state-nature supreme bliss of the praajnya.
Praajnya is aware-mouthed (chetomukha). In other words, that awareness (chitta) by which action and enjoyment get their power, its peak (udgam) is this deep-sleep-stated praajnya. That is why praajnya is aware-mouthed. This alone is the seed of the waking-dream worlds and their arrogators, vishva and taijasa.
Why did the self get named as "praajnya"? This needs investigation. "Praajnya" means strong knowledgeable. That which has the knowledge of the dream and waking in the seed-form , that is praajnya. It alone has the knowledge of the past, present and future since praajnya alone becomes the vishva in waking and the taijasa in dream. Therefore, this deep-sleep-stated self is named praajnya. The 6th mantra of the Maandookya clearly calls this omniscient.
Question : "I slept happily, I did not know anything". This is the experience of deep sleep. We cannot call the arrogator of this deep sleep state omniscient or praajnya.
Answer : The intellect was dormant in deep sleep. Only self happiness alone, indicated by the absence of sorrow, devoid of the trifecta of knower-knowledge-known, remained. Upon waking, the name of praajnya became vishva, and the intellect became active. Now, the vishva identified with the intellect of the waking state, superimposed its dormant state upon himself and said "I did not know anything". Also, the experience of the happiness of deep sleep alone is self happiness, and the self in the form of vishva is also situated in waking state, therefore, it remembers its experience during its praajnya time period and describes it by saying : "I slept happily". In this manner, in the above statement, there is superimposition created out of ignorance. The description of the omniscience of the praajnya is possible only by removing the superimposition.
Praajnya is called praajnya also because it is devoid of the trifecta of knower-knowledge-known in the deep sleep state, it is mere knowledge only.
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