स्वप्नान्तं जागरितान्तं
चोभौयेनानुपश्यति ।
महान्तं विभुमात्मानं
मत्वा धीरोन शोचति ॥ ४
SWAPNATAM JAGARITANTAM
CHOBHAU YENANUPASHYANTI|
MAHANTAM VIBHUMATMANAM
MATVA DHIRON SHOCHATI ||4
HAVING KNOWN THE GREAT AND OMNIPRESENT ATMAN IS THE PERCEIVER OF OBJECTS
IN DREAMS AND WHILE AWAKE, THE WISE MAN DOES NOT GRIVE||4
In this Shlok the Lord of death is telling the same thing in different way. It is stated that when we are asleep and have dream the things that are perceived are perceived by none other than Atman and then when we are awake and when we are not awake then also the perceiver of the objects is the Atman. There are 4 states that are described .Awake, sleep -dream, unconsciousness and (THE 4TH ) TURYA. We perceive objects when we are awake and they are perceived by organs of Knowledge - the so called DNYANENDRIY , But are they really the perceivers. I am be looking at something but if my mond is thinking something else I don't see the object that is in front of my eyes. We often say I did not hear as I was lost in thought. So the light and the sound waves are going in and stimulating the centers in the brain but unless the mind is paying attention ,we do not perceive. But is is really the mind or is it something beyond that . In this Shlok we are told that what actually perceives is the Great and Omnipresent ATMAN or the SELF.
The situation is not any different when we are asleep and have a dream. We see many different objects in our dream and they are perceived by our sense organs. We may be chased by bad guys' and there may be shooting and even injuries and death. But is it perceived by our mins ? We are told that the perceiver is the ATMAN
When one realizes this fact then he does not grieve Swami Sarvapriyanand tells a story of 10 men in his lectures many times. It is applicable in this context. There were 10 people crossing the river and when they reached the other side one person decided to count to make sure no one drowned in the river. He counted and found only 9 as he was not counting himself . So the other did the same thing and he also got only 9 and so they all started crying as they thought one of them drowned. A passer by saw this and asked them as to why they were crying and when they told him and counted in front of him, he the outsider saw the mistake and asked them to count them again and when the man who was counting came to 9 the passer by turned his finger and counted 10. So the 10 people were very happy as no one had drowned . So they were unhappy when they thought one was missing and the KNOWLEDGE made them happy and they stopped grieving .
The same thing is stated here. When a man knows that the perceiver is not the physical body but the ATMAN which is indestructible, he does not grieve.
NOTE question may arise as to who is HE that Knows that Atman is the perceiver ?
I HAVE WRITTEN THIS SHLOK AGAIN
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