[Advaita-l] Causal Body

[Jay Nelamangala]

Dear sadAnanda and  Bhaskar-jI,

>If you are aware of the deep sleep state in the deep
>sleep you have not slept yet! - The 'I' conscious entity does not sleep
>unless you are Buddhist! Then whose experience is that? Now you provide
>the answer.

The answer is provided by Sri Madhwa  :  sAkshee.

Manas is external to the self,  where as sAkshee is the very nature of self
and therefore internal to self.

The objects of sAkshee are the self, knowledge produced by manas,
space, time, pleasure, pain, fear and so on.  Each knower has his own
sAkshee.  SAkshee as a rule is pramANa.  The knowledge that results
from it also is as a rule pramANa.

As an instrument of knowledge, it is established by the fact that the
knowledge
that belongs to the nature of the self is at times non-manifest and requires
an
instrumental cause to make it manifest.  In sleep (sushupti) the self enjoys
the natural bliss.  In the waking state this enjoyment is non-manifest.
Its manifestation in sleep presupposes the operation of some instrument.
That instrument is sAkshee.

So,  a knower (chEtana) has his experience through his sAkshee.
He perceives the bodily functions through sAkshee and has the
consequent enjoyment.  He is evident  as 'I'.   Knowing is his nature
sAkshee is awake under all conditions, though the particular aspects
of the body may or may not function.

So, in deep sleep,   the mind as an aspect of the body also
sleeps, but sAkshee does not.   It is easy to understand the function of
sAkshee during deep sleep.  SAkshee is an aspect of the self.
It is therefore always active.  It is never at rest.   It is there so far as
the
knower is there.  In the state of deep sleep,  even the manas of the knower
is at rest.  The knower has then only the knowledge caused by sAkshee.
So, the function of sAkshee is a matter of direct observation during sleep.
( Hence its name "witness" or sAkshee )

"So long I slept quite happily"  -  this memory happens to the knower
soon after sleep is over.  Memory is impossible without the corresponding
previous experience.  In the case of deep-sleep,  the experience whch
forms the basis of memory  must happen during the sleep itself.  In this
memory,  "so long" indicates the time duration,  'I' indicates self,
"slept" indicates both time and sleep and "quite happily" stands for
happiness.  Unless there are ideas of these things in sleep itself,  the
memory
would be impossible.   These ideas in deep-sleep must be caused by sAkshee,
because,  in deep-sleep there is nothing else to cause them.

To deny the function of sAkshee during sleep is to deny the possibility
of the later memory. So the state of deep-sleep is not blank.
Like the other two states it is a state of experience.  Their difference is
only this.  While in the other states,  sAkshee functions along with the
other
sense organs,  during deep-sleep it functions alone.

Harihi Om tatsat,
Jay Nelamangala.