[Advaita-l] svapna karma - real phala ??

[Anand Hudli]

>I have heard that dream state is only a bhoga sthana in which we wash away
>some of our prarabdha karma phala and the karmas we perform therein does
>not result in phala, same way as animals do not accumulate phalas of the
>deeds done by them. Open to correction.

As Shri Subrahmanianji has posted excerpts from shAnkara bhAShya
regarding this, it is clear that pApa and puNya done in dreams does
not affect the person. However, it is possible that something in the
dream has an effect in the *waking* state. One example here is that of
retaH skhalana mentioned by Sriramji. Certainly, some kind of
purification, japa, etc., are required to be done in the *waking*
state for what happened in the dream. A person who wakes up after a
pleasant dream maintains a good mood (at least for some time) after
waking up. This again is a good effect felt in the waking state. When
a person sees a god in his dream, the effect felt in the waking state
will also be good. A person who has frequent nightmares has a
disturbed condition of mind in the waking state. So it is clear that
although there is no pApa or puNya accumulation for deeds done in
dreams, the *effects* of such deeds, if they are felt in the waking
state, must be taken care of. Of course, this taking care of the
effects must be done in the waking state.  If the effect is a bad one,
then a "prAyashcitta" is to be done. Perhaps, this is what Shri
Ranganatha Sharma was alluding to when he spoke of atonement for
actions in dreams. Another point is that if actions in dreams can have
effects in the waking state, it is better to find some way to avoid
dreams that have bad effects. Prevention is better than cure. This is
the line of thinking that makes people take remedial measures in the
waking state to avoid bad dreams (dus-svapna), by reciting mantras,
performing certain rituals, etc.

Anand