Yoga Sutra of Patanjali – Knowledge Sheet 38
There are only two states of consciousness. One is deep sleep or dreaming—daydreaming and night dreaming. During the day, a person dreams: “Oh, what will happen to me? I’ll do this, I’ll do that.” Building castles in the air.
When you become aware that you are daydreaming, and that at every moment energy is surging through you and taking over—you become conscious. And this awareness awakens you to reality. You are awake. That awakening is prajna, samadhi. It is that moment when you are alone, completely alive and awake to who you truly are. All else, at all other times, is a dream.
Even the mere awareness that, “Oh, I was in deep sleep,” or “I was dreaming,” wakes you up. Patanjali did a great service to all by stating this sutra: The knowledge of sleep awakens you.
When someone is asleep, they are unaware of being asleep. The moment they realize they were asleep or dreaming, they are already awake.
A person who daydreams doesn’t know they are doing so. The moment they realize they have been dreaming during the day, they wake up to reality—right then and there. Even when you're doing Sudarshan Kriya or pranayama, and nothing seems to be happening—are you dreaming or sleeping? There are only two possibilities. There is no third. Are you daydreaming? If you are, then no amount of pranayama can help you, because your mind is galloping through dreams: “Oh, I will be the President of Germany, or some other country.” You have no idea what a headache it is to be the President of Germany. But the mind starts racing.
It is very difficult for politicians to do sadhana, because their minds are in a constant state of dreaming and daydreaming. Unfortunately, they do not realize they are dreaming—and their dreams are worthless. Yes, absolutely worthless.
Swapna nidrā jñāna ālambanam vā – The knowledge of dreams and sleep can also awaken you to the truth.
