Dream and Past Samskaras

1. Past Samskara-s (impressions) & Vasana-s (tendencies) act as the founding cause for our present state of body, mind and psyche. Governed by these, one gets tendencies towards or aginst certain actions in the present birth. Such actions performed in this existence then create further Samskara-s & Vasana-s, which might strengthen the already existing ones or create new ones. The sub- conscious mind gets the chance to throw up and indulge in these impressions as the ‘Buddhi’ (power of intellect) and ‘Vichara’ (power of discernment) are very weak or absent in ‘Swapna’ (the state of dream). Thus the events which unfold in a dream can be the results of actions of this or previous births.

This statement is proven by the fact that even newly born children who are just a few days old experience dreams and react to the same. Since the worldly experience of such a new born is nil, it can safely be assumed that there are no Samskara-s & Vasana-s pertaining to this birth, the child just being a few days old. Yet the child smiles, laughs or cries in fear in dream sleep. How is this possible? It hence follows that there must already be the causing impressions and tendencies responsible for such reactions within the mind of the child in a dormant state. These latencies which surface while in dream can alone be responsible for the reactions of happiness or fear in the child who knows nothing about the world, its workings and experiences.

This is one of the best supporting proofs for the existence of past births and future rebirths. The Samskara-s & Vasana-s which the Jiva had acquired peviously are stored in the ‘Kârana Sharira’ (causal body). This causal vehicle is the only medium which accompanies the Atman in its millions of births from animal life to that of a human being. Just as the hard disk of a computer stores all data & actions performed using the computer (even if the data is deleted), all the impressions and tendencies of these millions of past births are stored in the causal body. When some of these impressions blossom in dream sleep, the child reacts with the corresponding emotions of happiness, sadness or fear. The same holds good as regards adults.

2. The pure state of the Atman has no impressions and tendencies. Being pure, unalloyed and completely clear, the Atman is the purest, cleanest and no different from the ‘Parabrahman’ (Almighty). Such purity results in ‘Sat-Chit-Ananda’ (knowledge-existence-bliss) of the highest possible degree. This is why the Atman is always in bliss, being a component of the Almighty, if it might be said so. The Jiva (individual) on the other hand, being degraded through ‘Avidya’ (ignorance) has forgotten that he really is the Atman (in union with the Lord) and instead assumes himself to be separate. This causes great misery and suffering, which the Jiva then tries to negate through sense pleasures, but to no avail. If the Jiva can succeed in reverting to his pure state of the being the Atman (in union with the Almighty), all the Samskara-s & Vasana-s which are the cause behind his suffering and encasement in this physical body will get negated and roasted. They will then be unable to surface and manifest in the form of 'Chitta Vrtti-s' (modifications of the mind) in the waking or dream state, where upon dreams taper and gradually disappear. When such a state is attained, the Jiva is no longer the Jiva but the pure Atman even in the waking state, free from all desires or wants and in complete bliss eternally.

This process is achievable by no other method but by Yoga & Brahmacharya. The conserved Rethas (sexual fluid) when transmuted into Ojas, among its many effects, slowly starts weeding out the substratum of past karma stored in the causal vehicle. The eight anga-s (limbs) of Yoga help direct this power in the direction of cleansing the causal repository of all its material from the past. As the causal medium becomes cleaner with lesser active impressions, the mind gets closer to the Atman and assumes the pure qualities of the Atmic state both while in the waking state and in dream. Eventually, upon ‘Kaivalya’ (self-realization), the Jiva might be assumed to have dissolved for all practical purposes and the Atman alone remains. The Yogi is then a ‘Jivanmukta’ (liberated while alive). He is then the very manifestation of the Almighty in the human form. “He is the very Brahman in flesh and blood” – say the scriptures. The purpose of the human existence is then over for him. He has no further work to do, except guide others towards liberation and work for their welfare if so wished by the Almighty. Upon giving up the body (at his will which is the will of God), he becomes ‘Aikya’ (unites) with the Universal Almighty through ‘Videha mukti’ (disembodied liberation). Then he is gone forever, into the infinite Brahman through eternal union, never to return.

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)