suṣupta-sthānaḥ prājño makāras tṛtīyā mātrā miter apīter vā minoti ha vā idaṁ sarvam apītiś ca bhavati ya evaṁ veda ||
"Prajna in deep sleep is the letter M, the third syllable, because of measuring (miti) or merging (apīti). One who knows this measures all this and becomes one into whom all merges."
What This Means:
The sound M represents deep sleep (Prajna). M closes the sound of OM, just as deep sleep closes the cycle of daily experience. Understanding this brings the power to "measure" (understand) all things.
Going Deeper:
Miti (measuring) suggests deep sleep is where all experience is "measured out" from — the undifferentiated source from which waking and dreaming are portioned. Apīti (merging) indicates how all distinctions merge back into unity in deep sleep. The realized one becomes the source into whom everything returns.
How To Apply This:
When you pronounce the M in OM, let it hum into silence. Feel the mind settling, distinctions fading, like sinking into deep sleep while remaining aware. This is the doorway to the fourth.
Key Sanskrit Terms: