svapna-sthāno 'ntaḥ-prajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṁśati-mukhaḥ pravivikta-bhuk taijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ ||
"The second quarter is Taijasa, whose sphere is the dream state, who is conscious of internal objects, who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and who experiences subtle (mental) objects."
What This Means:
The second state is dreaming — when consciousness turns inward and creates an entire world from mental impressions. In dreams, you experience subtle objects made of thought-stuff. This dreamer is called Taijasa (the "luminous one").
Going Deeper:
Taijasa means "made of light" — dreams are luminous projections of the mind. Remarkably, in dreams you have a body, a world, other people — all created by your own consciousness. This shows the mind's creative power. While dreaming, that world seems completely real.
How To Apply This:
Tonight in your dreams, the dream-world will seem as real as this one does now. This insight destabilizes the assumption that the waking state is "more real." Both states are experiences appearing in consciousness.
Key Sanskrit Terms: