Prashna Upanishad 4.1
beginner
अथ हैनं सौर्यायणी गार्ग्यः पप्रच्छ। भगवन्नेतस्मिन्पुरुषे कानि स्वपन्ति कान्यस्मिञ्जाग्रति कतर एष देवः स्वप्नान्पश्यति कस्यैतत्सुखं भवति कस्मिन्नु सर्वे संप्रतिष्ठिता भवन्तीति॥
atha hainaṃ sauryāyaṇī gārgyaḥ papraccha | bhagavannetasminpuruṣe kāni svapanti kānyasmiñjāgrati katara eṣa devaḥ svapnānpaśyati kasyaitatsukhaṃ bhavati kasminnu sarve saṃpratiṣṭhitā bhavantīti ||
"Then Gargya Sauryayani asked: "Lord, what powers sleep in this person? What stay awake? Which god sees dreams? Whose is this happiness of deep sleep? In whom are all these established?""
What This Means:
The fourth question explores the mystery of sleep: What happens to our faculties when we sleep? Who dreams? Who experiences the bliss of deep sleep?
Going Deeper:
This question leads to the revelation of the Self as the witness of all states - waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
How To Apply This:
Observe what happens when you fall asleep. What withdraws? What remains aware even in dreams?
#sleep#dreams#waking#witness