Bhagavatam-daily 297 – 11.13.30 – Wake up from the dream, not within the dream

Krishna bhagavatam 11.30 Krishna gives here a fascinating example to illustrate the difference between real enlightenment and apparent or pseudo enlightenment so if a person is dreaming it is important for the person to wake up and especially if the person is having a nightmare then waking up from the nightmare is the source of relief but if instead that person within a dream imagine that I have woken up now waking up within the dream that means the dream is continuing and waking up as an event within the dream does not actually take us out of the dream usually when we are dreaming we may visualize ourselves we may see ourselves travelling or eating or doing various activities so one such activity that we may see while we are dreaming is that within the dream we wake up from a dream and that activity of waking up will comprise will comprise a dream within a dream that means because we are not actually woken up we are simply asleep similarly in this world Krishna is saying that as long as people see things disconnected from him people don’t see things that are connected to him till that time they will not be able to transcend the illusions of material existence so the key point is we need to help we need to truly wake up from the dream and similarly he is saying sometimes people in the path of enlightenment may think that they are enlightened they may think that oh I have come out of illusion they may think that they have become stably situated now beyond the pole of illusion but the only stable situation beyond illusion is at the feet of the lord who is beyond illusion apart from that there is no stable situation so it does now there are some processes which may give people the feeling of enlightenment actually I have heard people say many times that people are caught in a world of passion or ignorance that anything that brings them even to sattva even to goodness can seem to be really relieving because as compared to the fierce bulls of passion or ignorance goodness is much better so so goodness does help one to feel calmer feel less pulled by desires feel less wracked by anxieties and a process that brings us to goodness when compared to passion or ignorance and then unaware of transcendence will seem as if as if already providing transcendence because unless one has tasted transcendence one cannot really know how glorious it is how peaceful, how blissful how shelterful it is so there are other processes people may get relief it is not something that is to be debated but we have to consider yes people do get relief but the question is what is the kind of relief that they are getting is it a lasting, transforming relief or is it a fleeting momentary relief that only feeds them that only lulls them into a momentary it may be lasting for more than a moment it may be lasting for a good amount of time but from the spiritual perspective of the eternal soul even a few days or a few months or even a few decades a person actually manages to come to goodness and earlier it has been said that by material striving also a person can raise oneself from the lower mode towards the higher mode so the point is that goodness may seem much better than passion and ignorance and it is better than passion and ignorance and one may by becoming sensitive to goodness become a better person in terms of one’s thoughts and emotions internally and in terms of one’s contributions externally but still one will remain under the clutches of illusion not realizing that ultimately even goodness is not good enough because in goodness there is still there is still an attachment to matter so because of that attachment to matter in terms of the sense of advancement in knowledge that one feels one feels superior to others Krishna says that in goodness one is bound by Sat-Sat-Sandhir-Vrat-Vat-Prakashakam-Manamaya Sukh-Sanghen-Vat-Nati-Gyan-Sanghen-Chanakam Sukh-Sanghen-Vat-Nati-Gyan-Sanghen-Chanakam Prakashakam-Manamaya means illuminating this frequency still and therefore reduced Sukh-Sanghen-Vat-Nati-Gyan-Sanghen-Chanakam it binds us to happiness and it binds us to Gyan-Sanghen-Chanakam it binds us to the sense that oh I am happy, I am comfortable and I have more knowledge than others these people, other people they are foolishly pursuing self-defeating pursuits but I am not like them I am much more intelligent and dedicated and intelligent and learned and this sense of superiority over others sense of comfort that becomes a trap that binds so Krishna says the test of enlightenment is not just how one feels but also how one perceives the world and how we are in connection with Him enlightenment means to connect ourselves with Krishna and to see everything as connected with Him and Yoma-Pashyati-Sarvatra Sarva-Puchyamayi-Pahishyati Ashyamamina-Pranashyami Sachyamayina-Prahashyati Krishna says that Yoma-Pashyati-Sarvatra One who sees me everywhere Sarva-Puchyamayi-Pahishyati One who sees me in everything 6.30 Bhagavad Gita says Ashyamamina-Pranashyami Such a person I have never lost to such a person Sachyamayina-Prahashyati Nor am I lost to that person Krishna says that this is a state of steady unloosable enlightenment So as devotees devotee seekers we can focus not so much on breaking free from illusion understand that if you just focus on connecting with Krishna which is the essence of unloosable enlightenment then you will wake up from the dream that things can have separate meaning or enjoyment potential distinct from Krishna and break free from that illusion that itself will be steady and supreme unloosable enlightenment Thank you