chaturmas - yoga nidra of vishnu

…contd…

Now Lord Vishnu sleeps during Chaturmas! Well, is it really true? When beings higher to us like Deva, Gandharvas don’t sleep and don’t need sleep, the protector of the world – Lord Vishnu needs one or goes to sleep? Is it possible? Then what’s the difference between ‘Nidra’ and ‘Yoga Nidra’?

‘Nidra’ or sleep is tamasic because we become inactive and are totally ignorant of everything happening and what is during our sleep. This state of inactivity is therefore termed as tamasic. But it is must for the anaerobic activity of rejuvenation and repairing of our body. This state of rest helps our body to become energized and fit to face the next day. Imagine it to be something like ‘aircraft maintenance’ after every flight! But, do we all get rejuvenated after sleep – not necessarily. Because, our bodies become inactive but our mind is kept active with all the day’s events, suppressed desires (which we usually fulfill through our dreams!), anger and what not. No doubt we get up tired, listless, irritated and dull.

But, if we do meditation like let go or re-birth or hands-on and then go to sleep then the number of thoughts reduces comparatively and we have restful sleep. This is called as first stage of ‘yoga-nidra’ or the level just below Samadhi state. In meditation there exist meditator (I), meditation (Act/process) and the meditated (object) – that is 3 things exist like singer, song and the singing. When the singer while singing looses himself in the song then only song exists – that is Samadhi state. Here the meditator is not even aware of his self as he’s become the awareness itself – the conscious itself. But, just before that state the meditator is aware – that he is sleeping, that he is dreaming and is in a position to even control that sleep and all that happens in the dream – that is yoga-nidra state. Sleep doesn’t give me any new insights, knowledge or wisdom. I get up the way I went to sleep. But in ‘yoga-nidra’ one gets up having experienced sub or super-conscious state with better insight, knowledge and wisdom. The person gets transformed after ‘yoga-nidra’. (I know you are finding it all Greek and Latin, but words fail me as I try to explain such phenomenal experiences. But still, if you think you’ve understood explain what you’ve or you haven’t and I’ll try to take over from your explanation/query and try to put it in different way!)

This is called ‘yoga-nidra’ that one (we mortals) experience during meditation. Is it same as the Lord’s.  Yes and no. yes – in a sense that he doesn’t sleep though lying down with eyes closed – but is totally super conscious. No – because the level is certainly not the same for us and Him. But, we can imagine in a way what His Yoga Nidra would be – though we can never know the exact way. Like doodhpeda and khalakand (two types of sweet prepared with milk and sugar) are prepared the same way, you can only presume about the taste of Khalakand after tasting doodhpeda but can know what it actually is only when you taste personally. Right?

….contd….