Table Of Content1
SLEEP, DREAMS AND SPIRITUAL
REFLECTIONS
AUTHOR
SHRIRAM SHARMA ARCHARYA
Compiled and Translated by:
Dr. Rajani Joshi
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Publisher: Shantikunj, Haridwar
(U.P), India, 249411
The WWW reprint is for free distribution
2
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
PREFACE
Dreams have always been the focus of curiosity, interest, and quest of the human
mind. These have led to varieties of false convictions and mystic notions on the one
hand, and have accelerated research in Psychology, Neurology and Parapsychology
on the other. The reality, origin, reflections and implications of dreams are discussed
in great detail in this book, which is compiled from the translation of the Chapters 4
and 5 of the volume 18 of “Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya Vangmaya” series.
A detailed description of the history and trends in the oriental and occidental
philosophy and science of dreams is presented here. The myths and facts about
acquisition of extra sensory knowledge, precognition, and psychological depths of
the unconscious mind and the unknown subtle world of the inner self through
dreams are elucidated here. Thorough reviews of Freud’s, Jung’s and contemporary
psychological theories vis-à-vis the relevant aspects of the ancient science of
spirituality are discussed under broad perspectives.
The current status and future scope of research on dreams is discussed with
substantial references. Special attention is focused on dream based early detection,
diagnosis and therapies in the context of reported scientific experiments. The readers
will also get to know how the decipheration of dreams could help resolving the
complexities of psychosomatic disorders and elevating one’s psychology.
Sleep is an integral part of life. The variegated experiences of dreams also become
possible in this phase. In normal case, for most of us sleep is almost an automatic,
mechanical, or routine process. We do realize its importance in relaxing and
recharging of the body and the mind but hardly pay any attention to its significant
role in harmonizing the brain functions, mental stability and self-development. The
present book unfolds the multiple facets of this natural and crucial process of daily-
life.
Interrelationship of sleep, dreams and the limitless potentials of the conscious,
subconscious, and the unconscious mind are lucidly focused here in great depth. The
causes, pernicious effects, and remedies of insomnia, somnabulism, and other
disorders of sleep are discussed with substantial examples. Live examples of
mysterious cases of sleepless healthy and normal life for several decades and those
of decade’s long natural sleep are also reported with details on the ancient and
modern research findings on such wonders of human brain. The trenchancy of mind
and its improved learning capabilities during deep sleep is given special mention
here and the results of recent experiments, research trends, and scope of the
3
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
techniques like hypnopaedia is discussed together with the specific yoga sadhanas of
relevance.
It is said that the ‘time-capsule’ existing in the inner cores of unconscious mind
contains the key to realization of supernormal faculties like –– clairvoyance,
telepathy, premonition, intuition, audio-visual perceptions beyond the constraints of
time and space, complete knowledge of the past and future and of the esoteric
features of nature. The false convictions, illusions and the truth of the transcendental
realities of dreams and the subliminal world of the unconscious mind are brought
out trenchantly by the author with discussions on a wide variety of live examples of
dreams collected from authentic reports and research documents. The list of
examples includes the dreams that led to great scientific discoveries or masterpiece
creations of literature, art and music in the modern age, as well as the significant
dreams of the architects of world history.
The book presents the invaluable pearls of ancient knowledge in terms of –
elucidation of the five levels of dream vis-à-vis the five subtle sheaths of
consciousness and the deeper aspects of creative conjugation of mind with the inner
impulses of the soul. It is up to us how best we make use of this rare guidance on
spiritual evolution and opportunity of epoch-making research bestowed on us.
It is hoped that the book would be interesting and informative to all those who
would read it out of sheer inquisitiveness about dreams. It would, at the same time,
motivate and effectively guide the researchers of the hidden domains of human
mind.
– Dr. Pranav Pandya, MD
4
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
CONTENTS
What is a Dream?......................................................................................................7
The Deep Roots of Dreams……………………………………………………………...10
Myths and Facts about Dreams………………………………………………………...12
Dreams –– Linkage between the Visible and the Invisible World…………………...22
Who Dreams while the Body Sleeps?......................................................................33
Scientific Truth of Dreams………………………………………………………………..37
How would Freud explain these Dreams?................................................................40
Tides of the inner impulses sensed through the Dreams…………………………….45
Mastering the Language of Dreams…………………………………………………….52
Peeping into the Future through the Window of Dreams……………………………..56
Divine Help of Invisible Guides Bestowed in Dreams…………………………………59
Dreams May Matter……………………………………………………………………….65
Higher Horizons of Dreams………………………………………………………………70
Realities Reflected in Dreams……………………………………………………………76
Dreams and Vision of Transcendental Realities……………………………………….81
Depth of Life in the Mirror of Dreams……………………………………………………90
The Unfolded Secrets of Dreams………………………………………………………..96
Events Folded in Dreams………………………………………………………………..101
Why some Dreams are so Real?.............................................................................108
Junction of the Gross and the Subtle Dimensions of the World…………………….113
Do you understand the Language of your Mind?.....................................................117
Secrets of Life Hidden in Dreams………………………………………………………120
Existence of Dreams: some Scientific views…………………………………………..124
Higher Realms of Intellect and Dreams………………………………………………..128
Impulse of the Unconscious Mind……………………………………………………....132
Subliminal Nature of Dreams…………………………………………………………....136
Facts behind Dreams…………………………………………………………………….141
Occidental History of the Philosophy of Dreams……………………………………...149
Hidden Messages of Dreams…………………………………………………………...154
5
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
Dreams aren’t always Baseless……………………………………………………….159
Notice your Specific Dreams!.................................................................................163
Where Do Future Events Exist?.............................................................................167
Travel in the Past and the Future via Dreams………………………………………..171
Dreams – Moments Beyond Life and Death………………………………………….175
Implications of Dreams………………………………………………………………….180
Watch Tomorrow, Today!.......................................................................................184
Research on Dreams –– The World of Unconscious Mind…………………………187
The Spectra of Dreams…………………………………………………………………191
Interrelationship of Sleep and Dreams ……………………………………………….210
Avoid Extremes in Sleeping Habits……………………………………………………214
Sleep is necessary but not Inevitable…………………………………………………216
He didn’t sleep for 71 Years!..................................................................................220
Sleep of childhood broke in the old Age!................................................................222
Intellectual Significance and Optimal use of Sleep………………………………….224
What Drives you do that in Sleep?.........................................................................227
Dreams –– Expressions of Nature…………………………………………………….231
Dreams –– The World Beyond Time, Space and Cause……………………………237
Read the Message of the Inner Self…………………………………………………..244
Signs of the Soul inscribed in the Dreams……………………………………………249
The Majestic Path of Ascent via Dreams……………………………………………..253
Yoga Sadhana for Dreams and Self-Development………………………………….257
Flashes of the Infinity in Dreams………………………………………………………260
The Unfolded Secrets of the Soul……………………………………………………..264
The Five Levels of Consciousness, Dreams and Yognidra…………………………269
Subliminal Conjugation of the Mind with the Soul……………………………………271
Glossary from the Shastrik Literature…………………………………………………277
About the Author…………………………………………………………………………278
6
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
What is a Dream?
The agility of our mind flashes innumerable varieties of thoughts and
imaginations in the awakened state. Random reflections of similar fluctuations continue
in the subconscious state of sleep too and manifest their arbitrary mingling in variegated
expressions of dreams in general. Therefore dreams most often appear vague and
meaningless. Unfolding the secrets of this free entertainment has been the center of
attraction of the inquisitive human mind since the time of yore. Equally important has
been the quest for identifying the nature, cause and mode of interpretation of the rare
but significant occurrence of meaningful dream.
Decipheration and analysis of dreams constituted an important part of transcendental
knowledge in the ancient times. Implications and messages conveyed by dreams were
the subject matters of curiosity and concern for the common people in the later ages too.
The masters of this discipline of knowledge enjoyed high repute in the society. An
Italian scholar named Archaemidoras had written a book on dreams some time in the
second century. The book was entitled “Onirocritica” –– meaning, “Principles of
Analyzing Dreams”. Copies of this hand written book were in great demand those
days. This was later published in the 15th century. Its popularity had risen further by
then. This book served as a fundamental document for many other volumes published
on dreams and mental reflections in the later years.
In the early days of modern civilization, people in some parts of the occidental world
used to believe that during the state of deep sleep the soul traverses in a ‘new’ world out
of the body. The information gathered by it during this visit of the extraterrestrial world
is expressed via dreams. So strong was this conviction that waking up someone fast
asleep was regarded risky because of the apprehension that his soul may not have
returned to his body before its ‘scheduled time’ and so waking him up during this
period may amount to his untimely death.
Modern psychologists often analyze dreams in terms of mental and bodily conditions.
For instance thrust during sleep might be expressed as a dream associated with hunting
7
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
for rivers or spring of water. If one feels suffocation in a dream or feels as though
someone is holding his throat tight and putting pressure on his chest, then he (the
dreamer) is quite likely to suffer from cough, some lung infection or related disorder.
Similar to these examples of subconscious effects, the rise in the temperature of semen in
a sleeping state often results in dreams pertaining to sexual excitements and might lead
to night discharge.
In a psychological experiment on dreams two persons were given pens in their hands
while sleeping. One of them dreamt of playing hockey and the other was rotating a club
in his dream. When cotton piece was moved softly over the palms of three sleeping
subjects, one of them felt (in dream) as if he is holding the tail of a cat; another one
dreamt of being massaged delicately; the third experienced a dream in which he was
patting his daughter’s silky hair. These examples illustrate the diversities of
imaginations and almost instantaneous response to sentient experiences of the
subconscious mind.
Noted psychologist Sigmund Freud had collected authentic information of about 1900
dreams. He had presented the study of the responsive reflections and psychological
implications of these dreams in his popular book “Analysis of Dreams”. He concluded
that dreams are rhetoric expressions of the unfulfilled desires and suppressed emotions.
Ambitions, avarice, lust and worldly desires and expectations of the people have
expanded many folds with materialistic civilization, easy access to means of sensual
pleasure and comforts coupled with a corresponding rise in aplomb and ego.
The suppressed emotions, unfulfilled desires, eagerness of possession and ambitious
race in personal and professional life, etc trigger a revolution in the conscious and
unconscious domains of mind. Their reactions are expressed and artificially
‘materialized’ in the imaginary world of dreams. Greater extent of these disturbances
result in disturbed sleep with haphazard flashes of vague dreams and may eventually
lead to psychological disorders of varied kinds. People having a balanced attitude of
contentment and creativity and those who have emancipated their thinking from the
clutches of negative impulses of over-ambition, ego, jealously, etc usually get sound
sleep and do not experience vague or hazy dreams.
8
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
Dreams are termed as mirrors reflecting the basic nature and intrinsic tendencies of the
individual self. The nature of one’s dreams helps inferring his psychology to some
extent. Especially, the roots of intensive influence of fear, lust, ferociousness, aversion,
etc, in one’s mind are easily diagnosed by decipheration of his dreams.
There is also a very distinct class of dreams which are hidden reflections of spiritually
refined inner self and which express subliminal communications at higher realms of
cosmic force. Such dreams are often experienced in the early hours of morning before
dawn and are found to be precognitive, reflections of clairvoyance, or envoys of divine
messages. Dreams leading to intuitive discoveries also fall in this category of the
supernormal sensing of the unconscious mind.
9
Sleep, Dream and Spiritual Reflections
The Deep Roots of Dreams
The origin of dreams is elucidated in the Yoga Sutra as a result of causal or incidental
transition of mind from its conscious to unconscious state or from a state of cognition
and retention to that of subtler impulses of mental activities. Whatever one experiences
in the subconscious state of sleep, is often seen by him as a dream as per the natural
tendencies of his mind and body.
The ancient science of Indian medicine (Ayurveda) classifies the natural tendencies of
mind and body in three principal categories of pitta, vata and kafa. Frequent scenes of
fire and light in the dreams are characteristics of the pitta tendencies. The people having
v³ta as the major tendency often see sky and experience winds and movements in space
in their dreams. The dreams of those having kafa tendency are preoccupied with
varieties of scenes associated with water –– ponds, rivers and sea etc.
Professor Kelvin is a reputed psychologist and expert of dream sciences in the U.S.A.
His views largely coincide with the explanations of the Indian philosophers. He defines
dreams as collective manifestation of varied imaginations and reactions of the
unconscious mind during sleep. Experiments on study of dreams affirm that the
activities of the inner mind continue even in the dormant state of the conscious
(external) mind. The conscious activities, flow of thoughts and associated visual
representations disappear in this state. Impulses of the unconscious (subliminal) mind
are then reflected as dreams.
The proportion and intensity of visual reflections in dreams is more prominent than the
instances of speaking and hearing. This is why dreams are usually referred as “seeing a
dream” or “saw in the dream…” etc. Physical and Biological sciences do no provide
definite reasons or logical elucidation of dreams. Even the existence of dreams is
doubted here, as no specific neuronal activity could be attributed to the origin and
nature of dreams. It is said that the countless inscriptions in the memory –– constituted
by whatever we have ever perceived, thought or felt, are inconsequentially or
10
Description:and 5 of the volume 18 of “Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya Vangmaya” series. A
detailed description of the history and trends in the oriental and occidental.
