GURU VACHAKA KOVAI Tells Reasons Why Sastras Describe The Blissful State Of Sleep As A Sheath

Even though people enjoy the highest happiness in deep sleep, where no other thing exists, instead of understanding that it is the true happiness and trying to achieve it in life [i.e. instead of finding the means –the Self-enquiry – to experience it uninterruptedly even in the waking state], craving to obtain other things, sense objects, as if they were the remedies for the miseries that occur, is utter foolishness.

Anandamaya is said to be a sheath [kosha] because of the great desire towards the waking state of the one identifying with the vijnanamaya kosha. But when the strong ego identifying with vijnanamaya is destroyed, the anandamaya that survives will lose the nature of a sheath [kosha] and remain as the supreme Bliss.

Sadhu Om: Only because we have desires in the form of subtle tendencies to leave sleep often and to rise and make pravrittis in the vijnanamaya kosha [the intellect – buddhi], the sastras describe the blissful state of sleep as a sheath.It is only one’s attachment,the desire to be active in vijnanamaya, that drags one out of the anandamaya kosha [sleep]. If this attachment is lost, the leaving of the blissful sleep will not happen.Then, the uninterrupted state of bliss [in sleep], instead of being a mere sheath,will shine as our natural, unending, true state of Bliss.

Source: GURU VACHAKA KOVAI The Light of Supreme Truth or THE COLLECTION OF GURU’S SAYINGS translated from original Tamil By Sadhu Om and Michael James

Guru Vachaka Kovai is the biggest collection of Bhagavan’s spoken teachings that was thoroughly checked and revised by him during his lifetime. As such it has a unique place in the Ramana literature.