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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00112 Oct 2004

 
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SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

According to Hindu Thought, dreams are real and caused by the Supreme 
Brahman. They can either be prophetic or retributive.

The earliest references to dreams are found in Rig veda which are 
mystic than symbolic. It is said that dreams are manifestations of 
evil spirits. By praying to Lord Varuna, a person can protect himself 
from the evil dreams. Lord Varuna is also called as Lord of Rta, the 
Law-giver who distributes the good and evil dreams in tune with the 
punya or papa-karma that the subject has to experience. By praying to 
this Lord, the evil dreams are consigned to Trita Aptya. (the 3rd 
level of consciousness or antharyamin?). 

There are verses  on dreams in Atharva veda which speak about swapna 
in two-fold characteristics, namely, the state of sleep whose  Lord 
is Yama and what it (sleep) contains. The second one is about dreams 
which are in nature of retributive justice done to the dreamer by the 
Lord of Rta ? by praying whom one can get the evil dreams transferred 
to the evil-doers (how?)

But one important verse in Atharva veda found in XIX-57 gives an 
indication of prophetic nature of dreams. It says, " Thee that 
are `harsh' by name, mouth of the black-bird (shakuni) ?thee, o 
sleep, we thus know completely.' The term `krishna shakuni', meaning 
black-bird is symbolic of omens. It had been in vogue in those days 
to listen to the signs and sounds of birds to predict what is to 
come. The word shakunam indicates that dreams are speculative.

Coming to upanishaths, there are many references to dreams in a 
number of upanishaths. But the core theme of all had been that it is 
Brahman who creates the dreams ? something that runs counter to Freud 
and other modern psycho-analysts. The pramanas for dreams as  being 
the creation of Brahman can be found in Ramanuja Bhashyam to Brahma 
sutras 3-2-1 to 3-2-5. (available in ramanuja.org). But the very next 
sutra says that dreams serve as omen. Thirijada's dream in sundara 
khandam and Andal's dream are worth mentioning here. 
  
Two inferences are drawn from Ramanuja's write-ups (according to K.C. 
Varadhachari who has done an elaborate research in Ramanuja's works)

(1) Not all dreams are prophetic. The individual who is self-
controlled, leads a moral life and is self-surrendered at the feet of 
the Divine would be relieved of evil dreams. With an increase in his 
morality and Divine consciousness, he would not dream at all. For him 
the dreams are of true nature, occurring in real life. The true dream 
is said to happen to him at twilight, the sandhya between waking and 
sleep state when he is receptive (consciously) to Divine 
manifestation within himself. The impressions as unfolded by the 
Divine at that time is remembered by him as dreams and they are found 
to happen in real life.

(2) Most dreams are retributive in nature having an ethical 
justification. They evoke joy or sorrow or pleasure or pain. There 
are dreams in which the dreamer smells or tastes etc. (the causes are 
discussed in some upanishaths like ShArIrakOpanishath and 
SarvasArOpanishath). These feelings are in consonance with the nature 
of karma that the dreamer is destined to undergo. This is understood 
by the fact that good dreams have after-results of bodily fitness and 
bad dreams leave one physically and mentally exhausted and weak. 
Added to this is the feeling of dis-quiet and fear after a bad dream 
or a nightmare.

The main book of reference for dream ?interpretation is Charaka-
samhita by Charaka, part of which is supposed to be based on Valmiki 
Ramayana. Scholars are of the opinion that Charaka has based his 
interpretations on `consensus of opinion' on different dream ?
implications that existed at his time ? than on  shAstric pramanas. 
One pramana we have is from Chandogya which states that dreaming of 
women means success. But going by Bramha sutra 3-2-6, we know that 
dream- reading has sruti-pramana and that there were dream ?readers 
too. But as far as this writer knows, any literature on pramana-based 
dream-reading (other than charaka's) is not existent today. What we 
have with us now is based on interpreting from the retributive angle. 
(In contrast,  Charaka's  linking of dreams to specific diseases or 
success or defeat seem to have no logical or retributive  basis.)

Based on the above notion, it is possible to bring out a logic 
between dreams and reality. For instance to the question on snake, 
biting the dreamer in dreams, the logic is related to Rahu dosham, if 
ever it does exist in the subject's (dreamer) horoscope. If it does 
and if the subject is issueless (the most common debilitation caused 
by Rahu), the dream is said to signify an end to that debilitation. 
Under other conditions (than the one mentioned), it is interpreted 
that the impediments caused by Rahu in  Gochara or in  dasa-bhukti 
cease to exist from now onwards. By the snake-bite, it is implied 
that the harm is done (or over) and the subject is now free from the 
harm. This is both retributive and predictive. (The retributive-ness 
contains in itself the predictive aspect)

Jayasree saranathan.

Food for thought:-
There is a story from Vikramaditya's life, whereby it is stated that 
a person approached him with a plea that he (Vikramadithya) help him 
retrieve  the gold coins that was lent by him to another one in his 
dream!! The king asked him to come back the next day with the promise 
that he would get back the gold coins from the other person. The king 
then had the same number of gold coins tied in a bag and hung on top 
of a pole. A mirror was placed at the ground in such a way that the 
image of the coin-bag can be seen in the mirror. The king delivered 
justice by asking the `lender' to take back from the image found in 
the mirror, what he has lent in his dreams!!


--- In SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "sathya" <sathya@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> Dear Swamis / friends
> 
> I have a personal request / question.
> For the past 2 nights my wife is dreaming about a snake biting her 
left leg
> while at sleep. Can any elderly scholars explain what does this 
mean ,
> implications that may happen, what should be done for the same ( as
> Prayaschittam)
> 
> Kindly educate me sirs / Madams
> 
> With Best Wishes & Regards
> 
> sathya








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