Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.56
Mukti· LiberationOne in Quality, Different in Quantity
“If one’s dreams during sleep are merely subject matters witnessed by the Supersoul, how can the living entity, who is different from the Supersoul, remember the activities of dreams? The experiences of one person cannot be understood by another. Therefore the knower of the facts, the living entity who inquires into the incidents manifested in dreams and wakefulness, is different from the circumstantial activities. That knowing factor is Brahman. In other words, the quality of knowing belongs to the living entities and to the Supreme Soul. Thus the living entity can also experience the activities of dreams and wakefulness. In both stages the knower is unchanged, but is qualitatively one with the Supreme Brahman.”
What the purport teaches
- The living entity can remember past dreams and know present waking activities. The knower remains unchanged through these changing experiences.
- The quality of knowing belongs both to the living entity and to the Supreme Soul. In knowledge, the living entity is qualitatively one with the Supreme Brahman.
- This sameness of quality does not mean sameness of quantity. The living entity is part of Brahman, not equal in quantity to the Supreme Brahman.
Try this today
Recall a dream and one waking experience, then reflect on how you are the knower of both, distinct from the changing experiences.
Ask yourself
How can I recognize my spiritual quality without thinking myself equal to the Supreme?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.