Overcoming dream state of Entanglement

2011-09-07
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.02.15 - Overcoming dream state of Entanglement (download mp3)
by Radha Vallabha Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty
www.iskcondesiretree.net





SB 10.2.15
garbhe pranite devakya
rohinim yoga-nidraya
aho visramsito garbha
iti paura vicukrusuh

Translation: 
When the child of Devaki was attracted and transferred into the womb of Rohini by Yogamaya, Devaki seemed to have a miscarriage. Thus all the inhabitants of the palace loudly lamented, "Alas, Devaki has lost her child!"

Purport: 
"All the inhabitants of the palace" includes Kamsa. When everyone lamented, Kamsa joined in compassion, thinking that perhaps because of drugs or some other external means, Devaki had undergone this abortion. The real story of what happened after Yogamaya attracted the child of Devaki into the womb of Rohini in the seventh month of Rohini's pregnancy is described as follows in the Hari-vamsa. At midnight, while Rohini was deeply sleeping, she experienced, as if in a dream, that she had undergone a miscarriage. After some time, when she awoke, she saw that this had indeed happened, and she was in great anxiety. But Yogamaya then informed her, "O auspicious lady, your child is now being replaced. I am attracting a child from the womb of Devaki, and therefore your child will be known as Sankarsana."

The word yoga-nidra is significant. When one is spiritually reconnected through self-realization, one regards his material life as having been like a dream. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.69):

ya nisa sarva-bhutanam
tasyam jagarti samyami
yasyam jagrati bhutani
sa nisa pasyato muneh

"What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage." The stage of self-realization is called yoga-nidra. All material activities appear to be a dream when one is spiritually awakened. Thus yoga-nidra may be explained to be Yogamaya.