Hṛdaye cittasaṃghaṭṭād dṛśyasvāpadarśanam हृदये चित्तसंघट्टाद् दृश्यस्वापदर्शनम् (sūtrā 15)

Hṛdaye - the essence of awareness or consciousness; citta - mind; saṃghaṭṭa - union; dṛśya - visible, the visible world; svāpa - the dreaming state (sūtrā 9); darśana - becoming visible through appearance.

The sūtrā says that when the mind is in conjunction with the essence of consciousness, the visible world appear as if in a dream state, where the objective world does not exist. In the highest level of consciousness, the objective world disappears as if the aspirant is in a state of nothingness. Nothingness or void is a state where everything else is negated. Such a state becomes possible only if the mind is not afflicted with thoughts originated from the senses. When the mind conjoins with the essence of consciousness, it has to be pure, as otherwise the consciousness also gets afflicted. An afflicted consciousness is of no use in spiritual progression. The essential principle of spirituality is one’s ability to establish oneness with the Supreme. The difference between a yogi and an aspirant is one’s dedication and sādhanā (practice).

The word svāpa is chosen by Shiva is not without reasoning. In this context, svāpa is used with the intent to mean void. Literal meaning of svāpa is the state of dreaming that has been discussed in sūtrā 9. In the dreaming state and beyond, the experience of the objective world is disconnected leading to state of void where there is neither experiment nor experience. In the case of a yogi, he is able to reach these stages even when he is awake. He is able to disconnect his mind from the objective world even while he is awake and unites it with the essence of consciousness. He now understands the spirit of Universality and Oneness. He is able to discard the influence of senses.

The void that is referred here is within the heart, the seat of soul. When one establishes a connection between his mind and soul, his consciousness transforms into universal consciousness. When one is able to do this by looking within (looking within is the process of connecting his soul and his mind, both of them are available within his inner self), he not only looks within, but also looking at the entire universe as his own. His consciousness now becomes the vehicle of Shiva consciousness.

Consciousness is multidimensional. But, the individual consciousness is generally limited to one’s mind. If the mind is afflicted, his consciousness also gets afflicted and becomes impure. If the mind is controlled by will power, then it is not influenced by sensory perceptions. This is yet another factor of interdependency (interdependence of mind and consciousness) in His creation.

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