Upanishads · Varāha 2.61
॥
Devanāgarī
सूक्ष्मनाडिषु सञ्चारो बुद्धेः स्वप्नः प्रजायते । सञ्चारधर्मरहिते मयि स्वप्नो न विद्यते
Transliteration (IAST)
sūkṣmanāḍiṣu sañcāro buddheḥ svapnaḥ prajāyate | sañcāradharmarahite mayi svapno na vidyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सूक्ष्म-नाडिषु सञ्चारःsūkṣma-nāḍiṣu sañcāraḥin the subtle passages, movement
बुद्धेः स्वप्नः प्रजायतेbuddheḥ svapnaḥ prajāyateof the intellect — dream is born
सञ्चार-धर्म-रहितेsañcāra-dharma-rahitefor one devoid of the property of movement
मयि स्वप्नः न विद्यतेmayi svapnaḥ na vidyatefor me, dream does not exist
Translation
"From the movement of the intellect through the subtle passages, dream is born; for me, devoid of the property of movement, dream does not exist."
Version
d1cc2580f870 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
An explanation of dream is given: sukshma-nadishu sancharah, "movement through the subtle passages." This explanation rests on the teaching of the passages, which we examined in detail in the Jabala-darshana (4.5 and onward); and there it was said this description is a record of inner sensation, not anatomy. Let us add what deserves saying of dream as an argument, for it is the chief testimony in these books.
In a dream a person produces a whole world: people, places, conversations; and produces them without being conscious that he produces them. From this it is concluded: if he can do so in sleep, perhaps the waking world is likewise. This argument is strong, and known in European literature too; and anyone who has tried to think it through knows it cannot be refuted from within.
The Vaishnava side does not refute it; it points to the dissimilarity discussed when reading verse fifty-eight. Let us add here another dissimilarity, relevant to dream. A dream-world is not shared: two do not see the same dream and cannot compare notes on it.
But the waking world is shared: two see the same thing, and this alone is what makes conversation possible — including a conversation about whether the world exists. Hence any teaching of the world's illusoriness holds only for as long as it is expounded to someone; and the one expounding it thereby makes use of the very commonality he denies.