Karika 3

Translation Even while moving forth into the divisions of waking and other states, and even while returning from them, that principle, being apprehended, never departs from its own essential nature.

Meaning This verse reveals the paradox of the Spanda, the divine throb of consciousness. Usually, we believe that when we shift from deep sleep to dreaming, or from dreaming to the waking world, we undergo a real change in our identity. We think the "I" that sleeps is different from the "I" that acts. The text corrects this illusion by stating that although consciousness appears to expand outward into the variety of experiences (prasarpati) and contract inward during withdrawal (nivartate), the core of who you are remains untouched. The movement is merely a play of energy, not a modification of the substance itself.

The crucial condition for realizing this truth is found in the phrase "being apprehended" (upalabdhrtah). As long as one is lost in the content of the experience, the transition between states feels like a birth and death of the self. However, for the one who has caught the glimpse of the background awareness—the Spanda that vibrates beneath the noise of the mind—the journey through waking, dreaming, and sleeping is seen as a dance occurring within a static center. Just as the screen does not burn when a fire is projected upon it, your essential nature does not change when the drama of life plays out upon it. You are the constant witness within the flux.

Contemplation Throughout your day, whenever you notice a sharp transition—such as finishing a task and starting another, or shifting from a conversation to silence—pause for a single breath. Instead of focusing on the new activity or the end of the old one, ask yourself: "What is it in me that knew the previous moment and now knows this one?" Rest your attention on that unbroken thread of knowing that bridges the gap, recognizing it as the same presence that was with you in deep sleep last night.