Verses 56 1. The Apparent World Does Not Refute Non-Duality The objection arises from a misconception: “We see the world, so duality is real, and so sorrow must be real too.” Advaita’s response is: The world may appear, but that appearance does not falsify the truth of non-duality — just as a dream appears, but vanishes upon waking. 2. Experience Itself Contains the Solution The word "anubhūta" — “this is experienced” — refers to analogies like: The rope-snake: fear arises due to misperception; knowledge ends the fear. The dream-world: while dreaming, duality and sorrow seem real; upon waking, one sees it was unreal. Thus, even in this world, we have experiential parallels that show: Sorrow is not real in itself; it's the product of misapprehension (avidyā). 3. Brahman as Cause Doesn’t Imply Sorrow is Real Just because Brahman is the substratum (kāraṇa) of the world, it does not mean everything superimposed upon it (including sorrow) is ultimately real. Like gold being the cause of various ornaments, yet names and forms (bangles, earrings) don’t alter the essential nature. This passage skillfully anticipates a common doubt — that the perceived world and the existence of sorrow contradict non-duality. But through the pointer “anubhūtaḥ” (this is experienced), it appeals to lived illustrations where apparent reality doesn’t prove ultimate reality — and sorrow dissolves with true knowledge. In short: Experience confirms, it doesn’t contradict, non-duality. Verse No. 57 1. Duality Is Illusory in All States Whether it is waking (jāgrat), dream (svapna), or deep sleep (suṣupti) — the duality (of knower-known, subject-object, world-self) is ultimately mithyā (neither real nor absolutely unreal). Just as the dream-world vanishes upon waking, the waking world too is sublated in the vision of Brahman. 2. The Dream Analogy Powerfully Illustrates Māyā Dream is used as an illustration (dṛṣṭānta) for the waking world: Both arise from ignorance (avidyā). Both present a dualistic appearance. Both are negated by right knowledge (pramā). 3. The Same Principle Applies Universally The rule (nyāmaḥ) previously mentioned — likely about the falsity of duality, or the illusoriness of the world — is not limited to one example (like the rope-snake) but is universally applicable. Hence, it's now extended (atidishati) even to dream, showing consistency in illusion across all states. 4. Advaita’s Definition of Reality That which is not sublated at any time (trikāla-abādhita) is real. Dream and waking states are sublated (negated) — either in deep sleep or in knowledge of Brahman. Thus, they are mithyā, not satya. Just as the dream-world is illusory and vanishes upon waking, so too is the waking world — illusory from the standpoint of Brahma-jñāna (Self-realization). The apparent duality, present in any state, is only due to ignorance — and dissolves upon realization of non-dual Brahman. This insight is not limited to one case, but is consistently valid across all states of experience. Verse No 58 1. Mutual Exclusivity as a Sign of Illusoriness Waking, dream, and deep sleep do not co-exist; each negates the other. This mutual cancellation is a hallmark of mithyā — like the snake and the rope in illusion. 2. Guṇa-Traya as the Mechanism of Māyā The three states arise due to combinations of sattva (clarity), rajas (activity), and tamas (inertia). These are the modes of prakṛti, and the mind functions differently in each state due to the dominance of one guṇa. Hence, these are not ultimately real, but māyā-kalpita — imagined by māyā. 3. Underlying Reality: The Sākṣin or Brahman The question "What is real then?" prepares the seeker for the central Vedāntic answer: It is not the states themselves, but that which underlies them all — the witness consciousness (sākṣī) or pure awareness (Brahman). This unchanging substratum is what remains the same in all three states. 4. Self-Evident Continuation The "rest is clear" (शेषं स्पष्टम्) points to a direct intuitive grasp of the teaching for a sincere student — that Brahman is the sole non-dual reality, and everything else, including waking and dreaming, is māyā. The three states of experience — waking, dream, and deep sleep — are mutually exclusive and thus illusory, being mere products of māyā shaped by the three guṇas. What is real is the changeless substratum underlying them — the Self (Ātman), identical with Brahman. Recognizing this, the wise see through the illusion of experience and rest in the One without a second. Verse No 59 1. The Objection: Jīva Is Real? A subtle doubt is raised by the intellect: “Even if all experiences (in the three states) are illusory, the one who experiences — the jīva — must be real.” This is a common mistaken assumption — that there is a permanent experiencing entity (jīva) who persists through illusion. 2. The Refutation: Jīva Is Also Illusory The Upaniṣadic reply is that even the jīva is not ultimately real. He appears only as long as Brahman is not known. Like a snake seen on a rope, the jīva is merely a superimposition on Brahman due to avidyā (ignorance). 3. Sākṣātkāra (Direct Realization) When Brahman is directly realized as one's own Self — not as an object of knowledge, but as one’s true being — then: All dualistic notions vanish. The idea of being an individual dissolves. The seer, the seen, and the seeing merge into one undivided Awareness. 4. Key Implication The jīva is not a permanent entity but a conceptual construct arising due to identification with body–mind. When this false identification ceases, the truth of non-dual Brahman is self-evident. Even the jīva, like the three states, is a product of māyā. When Brahman is realized as the true Self, the idea of individual existence collapses. There is no jīva, no bondage, and no liberation — only Brahman, the non-dual reality.