Quote by Joseph Campbell, The Mythic Imag

The notion of this universe, its heavens, hells, and everything within it, as a great dream dreamed by a single being in which all the dream characters are dreaming too, has in India enchanted and shaped the entire civilization. The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating on the cosmic Milky Ocean, couched upon the coils of the abyssal serpent Ananta, the meaning of whose name is Unending. In the foreground stand the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the epic Mahabharata, with Draupadi, their wife: allegorically , she is the mind and they are the five senses. They are those whom the dream is dreaming. Eyes open, ready and willing to fight, the youths address themselves to this world of light in which we stand regarding them, where objects appear to be distinct from each other, and an Aristotelian logic prevails, and A is not not-A. Behind them a dream-door has opened, however, to an inward, backward dimension where a vision emerges against darkness...

The notion of this universe, its heavens, hells, and everyth

Summary

This quote captures the Indian concept of the universe as a dream dreamed by a single being. Vishnu, depicted as the ultimate dreamer, rests on the serpent Ananta in the cosmic Milky Ocean. The five Pandava brothers and their wife Draupadi represent the dream characters within the dream, with Draupadi symbolizing the mind and the brothers representing the five senses. While they appear ready to battle in the waking world, a dream-door opens behind them, revealing an inward, backward dimension where a vision emerges from darkness. This quote highlights the enchanting influence of this belief on Indian civilization.

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By Joseph Campbell, The Mythic Imag

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