‘Here, Here is Knowledge…’
Here is another passage which shows the different states of realisation.
यथाऽऽदर्शे तथाऽऽत्मनि यथा स्वप्ने तथा पितृलोके ।
यथाऽप्सु परीव ददृशे तथा गन्धर्वलोके
छायातपयोरिव ब्रह्मलोके ॥ ५॥
yathā”darśe tathā”tmani yathā svapne tathā pitṛloke .
yathā’psu parīva dadṛśe tathā gandharvaloke
chāyātapayoriva brahmaloke .. 5..
As in a mirror, so in the buddhi; as in a dream, so in the World of the Fathers; as in water, so Brahman is seen in the World of the Gandharvas; as in light and shade, so in the World of Brahma.
Commentary:
In this world we have an experience of the Atman inside in an indistinct manner, as if light is cast on a mirror. Just as the qualities of the light are not entirely reflected in the mirror, and only some aspect of the light is so reflected, the entirety of the Atman cannot be seen reflected in our mind and intellect. So here, in the case of the individual personality, the experience of the reflection of the Atman in experience is as if light falls on a mirror.
In Pitriloka, or the world of the forefathers, the Self is experienced as we see things in dream. We see things in dream, but not very clearly; they are translucent and disturbed. Gandharva-loka is still higher up. Gandharvas are the celestial musicians and dancers who are said to be entertaining Indra in heaven. In that kingdom of Gandharvas, the Self is seen as if the sun is reflected in water. Just as there is a disturbance on account of the movement of water, there is no clear perception of the Atman even in Gandharva-loka. Only in Brahmaloka can the distinction between the universal and the individual be seen, as the distinction between light and shade. When the sun is shining in the mid-sky, the light is so intense that we can clearly distinguish that brilliance from the shade cast by a tree. So is the distinction, the clarity, that we can perceive in Brahmaloka, the world of the Creator, where the supreme consciousness of the Atman will be clearly experienced as distinguished from all that is created and all that is anatman, or other than the Self. The Self and the not-Self are very rarely distinguishable, and even then, very unclearly in our case, and unclearly in Pitriloka also, very unclearly in Gandharva-loka, but clearly in Brahmaloka. The distinction between God and the world, in the form of the distinction between the universal and the particular, or the universal and the external, can be seen in Brahmaloka, which is the highest spiritual experience that is possible for any seeker. It is the penultimate region of Godhood.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
In the heaven of the forefathers, as a man sees things in a dream, so the Real Truth is seen.” As in dreams we see things hazy and not so distinct, so we see the Reality there. There is another heaven called the Gandharva, in which it is still less clear; as a man sees his own reflection in the water, so is the Reality seen there. The highest heaven, of which the Hindus conceive is called the Brahmaloka; and in this, the Truth is seen much more clearly, like light and shade, but not yet quite distinctly. But as a man sees his own face in a mirror, perfect, distinct, and clear, so is the Truth shining in the soul of man. The highest heaven, therefore, is in our own souls; the greatest temple of worship is the human soul, greater than all heavens, says the Vedanta; for in no heaven anywhere, can we understand the reality as distinctly and clearly as in this life, in our own soul. Changing places does not help one much.[Source]