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sridatta1 · Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Posts: 627 Location: india

Inert energy that remains in the deep sleep is devoid of qualities
66) Sushuptisiddhanirgunajadashaktyaatmaa nityah.

(The eternal Aatman or the inert energy that remains in the deep sleep is devoid of qualities, which are properties of awareness).

The entity that does the work of knowing is the inert energy or Aatman that remains in the deep sleep. It is eternal because the inert energy is never destroyed even in the final dissolution of the world. This Aatman is nirguna, meaning devoid of qualities. Here the word quality is restricted to the property of awareness only and not the property in general. In deep sleep, awareness disappears and hence all its qualities also disappear. This inert energy left over in deep sleep, which is devoid of qualities is called as nirguna Aatman. Remember that the word quality here is confined to the property of awareness only and not to any inert property.