Oblivious to Jnana (higher knowledge), man lives in ignorance in a dream world of illusions. Immersed in this sleeping state, he forgets his nature. One may be a president, an emperor or a prime minister, but in the sleeping state, he is not conscious of his position. In the dreams he experiences in this state, he considers them to be real and feels that these are his true state. In that dream state, a poor man may think he is an emperor (or a President). But the moment he wakes up, he is conscious of his real position and status. Likewise, man in his dream state of ajnana (ignorance), forgetting his true form of Satchitananda, identifies himself with a country, a profession or a physical form. It is this ignorance that envelops man in delusion. Just as one cannot see the rice when it is covered by husk, or see the water underneath a layer of moss, or the sun covered by a cloud, a man enveloped in ignorance is unable to see his true self. Hence, it is that the Upanishads have exhorted man to wake up from his sleep of ignorance and realise his true nature. When the husk is removed, the rice is visible. It was there in the paddy. But because of the husk covering it, it could not be seen. - Divine Discourse, Apr 04, 1992