or that of sparks with fire; on that account, they call the soul and the spirits _jívátmá_.[131] The soul is uncompounded and distinct from the body and from the material senses; but by the power of selfishness it fell into a captivity from which the soul strives to be liberated.[132] The soul has three conditions or states: the first is the state of being awake, which they call _jágaravast´ha_,[133] and in this state the soul enjoys quietly the pleasures of nature and bodily delights, such as eating and drinking, and the like; and it suffers from the privation of these just-mentioned enjoyments; that is, it suffers from hunger and thirst, and similar pains; the second state is that of sleep, called _svapna avast´ha_,[134] and in this state the soul is happy in the possession of what it wishes and desires, such as collecting in dreams gold and silver, and similar things; it is distressed by the want of them; the third state is known by the name of _Su svapna avast´ha_,[135] that is, “the state of good sleep,” and in this state there is neither gladness nor sadness from possession or privation of what is desired, but freedom from pleasure and pain. It is to be known that they hold sleep to bestow a prophetic sight of events, and the vision is called _rúyá_ in Arabic: in this third state however, which they call sleep by excellence, no events are seen, but it is being plunged in a profound sleep, and this people do not take it simply for sleep, but they distinguish it as a sort of lethargy, which they call _su svapna_. They believe the souls to be imprisoned in these three states, and wandering about in a circle. The soul in these conditions, although united with a body, yet, by a number of meritorious deeds, and a virtuous conduct, attains to the station of knowing itself and God: it then breaks the net of illusion,[136] and it is the characteristic of saints whom they call _Jnání_;[137] that, whatever they see in the state of being awake, they reckon to be a vain illusion, as if presenting itself to men in a dream. The saint thinks even a man awake to be deceived by a dream; like one who, from inadvertency, takes a rope for a snake; but it is a rope, not a snake: he knows the world to be a delusion, which, from want of knowledge, is thought to be the universe, although, in truth, it has no reality. This state is called by them _Tarbá avast´há_.[138]