Who experiences time when Brahma is in sleep?

Question

It is well known in Sanathan dharma that the universe we exist in is the creation of Brahma through his manas and hence we call him 'samisthi Jiva'. The experience of time is different for humans and Brahma. The following statements are useful in understanding this

The learned say that these twelve thousand years (of the deities) constitute what is called a yuga. A thousand such yugas compose a single day of Brahman. The same is the duration of Brahman's night. With the commencement of Brahman's day the universe begins to start into life. During the period of universal dissolution the Creator sleeps, having recourse to yoga-meditation. When the period of slumber expires, He awakes. That then which is Brahman's day extends for a thousand such yugas. His nights also extends for a thousand similar yugas. They who know this are said to know the day and the night. On the expiry of His night, Brahman, waking up, modifies the indestructible chit by causing it to be overlaid with Avidya. He then causes Consciousness to spring up, whence proceeds Mind which is identical with the Manifest.

[Section 231, Mokshadharma Parva, Santi Parva, The Mahabharata]

This question is not about the time spans. But about the existence of time and the perceiver of time. It is known that the sixth organ, the manas, is responsible for the perception or experience of time. So, humans don't experience time during Sushupthi/deep sleep. Time does exist only during waking/Jagrut and Swapna/dream state. Although time does not exist to a human during her Sushupthi, other humans, Brahma, pitrus, devtas experience time since their manas is active.

But when Brahma goes into yogic sleep then who experiences the time and how can one calculate the sleep time is the same as the daytime of Brahma? As I told before if a human is in a deep sleep state, she does not experience time but other persons can experience time if they are awake or dreaming and hence they have the perception of time. Is it the same case with Brahma? Since there are infinite Brahmas, even if a Brahma is sleeping, time continues to exist for other Brahmas who may be continuing their creations in a wake-up state? Or is there anything I need to consider?

Answer 1

This question is based literally on Puranic statements about Brahma's sleep. Puranas warn us not to read such statements literally. These statements are figurative in nature.

Brahma’s day and night figurative

The period of the duration of the Prakrita creation is said to be a day of Brahma. There is a similar period constituting the night. The Lord effects creation during day time and dissolution during the night. He had neither a day nor a night (as we understand the terms). The time-duration by day and night is used in the secondary sense.

Linga Purana I.4.1-2

Answer 2

The Ultimate God or Ishwara experiences time, when everybody is sleeping.

Mandukya Upanishad 5th and 6th verse

यत्र सुप्तो न कञ्चन कामं कामयते न कञ्चन स्वप्नं पश्यति तत्सुषुप्तम् । सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवाऽऽनन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक् चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः ॥ ५ ॥
yatra supto na kañcana kāmaṃ kāmayate na kañcana svapnaṃ paśyati tatsuṣuptam | suṣuptasthāna ekībhūtaḥ prajñānaghana evā''nandamayo hyānandabhuk cetomukhaḥ prājñastṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ || 5 ||
5. That is the state of deep sleep wherein the sleeper does not desire any objects nor does he see any dream. The third quarter (Pāda) is the Prājña whose sphere is deep sleep, in whom all (experiences) become unified or undifferentiated, who is verily, a mass of consciousness entire, who is full of bliss and who experiences bliss, and who is the path leading to the knowledge (of the two other states).

एष सर्वेश्वरः एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम् ॥ ६ ॥
eṣa sarveśvaraḥ eṣa sarvajña eṣo'ntaryāmyeṣa yoniḥ sarvasya prabhavāpyayau hi bhūtānām || 6 ||
6. This is the Lord of all; this is the knower of all; this is the controller within; this is the source of all; and this is that from which all things originate and in which they finally disappear.

Refer here

Now see the sleeping state is under Ishwara. But Brahman is Turiya. Brahman is timeless. Ishwara is within maya, he experiences time. In Vishnu Sahasranama it says Sahasra koti yuga dharine nama. Ishwara experiences time always.

Refer to this answer