Here is one way of looking at the symbolism of Dashehara:
Ravan has 10 heads which is the symbol of strong egotism (Ego + Doership = Egotism).
Ram is the symbol of pure Consciousness.
Dashehara is the day when egotism is defeated by pure Consciousness. It can be viewed as enlightenment.
Enlightenment means direct knowledge of the Seer as Seer. In NDE (Near Death Experience), since there is an experience without body and this experience appears much more real than the experience that a normal mind has, there is a clear realisation that one is not the body and not the mind. One is inclined to call oneself as the individual soul after NDE. There is a feeling of unconditional love, of timelessness etc. in NDE but it is a feeling after all. Seer merely sees without feeling. Seer does not have any individuality also. Negating body and mind is fine but if individual soul is not negated it is not enlightenment. Seer is pure Consciousness which is beyond body, mind and individual soul. NDE does not necessarily mean enlightenment. If Self Inquiry continues during NDE, it can give rise to enlightenment.
Below passage is in the context of sage Yajnavalkya addressing his wife, Maitreyi.
[Brhadaranyaka Upanishad Translation, 2.4.5, Advaita Ashram]
He said: It is not for the sake of the husband, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the wife, my dear, that she is loved, but for one’s own sake that she is loved. It is not for the sake of the sons, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of wealth, my dear, that it is loved, but for one’s own sake that it is loved. It is not for the sake of the Brahmana*, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the Kshatriya, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of the gods, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of the beings, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of all, my dear, that all is loved, but for one’s own sake – that it is loved. The Self, my dear Maitreyi, should be realised-should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. By the realisation of the Self, my dear, through hearing, reflection and meditation, all this is known.
*Brahmana here refers to a cast.
In the following verse Krishn as Consciousness says:
[Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 8]
Meaning: Apply mind in me and apply intellect in me only; subsequently you will reside in me only, there is no doubt in this.
Comment: Bhakti goes beyond the blind following of rituals if one is seeking Self.
Q: I do not seem to be aware at all in deep sleep. If awareness never goes then where does my awareness go in deep sleep?
A: When you say, “my” awareness you are referring to the reflected/personal awareness. A stone may have no reflected/personal awareness at all but stone is within the impersonal/pure awareness which never goes. Stone is an expression of pure awareness. When we say awareness never goes, we refer to the pure awareness, not the reflected one. Incidentally, even “your” awareness does exist in dormant form in deep sleep. Had it not been the case then nobody would get up from the deep sleep after hearing a loud noise or nobody would get up from deep sleep due to mosquito bite. Also, consider the following verse:
[Panchadasi, Chapter 11, Verse 39]
Implied Meaning: If there is no comfort in deep sleep then why great effort is made to set up soft bedding and other conveniences?
The word Vedanta can be looked at from two angles:
From the perspective of the core source texts (Prasthānatrayī) Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita jointly can be referred to as Vedanta. However, there are very large number of texts that are studied in the tradition of Vedanta.
A teaching tradition has developed out of the work of several sages over a span of last 3000 years or so based on Upanishads which is also known as Vedanta. Vedanta is a proven systematic teaching method of Self Realisation. Since, one can know oneself directly (if qualified) by following the teachings of Vedanta, it is not really a philosophy but is a direct means of Self knowledge.