भीष्म उवाच निष्कल्मषं ब्रह्मचर्यमिच्छता चरितुं सदा। निद्रा सर्वात्मना त्याज्या स्वप्नदोषानवेक्षता॥
Bhishma said The Yogin who wishes to always practise pure Brahmacharya and who is cognizant of the faults attaching to dreams, should, with his whole heart, try to give up sleep.
स्वप्ने हि रजसा देही तमसा चाभिभूयते। देहान्तरमिवापन्नश्चरत्युपगतस्पृहः॥
In dreams, the embodied soul, possessed by the qualities of Darkness and Ignorance, seems to become possessed of another body and move and act influenced by desire.
ज्ञानाभ्यासाज्जागरणं जिज्ञासार्थमनन्तरम्। विज्ञानाभिनिवेशात्तु स जागर्त्यनिशं सदा॥
On account of application for acquiring knowledge and of continued reflection and recapitulation, the Yogin remains always awake. Indeed, the Yogin can keep himself continually awake by giving himself up to knowledge.
अत्राह को न्वयं भावः स्वप्ने विषयवानिव। प्रलीनैरिन्द्रियैर्देही वर्तते देहवानिव॥
Regarding this subject it has been asked what its this state in which the embodied creature thinks himself encircled by and engaged in objects and acts? It is true that the embodied being, with its senses really suspended, still considers itself to be possessed of body with all the sense of knowledge and of action.
अत्रोच्यते तथा ह्येतद् वेद योगेश्वरो हरिः। तथैतदुपपन्नार्थं वर्णयन्ति महर्षयः॥
It is said that that master of Yoga, named Hari, perceives truly how it happens. The great Rishis say that the explanation given by Hari is correct and reasonable.
इन्द्रियाणां श्रमात् स्वप्नमाहुः सर्वगतं बुधाः। मनसस्त्वप्रलीनत्वात् तत् तदाहुर्निदर्शनम्॥
The learned says that it is on account of the senses being exhausted with fatigue, dreams are seen by all creatures. The mind, however, never becomes inactive and hence arise dreams. This considered as their principal cause.
कार्ये व्यासक्तमनसः संकल्पो जाग्रतो ह्यपि। यद्वन्मनोरथैश्वर्यं स्वप्ने तद्वन्मनोगतम्॥
As the imagination of a person who is awake and engaged in acts, is due only to the creative power of the mind, similarly, the impressions in a dream belong only to the mind.
संस्काराणामसंख्यानां कामात्मा तदवाप्नुयात्। मनस्यन्तर्हितं सर्वं स वेदोत्तमपूरुषः॥
A person with desire and attachment receives those imaginations based upon the impressions of numberless pristine lives. Nothing, that impresses the mind once is ever lost, and the Soul being cognisant of all those impressions makes them appear.
गुणानामपि यद्येतत् कर्मणा चाप्युपस्थितम्। तत् तच्छंसन्ति भूतानि मनो यद्भावितं यथा।॥
Whichever among the three qualities of Goodness, Darkness, and Ignorance is caused by the influence of pristine acts and by whichever amongst them the mind is affected for the time being in whatever way, the elements in their subtile forms) or indicate accordingly (in the way of images).
ततस्तमुपसर्पन्ति गुणा राजसतामसाः। सात्त्विका वा यथायोगमानन्तर्यफलोदयम्॥
After images have thus been created the particular quality of Goodness Darkness or Ignorance that inay have been brought by pristine acts rises in the mind and produces its last result, viz., happiness or misery.
ततः पश्यन्त्यसम्बुद्ध्या वातपित्तकफोत्तरान्। रजस्तमोगतै वैस्तदण्याहु१रत्ययम्॥
Those images originating principally wind, bile, and phlegm, which men apprehend through ignorance and in consequence of tendency pervaded by Darkness and Ignorance, cannot, it has been said, be easily discarded.
प्रसन्नैरिन्द्रियैर्यद् यत् संकल्पयति मानसम्। तत् तत् स्वप्नेऽप्युगते मनो हृष्यन्निरीक्षते॥
(When one is awake) whatever objects a person perceives in the mind through the senses in a clear state are apprehended by the mind in dreams while the senses are inactive.
व्यापकं सर्वभूतेषु वर्ततेऽप्रतिघं मनः। आत्मप्रभावात् विद्यात् सर्वा ह्यात्मनि देवताः॥
The Mind exists without obstruction in all things. This is due to the nature of the Soul. The Soul should be comprehended. All the elements and the objects they form exist in the Soul.
मनस्यन्तर्हितं द्वारं देहमास्थाय मानुषम्। यद् यत् सदसदव्यक्तं स्वपित्यस्मिन्निदर्शनम्। सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्थं तमध्यात्मगुणं विदुः॥
In the state called dreamless sleep the manifest human body which, of course, is the door of dreams, disappears in the mind. Possessing the body the mind enters the Soul which is unmanifest and upon which all existent and non-existent things depend, and becomes a wakeful witness with certainly of apprehension. Thus living in pure Consciousness which is the soul of all things, it is considered by the learned as transcending both Consciousness and all things in the universe.
लिप्सेत मनसा यश्च संकल्पादैश्वरं गुणम्। आत्मप्रसादं तं विद्यात् सर्वा ह्यात्मनि देवताः॥
That Yogin who by desire covets any of the divine qualities (of Knowledge or renunciation, etc.,) should regard a pure mind to be at one with the object of his desire. All things exist in a pure mind or soul.
एवं हि तरसा युक्तमर्कवत् तमसः परम्। त्रैलोक्यप्रकृतिदेही तमसोऽन्ते महेश्वरः॥
This is the result acquired by one who practises penances. That Yogin, however, who has got over Darkness or ignorance, is endued with transcending effulgence. When Darkness or Ignorance has been got over, the embodied Soul becomes Supreme Brahma, the cause of the universe.
तपो ह्यधिष्ठितं देवैस्तयोघ्नमसुरैस्तमः। एतद् देवासुरैर्गुप्तं तदाहुनिलक्षणम्॥
The deities have penances and Vedic rites. Darkness (or pride and cruelty), which destroys the former, has been adopted by the Asuras. This viz., Brahma, which has been said to have knowledge only for its quality, is difficult of attainment by either the gods or the Asuras.
सत्त्वं रजस्तमश्चेति देवासुरगुणान् विदुः। सत्त्वं देवगुणं विद्यादितरावासुरौ गुणौ॥
It should be known that the qualities of Goodness, Darkness, and Ignorance belong to the gods and the Asuras. Goodness is the quality of the gods; while the two others belong to the Asuras.
ब्रह्म तत् परम् ज्ञानममृतं ज्योतिरक्षरम्। विदुर्भावितात्मानस्ते यान्ति परमां गतिम्॥
Brahma transcends all those qualities. It is pure Knowledge. It is immortality. It is pure effulgence. it is undecaying. Those persons of pure souls who know Brahma attain to the highest end.
हेतुमच्छक्यमाख्यातुमेतावज्ज्ञानचक्षुषा। प्रत्याहारेण वा शक्यमक्षरं ब्रह्म वेदितुम्॥
One having knowledge for his eye can say this much with the help of reason and analogy. Brahma which is indestructible can be comprehended by only withdrawing the senses and the mind.