Brahma-Sūtra 3.2.7

English of translation of Brahmasutra 3.2.7 by Roma Bose:

“The absence of that (takes place) in the veins and in the soul, because of the scriptural text to that effect.”

Nimbārka’s commentary (Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha):

The Highest Self is the maker of the dream-objects. During deep sleep too, the soul enters into the vein and the pericardium, and then rests in the Highest Self alone, in accordance with the scriptural text: “Then he comes to fall asleep in those veins” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.6.3^[1]). “Having crept out through them, he lies in the pericardium” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 2.1.19^[2]).

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

Thus, it has been demonstrated that the dream-objects are not created by the dreamers themselves, and that they are transitory. This has considerably promoted the growth of right discrimination and dispassion. After that, now for further promoting the growth of those very same things, the place of deep sleep is being considered.

It is declared by scripture that deep sleep takes place in the veins; “Then when he is sound asleep, composed, placid, he knows no dream; then he comes to fall asleep in these veins” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.6.3). Another.scriptural text declares that deep sleep takes place in the pericardium: “Now when he comes to fall into a profound sleep, then he does not know anything whatsoever, then—there are seventy-two thousand veils called ‘Hitā’ which lead from the heart to the pericardium—having crept out through them, he lies in the pericardium” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.19.1). Again, a third text declares that deep sleep takes place in Brahman also: “That which is the ether within the heart, in that he lies” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.22), “When this person sleeps, as we say, then, my dear, he comes to be united with the Existent” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 6.8.1), “Embraced by the intelligent soul, he knows nothing that is outside, nothing that is inside” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4,3.21) and so on. Here the doubt is as to whether the soul sleeps in any of these three places, or whether all of them together constitute its place of sleep. The prima facie view is: The soul can sleep in any one of these three places, but can never sleep simultaneously in all three of them. So, the soul sleeps in any of these three.

We reply: “The absence of that”, i.e. the absence of dream, viz. deep sleep, takes place “in the veins”, “in the sold,” i.e. in Brahman, denoted by the term ‘ether’, and in the pericardium as implied by the term “and” (in the sūtra)—i.e. in a particular place intermediate between the vein and Brahman. The sense is that the vein, the pericardium and Brahman conjointly constitute the place of deep sleep and not separately. Why? “On account of the scriptural text to that effect,” i.e. on account of the scriptural declaration that the vein, the pericardium and Brahman are the place of deep sleep conjointly. Of these three, again, the vein and the pericardium, are but of a secondary importance,—they are like a palace and a bedstead respectively. But the Highest Self alone is of primary importance—He is like a bed, and as such He alone is the immediate place of deep sleep,—this is the resultant meaning.^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Śrīkaṇṭha, Baladeva Correct quotation: “Sṛpto bhavati” and not “Suspto bhavati”. In that case, the passage would mean: ‘The he has crept into those vein’. Vide Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.6.3, p. 436.

[2]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Bhāskara, Śrīkaṇṭha and Baladeva.

[3]:

I.e. a man sleeping on a bed is at the same time sleeping on the bedstead and within the house. As such the bed, the bedstead and the house are his places of sleep conjointly, yet his immediate place of sleep is the bed. In the very same manner the vein, the pericardium and Brahman are the places of the soul’s deep sleep, yet Brahman is the immediate place.