Verse 1.53

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

तस्मिन् स्वपिति तु स्वस्थे कर्मात्मानः शरीरिणः ।
स्वकर्मभ्यो निवर्तन्ते मनश्च ग्लानिमृच्छति ॥ ५३ ॥

tasmin svapiti tu svasthe karmātmānaḥ śarīriṇaḥ |
svakarmabhyo nivartante manaśca glānimṛcchati || 53 ||

When he slumbers, having retired within himself, all active embodied beings desist from their actions, and their mind falls into depression.—(53)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The meaning of this verse is quite clear, its meaning having been already explained.

‘Having retired within himself’—i.e., in calm repose, i e., in pure pristine nature of the Soul at rest;—‘retiring within himself’ stands for the cessation of all accidental diversities.

‘Active’—the conscious beings who are fallen in the cycle of births and deaths, and for whom Action is of the greatest importance;—‘embodied beings,’—so called because they feel the effects of being connected with a body which is the effect of their own past acts.

‘When he slumbers,’ all these ‘desist from their actions,’—this stands for the cessation of their bodily activity;—‘their mind falls into depression’—this stands for the cessation of their mental activity. Thus this cessation of bodily and mental activities indicates the state of Dissolution.—‘Depression’ means absence of energy, disability to carry on its functions; this is what the Mind falls into,—attains.—(53)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Karmāṭmānaḥ’—It is not correct to say, as Buhler does, that this term according to Medhātithi, means ‘who, in consequence of their actions, become incorporate because as a matter of fact, this latter explanation is supplied. by Medhātithi in reference to the term ‘śarīriṇaḥ’; what he means is that th e Beings are called ‘śarīriṇaḥ’ not because the Body is their natural accompaniment, but because they become equipped with, them in consequence of their acts,