Verse 2.69

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.69:

या निशा सर्व-भूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥ ६९ ॥

yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṃ tasyāṃ jāgarti saṃyamī |
yasyāṃ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyato muneḥ || 69 ||

yā–which (spiritual intelligence); niśā–like night; sarva-bhūtānām–for all beings; tasyām–in that (night); jāgarti–is awake; saṃyamī–a self-controlled man (of fixed intelligence); yasyām–in which (state which is directed to the search for sense objects); jāgrati–remains awake; bhūtāni–ordinary beings; sā–that (material intelligence); niśā–night; paśyataḥ–for the enlightened; muneḥ–thinker.

Spiritual intelligence, which is directed toward the soul, is like night for materialistic common people, who are enchanted by the material energy. One who is sthitha-prajña, however, remains awake in that intelligence. And when intelligence is absorbed in sense objects, the common person remains awake, but for the sage who perceives transcendental reality, that consciousness is the darkest night. In other words, such a person accepts sense objects in an appropriate way, without being attached to them.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

It is natural for one whose intelligence is fixed to control the senses. For this reason, Śrī Bhagavān is speaking this verse beginning with yā. Intelligence is of two types: intelligence inclined toward the self (ātma-pravaṇā), and intelligence inclined toward material sense objects (viṣaya-pravaṇā). Intelligence that is inclined toward the self is like night for all conditioned souls. Just as a sleeping person does not know what happens at night, similarly the bewildered souls do not know what one attains by this spiritual intelligence. But one who is of fixed intelligence remains awake in such a night, so he directly experiences the bliss related to intelligence fixed in the self.

The conditioned souls remain awake in the second type of intelligence, which is directed towards the attainment of material enjoyment, and they directly experience lamentation, bewilderment and so on, according to their respective absorption. They are not asleep to it. Wise persons of fixed spiritual intelligence, however, do not experience anything in such a night. They remain indifferent to the sense objects that give happiness and distress to materialistic persons and, remaining controlled and detached, only accept those sense objects that are needed for their maintenance.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Those who are of fixed spiri tual intelligence naturally achieve perfection in controlling all the senses. They are knowledgeable persons in the real sense. On the other hand, the intelligence of ignorant people who identify the body with the self remains absorbed in sense objects. Such persons who are attached to sense objects are called materialistic, or ignorant. The Skanda Purāṇa states, “ajñānaṃ tu niśā proktā divā jñānam udīryate–knowledge is like day and ignorance is like night.”

Everything in the kingdom of that most wonderful controller Śrī Bhagavān is wonderful. What is night for one person is day for another. For an owl, night is like day, while for a crow it is night. An owl sees only at night, not during the day. Similarly, a man blinded by ignorance cannot have the illuminated vision of one who knows the Absolute Truth. Those who know the Absolute, however, always see Śrī Bhagavān, the radiant personification of all knowledge. They never contemplate objects of the senses. Just as a lotus leaf never becomes wet, even though it remains in water, similarly, one who is sthita-prajña never becomes attached to sense objects, even while he is living in contact with them.