Chapter 120 - Nārada on Dreams

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Kuñjala said:

1-4. Then Nārada saw the divine city called Kāmodā, which was crowded with gods and rich objects satisfying all desires. Reaching Kāmodā’s house, the best brāhmaṇa (i.e. Nārada) entered it. Then he saw Kāmodā, possessing all desired objects. She honoured the brāhmaṇa with good words like ‘Welcome (to you).’ The best brāhmaṇa, seated on a divine seat asked her: “Are you living happliy, O good lady, sprung from Viṣṇu’s lustre?” Having greeted her with blessings he (also) asked her about her well-being.

Kāmodā said:

5. By your grace and Viṣṇu’s grace, I am living happily. O you highly intelligent one, tell me the reason for which (you made me) answer (your) questions.

6-9. O best sage, a great delusion is produced in my body. It is greatly destroying my body, and is pervading all the worlds. Therefore sleep is generated (in my body) as it well abides in a mortal. O sage, I who was asleep saw a fearful dream. O best brāhmaṇa, someone having come before me said: “The unmanifest Viṣṇu will desire contact with the worldly existence. Since then I am occupied with grief, O you very intelligent one. Tell me the reason for that. You are best among those who possess knowledge.

Nārada said:

10. O good lady, dream (of four kinds), viz. gouty, bilious, due to excess of phlegm, and having a complicated derangement of the three bodily humours, is (seen) among human beings. There is no doubt about it.

11-15a. O beautiful lady, neither dream nor sleep exists among gods. The best dream is seen at the time of sunrise. A good (i.e. an auspicious) dream gives human beings the fruit of their religious merit. O you auspicious one, I shall tell you (about) another cause of dream. O you beautiful one, water shakes due to the rockings of great wind. From that mass of water small drops of water are split. O auspicious one, these pure drops of water fall out. They again disappear. Thus they become manifest and unmanifest. O beautiful lady, listen. The occurring of a dream is said to be like that.

15b-19. The (supreme) soul is pure, detached, and is free from love and hatred. After having excelled the objects consisting of the five elements, he remains quite steady. He shines among the twenty-six good elements. The pure soul is alone, eternal and is united with Prakṛti (i.e. the original source of the material world). When due to her modes of the nature of wind he moves from his place, another lustre resembling that of the soul is produced. The auspicious name ‘inner soul’ is given to it only. O auspicious one, as the drops of water are separate from it, in the same way the lustre of the soul is called the inner soul.

20-26. He is the earth, he is the wind, he is the ether, he is the water, he alone shines. These five great ones are fashioned formerly. They have come up from the lustre of the magnanimous soul, and they become united when they are associated with him. Due to the great fault of the natural temperament they destroy that body, and repeatedly desire another. This is their sport and pastime which is the cause of (their) connection with creation. The ripple of water is produced and disappears. It rises and again it disappears. There is no doubt that their (behaviour) is like the illustration of the water. O respectable lady, the soul does not perish; fire or wind also does not perish. Earth and ether do not perish, nor does water perish. All the five come up and go away with the soul. O auspicious one, these soul etc. are of eternal nature.

27-43a. It is the body alone that would perish; it is an aggregate of them. He is miserable due to the blemishes of the objects of sense and love and hatred. There is no doubt about it. After the end of the body lives the (individual) soul that is similar to it. As like the spark of fire the soul shines, so the manifest and unmanifest comes to light—(or) is created. The pure soul is the highest Brahman, it is eternally awake; but the inner soul is bound by the great constituents of Prakṛti. When they are well-fed after having eaten food, the inner soul would be happy. Due to great happiness delusion is produced and due to it the mind errs. Then is produced sleep, which is of the nature of darkness (or ignorance) and increasing repose. When the sun would go along the path of Nādī (?) after having crossed Meru, then night would occur till the sun does not shine. The inner soul, when free from the darkness of the objects of sense, shines with the modes of the nature of the elements. The soul is seized by bodies of the former existences and nourished by the five elements. O you highly intelligent one, he goes to a high or a low position. The soul bound by faults is taken to the worldly existence. The individual soul protects the body, the middle one remains behind. The strong (vital air called) udāna throbs, and from that sound is produced. As a dry bellows when filled with air heaves, similary samudāna strongly breathes due to sound. Udāna would be powerful due to the prowess of the soul. The body thus deluded becomes almost dead. Then that very delusive sleep goes (i.e. spreads) over his limbs. It proceeds over the heart, neck, mouth, tip of the nose. Contracting his hands he would remain. The air named Udāna is produced in the circle of the navel due to the prowess of the soul. He is very strong and checks power. There is no doubt that as the holder of a wooden wedge remains when tied with a rope, similarly, the vital air is well-connected with the soul. O you of an auspicious face, the vital air is connected with the inner soul. Having knowledge and reddened the inner soul runs. Recollecting the abodes obtained in the former existences, he runs there. Remaining there the very wise one enjoys as he likes.

43b-50. Thus the inner soul sees dreams of various kinds. He sees the excellent ones, opposite of them, (all) united with his acts. He sees mountains, great inaccessible places, and high and low places. Know that to be due to wind. I shall now tell you about (the dream) caused by phlegm. He sees water, a river, a lake and places of water. O respectable lady, he sees fire and ample, excellent gold. Know that (dream) to be caused by biliousness. I am telling you what will happen (when a dream is seen). When a dream is seen in the morning, something nice will take place. It is united with one’s acts, and shows gain or loss, O beautiful lady. O you of an excellent complexion, I have told you about the period of a dream. That which will happen will happen in Viṣṇu’s case also. For that you saw the dreem—you saw that bad dream.