Bhagavad Gita 2.69

[Paramananda das]

TEXT 69

ya nisa sarva-bhutanam tasyam jagarti samyami yasyam jagrati bhutani sa nisa pasyato muneh

SYNONYMS

ya--what; nisa--is  night; sarva--all; bhutanam--of living entities; tasyam--in  that; jagarti--wakeful; samyami--the self-controlled; yasyam--in which; jagrati--awake; bhutani--all beings; sa--that is; nisa--night; pasyatah--for the introspective; muneh--sage.

TRANSLATION

What is night for all beings  is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for  all beings is night for the introspective sage.

PURPORT

There are two classes of intelligent  men. The one is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and  the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization.  Activities of the introspective sage, or thoughtful man, are night for persons  materially absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep in such a night due to  their ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage remains alert in the  "night" of the materialistic men. The sage feels transcendental pleasure in the  gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas the man in materialistic  activities, being asleep to self-realization, dreams of varieties of sense  pleasure, feeling sometimes happy and sometimes distressed in his sleeping  condition. The introspective man is always indifferent to materialistic  happiness and distress. He goes on with his self-realization activities  undisturbed by material reaction.

from Srila Prabhupadas lecture ,68/12/19 Los  Angeles, Bhagavad-gita 2.62-72 :

Tamala Krsna: 69: "What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the  self-controlled, and the time of awakening for all beings is the night for the  introspective sage." Purport: "There are two classes of intelligent men. The one  is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and the other is  introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. Activities of  the introspective sage or thoughtful man are night for persons materially  absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep during such a night due to their  ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage, however, remains alert in  that night of the materialistic man."

Prabhupada: Night means when  people sleep, and day means when they are awake. This is the understanding of  day and night. So one, the materialistic persons, they are sleeping in the  matter of spiritual understanding. So therefore the activities which we find in  daytime of the materialistic person, actually that is night. For the  spiritualistic person, they see that these people they got the facility of  self-realization, this human form of life. How they are wasting by sleeping. And  the materialistic persons, they are seeing, "Oh, these Krsna conscious young  boys, they have given up everything and they are chanting Hare Krsna. How  nonsense. They are sleeping." So you see? So in the vision of the materialistic  person, these activities are night, sleeping. And for the self-realized person,  these activities are sleeping. You see? Just the opposite. They are seeing the  Krsna conscious person as wasting time and the Krsna conscious person is seeing  them as wasting time. This is the position. Go on.

Tamala Krsna: "Such sages feel  transcendental pleasure in the gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas  the man in materialistic activities, being asleep to self-realization, dreams of  varieties of sense pleasure."

Prabhupada: Yes. They are  dreaming, "Now we shall do this. Next time, I shall have this. Next time, I  shall have this. Next time, I shall kill that enemy. Next time, I shall do  this." They are planning like that. Go on.

Tamala Krsna: "...feeling  sometimes happy and sometimes distressed in his sleeping condition. The  introspective man is always indifferent to materialistic happiness and  distress."

Prabhupada: The introspective man  who is after self-realization, he knows very well, "Suppose if I do in future  such and such big business, or such... I can construct such big skyscraper  house." But because he's introspective, he knows that "What I shall do with all  these things? As soon as I exit from the platform, everything remains here, and  I take another form of body, begins another life." That is introspection. The  materialistic person they cannot understand what is the future. They are  thinking this body is everything. "We have got this body, and when it is  finished, it is finished for all." These questions we have already discussed.  But actually it is not. This is the first understanding of self-realization,  that soul is eternal, it is not annihilated even after the annihilation of this  body. This is the beginning of self-realization. So these people they do not  understand it. They don't care for it. That is their sleeping. That is their  miserable condition. Go on.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

The sthita prajna is able to control his senses very naturally. There are two types of intelligence: that directed towards soul and  that  directed  towards  matter. The intelligence  directed towards the soul is night for all other entities.

Just as in the night, people dreaming do not know what is happening at that time, so all living entities do not know the things which are being perceived by the intelligence directed towards the soul. But during that night, the sthita prajna or samyami, controlling his senses, is awake, not dreaming. In other  words  he  directly  realizes  the  bliss  from  fixing  his intelligence on the soul. When the living entities are awake, with intelligence directed towards material sense objects, they realize directly the happiness, lamentation and bewilderment of those sense objects upon which their intelligence is fixed. They are not dreaming. But that is night for the muni, the sthita prajna, who does not experience fixing his intellect on those objects at all. But he does see. He looks upon (pasyatah) all those sense objects which give happiness and distress to the people bound in samsara with disinterest. This means that he accepts the required sense objects for his survival without being affected.

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya: Visnuswami Sridhara Swami's Commentary It could be put forth that who is there in this world so perfectly controlled  that they are like in a deep sleep free from all activities of the senses.  Therefore explanation given in the previous verses is altogether inapplicable.  Anticipating such doubts Lord Krishna states: what is night for all  creatures meaning those of uncontrolled senses whose minds are covered by  ignorance like the night exist in the darkness of the self. But those of  self-controlled senses abiding in the light of the self are wide awake. The  condition of beings engrossed in sensual pursuits in which all living beings  appear awake is as night to the introspective yogi who is absorbed only in the  bliss of the self. This is the meaning here. Just as an owl which is blind by  day but sees quite clearly at night, one who has realised the Ultimate Truth  through the eye of knowledge factually sees everything as the one, undivided  Ultimate Truth within everything and not the objects perceived by the senses.  Therefore with this understanding it can be seen that the explanation given here  is indeed factually applicable.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya: Madhvacarya Madhvacarya's Commentary Lord Krishna is giving the indications of transcendent meditation in this  verse. That which is confidential and difficult of realising is the eternal soul  which is verily the form of the Supreme Lord which to one who is asleep is vague  and unclear. But those who have their senses under control are aware and awake  and experience everything through the perception of the realised soul. This is  the meaning Lord Krishna is conveying. To those beings whose enthusiasm for the  senses is awake for them as a sleeping person recognises nothing around them,  cognition of the soul is unknown. Like one who is crazy can be seen by the way  they are walking. So it is understood that the body is verily not ours. One who  meditates is known as a muni and the word pasyatah indicates one who perceives. Now begins the summation. All with spiritual intelligence cannot perceive the ultimate truth with  clarity. One may perceive the ultimate truth during the night while others may  not perceive the ultimate truth. The latter are the ones bewildered by the  material energy. They see nothing except what they can experience with their  senses. This is due to being captivated by their senses and unable to  concentrate their mind in meditation. But like the sun shining is perceived by  everyone internally all is perceived as well but the external consciousness is  oblivious to it focused on the enjoyment of sense objects. Yet and still some  advanced living entities are able to fathom it. This has been mentioned in the  Brahma Taraka.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya: Ramanuja Ramanuja's Commentary Lord Krishna is explaining that realisation of the soul is like the darkness  of night to all conditioned living entities. Being that the wisdom of soul  cognition does not shine forth unto them who pursue sensual objects being  likened to the darkness of night. But that understanding of the soul for the  realised being who have subjugated their senses is lucidly awake in this night  and sublimely aware remaining focused on the bliss of the eternal soul. Whereas  those of mundane understanding who occupy their existence awake to the pursuits  of sensuous delights in this darkness of night are asleep to the reality of soul  cognition. Sensual pursuits are not appealing to one situated in soul cognition.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya: Nimbaditya Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary One situated in transcendent meditation has no connections to their senses  whatsoever; but such a being cannot be perceived. As the functions of the senses  such as seeing, hearing, and tasting of an ordinary person are the exact same to  one situated in transcendent meditation, How is it possible to properly  understand what this means? Here Lord Krishna indicates that the operation of  the senses to one situated in transcendent mediation are completely different  from an ordinary being. This is because those whose minds are inclined towards  sense objects are unqualified to realise the soul their intellect being likened  unto the darkness of night. Whereas the self restrained living entities with  their sense organs fully controlled remains awake and realises the essence of  the eternal soul and God realisation by the eternal truths of the Vedic  scriptures. The tendency of all living entities whose external senses along with  the mind are not under control in the darkness of nescience indulge in sensual delights in this night. Contrarily the self controlled one sees the objects of  the senses as unfit and reflects on the eternal soul within. Thus these are the  indications of one situated in transcendent meditation.