SB 3.20.41 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

जगृहुस्तद्विसृष्टां तां जृम्भणाख्यां तनुं प्रभो: । निद्रामिन्द्रियविक्लेदो यया भूतेषु द‍ृश्यते । येनोच्छिष्टान्धर्षयन्ति तमुन्मादं प्रचक्षते ॥ ४१ ॥

Verse text

jagṛhus tad-visṛṣṭāṁ tāṁ jṛmbhaṇākhyāṁ tanuṁ prabhoḥ nidrām indriya-vikledo yayā bhūteṣu dṛśyate yenocchiṣṭān dharṣayanti tam unmādaṁ pracakṣate

Synonyms

jagṛhuḥ — took possession ; tat — visṛṣṭām — thrown off by him ; tām — that ; jṛmbhaṇa — ākhyām — known as yawning ; tanum — the body ; prabhoḥ — of Lord Brahmā ; nidrām — sleep ; indriya — vikledaḥ — drooling ; yayā — by which ; bhūteṣu — among the living beings ; dṛśyate — is observed ; yena — by which ; ucchiṣṭān — smeared with stool and urine ; dharṣayanti — bewilder ; tam — that ; unmādam — madness ; pracakṣate — is spoken of .

Translation

The ghosts and hobgoblins took possession of the body thrown off in the form of yawning by Brahmā, the creator of the living entities. This is also known as the sleep which causes drooling. The hobgoblins and ghosts attack men who are impure, and their attack is spoken of as insanity.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When Brahmā gave up his body called laziness, the Bhūtas and Piśācas accepted it. O Vidura! That body in which the senses become contaminated is called sleep and by that contamination, Bhūtas attack the contaminated persons. That condition is called madness. By sleep moistening of the mouth and other senses takes place. By that, the Bhūtas attack contaminated persons. That attack is called madness. In others people are called mad when attacked by the Bhūtas.

Purport

The disease of insanity or being haunted by ghosts takes place in an unclean state of existence. Here it is clearly stated that when a man is fast asleep and saliva flows from his mouth and he remains unclean, ghosts then take advantage of his unclean state and haunt his body. In other words, those who drool while sleeping are considered unclean and are subject to be haunted by ghosts or to go insane.