SB 6.16.55 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

येन प्रसुप्त: पुरुष: स्वापं वेदात्मनस्तदा । सुखं च निर्गुणं ब्रह्म तमात्मानमवेहि माम् ॥ ५५ ॥

Verse text

yena prasuptaḥ puruṣaḥ svāpaṁ vedātmanas tadā sukhaṁ ca nirguṇaṁ brahma tam ātmānam avehi mām

Synonyms

yena — by whom (the Supreme Brahman) ; prasuptaḥ — sleeping ; puruṣaḥ — a man ; svāpam — the subject of a dream ; veda — knows ; ātmanaḥ — of himself ; tadā — at that time ; sukham — happiness ; ca — also ; nirguṇam — without contact with the material environment ; brahma — the supreme spirit ; tam — Him ; ātmānam — the pervader ; avehi — just know ; mām — Me .

Translation

Know Me to be the Supreme Brahman, the all-pervading Supersoul through whom the sleeping living entity can understand his dreaming condition and his happiness beyond the activities of the material senses. That is to say, I am the cause of the activities of the sleeping living being.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Know the Paramātmā, by whom the sleeping person knows his sleeping condition and in deep sleep is able to know the happiness of Brahman without objects or qualities. “How then do I know the antaryāmī?” Know the antaryāmī (ātmānam) by whom the jīva, like a sleeping person, knows his sleeping state, and in a deep sleep state knows happiness of the Lord with no object (nirguṇam). It should be clearly understood that it is the antaryāmī who daily dissolves the guṇas during deep sleep by his mercy and gives the jīva, whose knowledge and bliss are covered by firm bondage of the guṇas, an experience of his nirguṇa happiness. The jīva cannot independently get free from his bondage and then experience that happiness by his own strength. Understand that antaryāmī is Brahman, with no qualities. Also understand Brahman as me, Bhagavān with qualities. I, one person, exist as Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. These are not my first, second and third forms. (I have only one form.) It is said artho durghaṭa iva bhavati svarūpa-dvayābhāvāt: nothing is impossible for you because you have only one form. (SB 6.9.36)

Purport

When the living entity becomes free from false ego, he understands his superior position as a spirit soul, part and parcel of the pleasure potency of the Lord. Thus, due to Brahman, even while sleeping the living entity can enjoy. The Lord says, “That Brahman, that Paramātmā and that Bhagavān are I Myself.” This is noted by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī in his Krama-sandarbha.