SB 7.9.32 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

न्यस्येदमात्मनि जगद्विलयाम्बुमध्ये शेषेत्मना निजसुखानुभवो निरीह: । योगेन मीलितद‍ृगात्मनिपीतनिद्र- स्तुर्ये स्थितो न तु तमो न गुणांश्च युङ्‌क्षे ॥ ३२ ॥

Verse text

nyasyedam ātmani jagad vilayāmbu-madhye śeṣetmanā nija-sukhānubhavo nirīhaḥ yogena mīlita-dṛg-ātma-nipīta-nidras turye sthito na tu tamo na guṇāṁś ca yuṅkṣe

Synonyms

nyasya — throwing ; idam — this ; ātmani — in Your own self ; jagat — cosmic manifestation created by You ; vilaya — ambu — madhye — in the Causal Ocean, in which everything is preserved in a state of reserved energy ; śeṣe — You act as if sleeping ; ātmanā — by Yourself ; nija — Your own personal ; sukha — anubhavaḥ — experiencing the state of spiritual bliss ; nirīhaḥ — appearing to be doing nothing ; yogena — by the mystic power ; mīlita — dṛk — the eyes appearing closed ; ātma — by a manifestation of Yourself ; nipīta — prevented ; nidraḥ — whose sleeping ; turye — in the transcendental stage ; sthitaḥ — keeping (Yourself) ; na — not ; tu — but ; tamaḥ — the material condition of sleeping ; na — nor ; guṇān — the material modes ; ca — and ; yuṅkṣe — do You engage Yourself in .

Translation

O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, after the annihilation the creative energy is kept in You, who appear to sleep with half-closed eyes. Actually, however, You do not sleep like an ordinary human being, for You are always in a transcendental stage, beyond the creation of the material world, and You always feel transcendental bliss. As Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, You thus remain in Your transcendental status, not touching material objects. Although You appear to sleep, this sleeping is distinct from sleeping in ignorance.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Placing the universe within you, you sleep in the indestructible water, enjoying bliss with your svarūpa-śakti, without interest in material creation. Without material sleep, you remain with closed eyes through your svarūpa-śakti, situated in the fourth state of consciousness. You do not accept material deep sleep or the sense objects of the waking or dream states. Five verses elaborate on the Lord as the cause of the universe, being situated as its beginning, middle and end. Placing the world in yourself, you sleep in the indestructible water, the Kāraṇa Ocean. You experience happiness by your svarūpa-śakti (ātmanā), without desire for the pastimes of māyā (nirīhaḥ). “Do I sleep covered by tamo-guṇa like the jīva?” No. Sleep is defined as complete absence of external functioning. You prevent sleep by your manifestation of your svarūpa with closed eyes through yoga, since you are situated in the fourth state in your svarūpa. You do not accept deep sleep of tamas like the jīva. Nor do you accept the sense objects of the waking or dream state.

Purport

As explained very clearly in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.47) : yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga- nidrām ananta-jagad-aṇḍa-sa-roma-kūpaḥ ādhāra-śaktim avalambya parāṁ sva-mūrtiṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “I worship the primeval Lord Govinda, who lies down in the Causal Ocean in His plenary portion as Mahā-Viṣṇu, with all the universes generating from the pores of hair on His transcendental body, and who accepts the mystic slumber of eternity.” The ādi-puruṣa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead — Kṛṣṇa, Govinda — expands Himself as Mahā-Viṣṇu. After the annihilation of this cosmic manifestation, He keeps Himself in transcendental bliss. The word yoga-nidrām is used in reference to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should understand that this nidrā, or sleep, is not like our nidrā in the mode of ignorance. The Lord is always situated in transcendence. He is sac-cid-ānanda — eternally in bliss — and thus He is not disturbed by sleep like ordinary human beings. It should be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in transcendental bliss in all stages. Śrīla Madhvācārya concisely states that the Lord is turya-sthitaḥ, always situated in transcendence. In transcendence there is no such thing as jāgaraṇa-nidrā-suṣupti — wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep. The practice of yoga is similar to the yoga-nidrā of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Yogīs are advised to keep their eyes half closed, but this state is not at all one of sleep, although imitation yogīs, especially in the modern age, manifest their so-called yoga by sleeping. In the śāstra, yoga is described as dhyānāvasthita, a state of full meditation, but this is meditation upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā: the mind should always be situated at the lotus feet of the Lord. Yoga practice does not mean sleeping. The mind should always be actively fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord. Then one’s practice of yoga will be successful.