yä niçä sarva-bhütänäà
tasyäà jägarti saàyamé
yasyäà jägrati bhütäni
sä niçä paçyato muneù
SYNONYMS
yä-what; niçä-is night; sarva-all; bhütänäm-of living
entities; tasyäm-in that; jägarti-is wakeful; saàyamé-the
self-controlled; yasyäm-in which; jägrati-are awake; bhütäni-all
beings; sä-that is; niçä-night; paçyataù-for the introspective; muneù-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. 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 reactions.