The verse and its meaning · Upanishads · Prashna · What Wakes and What Sleeps

The Mind's Retreat

Prashna Upanishad 4.2

तस्मै स होवच । यथ गार्ग्य मरीचयोऽर्कस्यास्तं गच्छतः सर्वा एतस्मिंस्तेजोमण्डल एकीभवन्ति । ताः पुनः पुनरुदयतः प्रचरन्त्येवं ह वै तत् सर्वं परे देवे मनस्येकीभवति तेन तर्ह्यॆष पुरुषो न शृणोति न पश्यति न जिघ्रति न रसयते न स्पृशते नाभिवदते नादत्ते नानन्दयते न विसृजते नेयायते स्वपितीत्याचक्षते

Meaning · English

Just as sunlight vanishes into the sun at dusk and returns at dawn, our senses withdraw into the mind during sleep, halting all activity.

When you sleep, your physical senses stop working. You no longer perceive sound, sight, smell, taste, or touch. You cannot speak or move. This happens because the functions of the body are gathered back into a single point: the mind. The mind acts as a central hub that pulls in these outer capacities, leaving the physical shell quiet until they are released again upon waking.

Think of a retractable clothesline. During the day, it stretches out to hold everything. At night, it is pulled back into a small spool. The stretched line represents the senses interacting with the world, while the spool is the mind where everything is stored and held in a compact state.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Consciousness and Sleep · Prashna Upanishad 4.1
• Next: The Vital Breath · Prashna Upanishad 4.3
• All of Upanishads · Ask Krishna about it

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