yathā śayāna ātmānaḿ
viṣayān phalam eva ca
anubhuńkte 'py asaty arthe
tathāpnoty abudho bhavam
yatha -- as; sayanah -- a sleeping person; atmanam -- himself; vishayan -- sense objects; phalam -- the fruits; eva -- indeed; ca -- also; anubhunkte -- experiences; api -- even; asati arthe -- in that which is not real; tatha -- so; apnoti -- undergoes; abudhah -- the unintelligent; bhavam -- material existence.
As a sleeping person perceives himself, the objects of sense enjoyment and the fruits of his acts within the illusion of a dream, so one who is unintelligent undergoes material existence.
As stated in sruti, asango hy ayam purushah: "The living being has no intimate connection with the material world." This point is explained in the present verse. A similar statement is found in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.22.56):
arthe 'hy avidyamane 'pi
samsritir na nivartate
dhyayato vishayan asya
svapne 'narthagamo yatha
"For one who is meditating on sense gratification, material life, although lacking factual existence, does not go away, just as the unpleasant experiences of a dream do not."
