679.  The Bengal texts read indriyanam which I adopt.  The Bombay edition reads indriyendriyam, meaning the sense of the senses, in the same way as the Srutis declare that is the Prana of Prana, the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, etc., Sravanena darsanam tatha kritam is ’apprehended by the ear,’ i.e., as rendered above, ’apprehended through the aid of the Srutis.’

680.  The commentator uses the illustration of a tree.  Before birth the tree was not; and after destruction, it is not; only in the interim, it is.  Its formlessness or nothingness is manifest from these two states, for it has been said that which did not exist in the past and will not exist in the future cannot be regarded as existing in the present.  Tadgatah is explained by the commentator as udayastamanagatah or taddarsinah.

681.  Both the vernacular translators render the second line incorrectly.  The first line is elliptical, and would be complete by supplying asannam pasyanti.  The paraphrase of the second line is Pratyayannam Jneyam Jnanabhisamhitam(prati)ninisante.  Jneyam is explained by the commentator as prapancham.  Jnanabhisamhitam means that which is known by the name of Knowledge, i.e., Brahma, which has many similar names some of which the commentator quotes such as Satyam (truth), Jananam (knowledge), Anantam (infinite), Vijnanam (true knowledge), Anandam (joy or happiness).

682.  Tamas is another name for Rahu.  The first line, therefore, refers to the manner in which an eclipse occurs.  There is no absolute necessity, however, for taking it as an allusion to the eclipse.  The meaning may be more general.  Every day, during the lighted fortnight, the moon gains in appearance, as, indeed, every day, during the dark fortnight, it loses in appearance.  It may, therefore, be said that darkness approaches it or leaves it for eating it away or discovering it more and more.  The actual process of covering and discovering cannot be noticed.  This circumstance may be taken as furnishing the simile.  In verse 21, similarly, tamas is capable of a wider meaning.  In 22, the word Rahu is used.  It should be explained, however, that Rahu is no imaginary monster as the Puranas describe but the descending node of the moon, i.e., a portion of space in and about the lunar orbit.

683.  This is a very difficult verse and the distinction involved in it are difficult to catch.  Of course, I follow the commentator in rendering it.  What is said here is that in a dream, Vyakta (manifest body) lies inactive, while the Chetanam (the subtile form) walks forth.  In the state called Sushupti (deep slumber which is like death) the indriyasamyuktam (the subtile form) is abandoned, and Jnanam (the Understanding), detached from the former, remains.  After this manner, abhava (non-existence, i.e., Emancipation) results from destruction of bhavah or existence as subject to its known conditions of dependence on time,