न वधेनास्य हन्यते नास्य स्राम्येण स्रामो घ्नन्ति त्वेवैनं विच्छादयन्तीवाप्रियवेत्तेव भवत्यपि रोदितीव नाहमत्र भोग्यं पश्यामीति ॥ ८.१०.२ ॥
na vadhenāsya hanyate nāsya srāmyeṇa srāmo ghnanti tvevainaṃ vicchādayantīvāpriyavetteva bhavatyapi roditīva nāhamatra bhogyaṃ paśyāmīti || 8.10.2 ||
2. ‘The body may be killed but the other is not killed. Nor is the dream body lame if the body is lame. Nevertheless, in dreams it may seem as if people are killing him; it may seem as if people are chasing him; it may seem as if there is something unpleasant. He may even seem to be weeping. I see nothing good in this’.
Word-for-word explanation:
Asya vadhena na hanyate, [the dream body] is not killed when [the body] is killed; na asya srāmyeṇa srāmaḥ, nor is it lame with [the body’s] lameness; tu, nevertheless; enam eva ghnanti, as if they are killing him; vicchādayanti iva, as if they are chasing him; apriyavettā iva bhavati, as if there is something unpleasant; api roditi iva, as if he is even weeping; aham atra bhogyam na paśyāmi iti, I see nothing good in this.
Commentary:
Indra continued to think about what Prajāpati had said. This is the nature of someone who has discrimination. And this is what Prajāpati expected him to do. In fact, Prajāpati would have been disappointed if Indra had not questioned what he had said. A good teacher is ready to give his knowledge, but the student also has to be ready. He has to be mentally alert and ask questions.
Indra thought: ‘It is true, the dream-self is independent of the body. But I find that even in my dreams I am sometimes happy and sometimes unhappy. Sometimes I am in pain, and sometimes I am crying. And sometimes I even see myself being chased by someone and I am frightened. Prajāpati said the Self is free from fear, so how could this fear come? It should not happen. If the Self is subject to such limitations and unpleasant experiences, then it is not free and perfect. No, I cannot accept this answer.’