tasmai sa hovāca | yathā gārgya marīcayo'rkasyāstaṃ gacchataḥ sarvā etasmiṃstejomṇḍala ekībhavanti tāḥ punaḥ punarudayataḥ pracarantyevaṃ ha vai tatsarvaṃ pare deve masyekībhavati tena tarhyeṣa puruṣo na śṛṇoti na paśyati na jighrati na rasayate na spṛśate nābhivadate nādatte nānandayate na visṛjate neyāyate svapitītyācakṣate ||
"The sage replied: "Just as, O Gargya, the rays of the setting sun all merge into that circle of light, and spread out again when it rises - so all the senses merge into the higher god, the mind. Therefore, this person then does not hear, see, smell, taste, touch, speak, grasp, enjoy, excrete, or move. They say: He sleeps.""
What This Means:
When we sleep, all our senses withdraw and merge into the mind, like sunrays merging into the sun at sunset. That is why we do not hear, see, or sense anything.
Going Deeper:
Sleep is the temporary dissolution of sensory activity into its source (mind). This is a daily experience of the withdrawl that happens at death.
How To Apply This:
Notice how your senses withdraw as you fall asleep. This daily withdrawal mirrors deeper spiritual withdrawals.