149.  Sankara, Anandagiri, and Nilakantha explain this sloka thus.  Sreedhara explains it otherwise.  The latter supposes the pronouns yat and tat to mean a particular sense among the Charatam indriyanam.  If Sreedhara’s interpretation be correct, the meaning would be—­“That (one sense) amongst the senses moving (among their objects) which the mind follows, (that one sense) tosseth the mind’s (or the man’s) understanding about like the wind tossing a (drunken boatman’s) boat on the waters.”  The parenthetical words are introduced by Sreedhara himself.  It may not be out of place to mention here that so far as Bengal, Mithila and Benares are concerned, the authority of Sreedhara is regarded as supreme.

150.  The vulgar, being spiritually dark, are engaged in worldly pursuits.  The sage in spiritual light is dead to the latter.

151.  Prakritijais Gunas is explained by Sreedhara as qualities born of one’s nature such as Ragadveshadi.  Sankara thinks that they are the qualities or attributes of primal matter (which enters into the composition of every self) such as Satwa, Rajas, and Tamas.

152.  “Apply to work”, i.e. to work as prescribed in the scriptures.  Thus says Sankara.  “To morning and evening prayers, etc.” says Sreedhara.

153.  Sacrifices Vishnu’s self as declared by the Srutis; work for sacrifice, therefore, is work for Vishnu’s sake or gratification.  For the sake of that i.e., for sacrifice’s, or “Vishnu’s sake.  So say all the commentators.

154.  Bhavaya is explained by both Sankara and Sreedhara as Vradhaya or make grow.  Perhaps, “rear” is the nearest approach to it in English.  K. T. Telang renders it, ‘please.’  The idea is eminently Indian.  The gods are fed by sacrifices, and in return they feed men by sending rain.  The Asuras again who warred with the gods warred with sacrifices.

155.  Parjjanya is explained by both Sankara and Sreedhara as rain.  It means also the clouds or the origin of rain.

156.  The word in the original that is rendered in the Vedas is Brahma.  It may mean the Supreme Soul.  Of course, in Brahmanic literature, the Vedas are Brahma and Brahma is the Vedas, but still in the second line of 15 there is no necessity of taking Brahma as equivalent to the Vedas, I do not think Telang is accurate in his rendering of this line.

157.  The wheel referred to is what has been said before, viz., from the Vedas are work, from work is rain, from rain is food, from food are creatures, from creatures again work and so back to the Vedas.

158.  The sense seems to be, as explained by the commentators, that such a man earns no merit by action, nor sin by inaction or omission.  Nor is there anybody from the Supreme Being to the lowest creature on whom he depends for anything.

159.  The example set by the great is always catching, Itaras, here, is Vulgar and not “other”.  Kurute which I have rendered as “maketh” is used in the sense of “regardeth.”  Pramanam, however, may not necessarily mean something else that is set up as an ideal.  It may refer to the actions themselves of the great men set up by them as a standard.