if they are asleep, they should be woken up

विद्यार्थी सेवकः पान्थः क्षुदार्तो भयकातरः

भाण्डी च प्रतिहारी च सप्त सुप्तान् प्रबोधयेत्॥ 

नीतिसारे॥ 

vidyārthī sevakaḥ pānthaḥ kṣudārto bhayakātaraḥ

bhāṇḍī ca pratihārī ca sapta suptān prabodhayet|| 

nītisāre|| 

विद्यार्थी a student an initiate

सेवकः a servant 

पान्थः a traveller 

क्षुदार्तो a man who is hungry 

भयकातरः a man who is afflicted with fear 

भाण्डी a man who carries a rag bundle 

प्रतिहारी a watchmen 

च too 

सप्त सुप्तान् प्रबोधयेत् if they are asleep, they should be woken up.. 

Sleep, it is admitted, is by far the greatest blessing for any human being..

Waking people from sleep can be cruel, and can be dangerous too..

We can see immediate results if we try to wake up a sleeping child, or a sleeping beast..

But still Neetisaram lists seven categories of people who should be woken up without delay if one finds them asleep..

The first in the category in a student..

The duty of the student is to study and not sleep.. And we see teachers often struggling with this option.. Many students either sleep in the class or become nuisance if they are awake. The choice is with the teacher.

The second in the list is the Servant

The servant is paid and employed to do specific jobs.. and sleeping is not exactly the job for which he is appointed.. So the master is free to wake him up even if the servant dozes off.. But it is doubtful whether the author of Neetisaram thought about Government Servants..

Then comes the traveller

It is natural that a traveller would love to sleep because he would be tired after long journeys.. But if he succumbs to sleep in unfamiliar places, sure, he will be divested of all his earthly possessions..

Next in the list is a person who is hungry.

It is our tradition that a hungry person should not be allowed to sleep.. on an empty stomach.. The sleep would not be happy for him.. There is a tradition in many families that before they close the front door for the night, it would be asked whether any person hungry for the night was present.. If anyone comes forth, it was the tradition that he would be offered food.. But this does not mean that we should wake up a poor hungry fellow and tell him that he will have no supper..

Then a man afflicted by fear..

Normally, a man may not be able to sleep when he is in panic..But a sleep, in such a condition, if that happens by way of exception, would lead to greater misery filled with nightmares.. So, if a person is crying aloud in panic during sleep, he should be woken up immediately..

Next the carrier of Bundles and Sacks..

If the fellow sleeps, the bundle will soon change ownership.. That is the first risk.. Secondly the bundle many contain things which might not do good for others.. Old travellers would carry snakes, monkeys etc in sack.. And today, the sacks can contain explosives.

And finally the watchman

The duty of the watchman is to ensure the security of the premises and the contents thereof while others sleep.. If the watchman himself sleeps, one can just guess the results..