mūrkho dehādy-ahaṁ-buddhiḥ
mūrkho dehādy-ahaṁ-buddhiḥ |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.19.42)
[Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava:] “A fool is one whose sense of ‘I’ is fixed in the body and so forth [and whose sense of “mine” is so also fixed in the bodily].”
Sūkti Sudhākara
sarvatra vyatiriktan tu
sarvatra vyatiriktan tu ātmānaṁ vetti yo dvijaḥ |
sarva-lakṣaṇa-hīno’pi sa gurur nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
api pāpa-samācāraḥ sarva-lakṣaṇa-varjitaḥ |
deśikaḥ sa tu vijñeyaḥ saṁsārārṇava-tārakaḥ ||
(Hayaśīrṣa Pañcarātra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 19.100–101)
“A twice-born who knows the ātmā [i.e., the self] to be distinct [i.e., from the body, etc.] in all cases is a guru even though [i.e., if] devoid of all [other] characteristics [of a guru]. Of this there is no doubt. Even if he of sinful conduct and devoid of all [other] characteristics [of a guru], he should be known as a deśika [i.e., guru] and deliverer from the ocean of saṁsāra.”
dehas tu sarva-saṅghāto
dehas tu sarva-saṅghāto jagat tasthur iti dvidhā |
atraiva mṛgyaḥ puruṣo neti netīty atat tyajan ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.7.23)
“The body, the combination of all these [i.e., prakṛti, the guṇas, the mahat-tattva, ahaṅkāra, the five tanmātrās, the five mahābhūtas, and the eleven senses], however, is of two types: moving and stationary. Here itself [i.e., while embodied], the Puruṣa [i.e., the Paramātmā] is to be sought out by rejecting that which is not that [i.e., not the Puruṣa, considering], ‘Not this, not this …’ [i.e., ‘This is not the ātmā, this too is not the ātmā, etc.].”
yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ
yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya me |
atyantoparatir yatra duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.25.13)
[Bhagavān Kapila to Devahūti:] “O Mother, I consider yoga related to the higher ātmā [i.e., Paramātmā, or the jīvātmā], wherein complete cessation of [sāṁsārika] suffering and happiness occur, to be [the means] for a living being’s ultimate well-being [i.e., mokṣa].”
labdhveha mānuṣīṁ yoniṁ
labdhveha mānuṣīṁ yoniṁ jñāna-vijñāna-sambhavām |
ātmānaṁ yo na buddhyeta na kvacit kṣemam āpnuyāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 6.16.58)
“Having attained a human form, which has the potential for jñāna [i.e., knowledge based on śāstra] and vijñāna [i.e., direct perception of reality], one who is not able to understand the ātmā [i.e., the jīva and the Parameśvara] cannot [alt., can never] attain weal anywhere [i.e., in any condition of human life, no matter how well endowed with wealth, power, etc.].”
evaṁ manaḥ karma-vaśaṁ prayuṅkte
evaṁ manaḥ karma-vaśaṁ prayuṅkte
avidyayātmany upadhīyamāne |
prītir na yāvan mayi vāsudeve
na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.5.6)
“Thus, karma subjugates the mind when the ātmā is covered by avidyā. Until one has prīti for me, Vāsudeva, one is not freed from entanglement with the body.”
ātatatvāc ca mātṛtvād ātmā hi paramo hariḥ
ātatatvāc ca mātṛtvād ātmā hi paramo hariḥ |
(Cited in Krama Sandarbha in relation to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.2.34 and Caitanya-caritāmṛta 2.24.78)
“Because of being [all-] pervasive and being the mother [i.e., the source of everything in the universe], the Ātmā is indeed the Supreme, Hari.”
ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo
ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyy ātmano vā are darśanena śravaṇena matyā vijñānenedaṁ sarvaṁ viditam |
(Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: 2.4.5, 4.5.6; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 7)
“Truly, the Ātmā [alt., the ātmā] is to be seen, [that is,] to be heard about, to be contemplated, and to be deeply meditated upon. O Maitreyī, truly, by seeing, [that is,] by hearing, reflecting upon, and realizing the Ātmā, everything becomes known.”
tad etat preyaḥ putrāt
tad etat preyaḥ putrāt, preyo vittāt, preyo’nyasmāt sarvasmād antarataraṁ yad ayam ātmā | sa yo’nyam ātmanaḥ priyaṁ bruvāṇaṁ brūyāt priya rotsyatītīśvaro ha tathaiva syāt, ātmānam eva priyam upāsīta | sa ya ātmānam eva priyam upāste, na hāsya priyaṁ pramāyukaṁ bhavati ||
(Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: 1.4.8)
“This which is dearer than a son, dearer than wealth, dearer than others, and all else—this is the ātmā deeper within. One who says of someone who says something else is dearer than the ātmā, “He will lose that which he holds dear” is capable [i.e., fit to say so], and indeed that will come to be. One should regard only the ātmā as dear. Indeed that which is dear to one who regards only the ātmā as dear is never subject to destruction.”
yathā nabhasi meghaugho
yathā nabhasi meghaugho reṇur vā pārthivo’nile |
evaṁ draṣṭari dṛśyatvam āropitam abuddhibhiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.3.31)
“Like a mass of clouds to the sky or a particle of earth to the air, so the visible [i.e., the body] is attributed [i.e., taken to be] to the seer [i.e., the ātmā] by the unintelligent.”