Shloka 22

Īśvara-gītā (Adhyāya 2) — Ātma-svarūpa, Māyā, and the Unity of Sāṅkhya–Yoga

Devanagari script

नित्यः सर्वत्रगो ह्यात्मा कूटस्थो दोषवर्जितः / एकः स भिद्यते शक्त्या मायया न स्वभावतः

Transliteration

nityaḥ sarvatrago hyātmā kūṭastho doṣavarjitaḥ / ekaḥ sa bhidyate śaktyā māyayā na svabhāvataḥ

Translation

الآتمان أزليٌّ وسارٍ في كل مكان؛ ثابتٌ (كوطَسثا) منزَّهٌ عن العيوب. ومع أنه واحدٌ، يبدو كأنه ينقسم بفعل القدرة—بفعل المايا—لا بطبيعته الذاتية.

Word by Word

• nityaḥ: eternal
• nityaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of 'ātmā'

• sarvatra-gaḥ: all-pervading
• sarvatra-gaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; upapada-tatpuruṣa: 'sarvatra gacchati/asti' = all-pervading; viśeṣaṇa of 'ātmā'

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle/निपात), emphasis

• ātmā: the self
• ātmā: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• kūṭasthaḥ: immutable
• kūṭasthaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kūṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of 'ātmā'

• doṣa-varjitaḥ: free from दोष (faults)
• doṣa-varjitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: 'doṣaiḥ varjitaḥ' (free from faults); viśeṣaṇa of 'ātmā'

• ekaḥ: one
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of 'saḥ/ātmā'

• saḥ: he/that (self)
• saḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; sarvanāma; refers to 'ātmā'

• bhidyate: is divided
• bhidyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhid (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Ātmanepada, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; passive/intransitive sense 'is divided'

• śaktyā: by power
• śaktyā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā-vibhakti (instrumental/तृतीया), Ekavacana

• māyayā: by māyā (illusion)
• māyayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā-vibhakti (instrumental/तृतीया), Ekavacana; instrumental of means, coordinated with 'śaktyā'

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Pratiṣedha-nipāta (negation/निषेध)

• svabhāvataḥ: by its own nature
• svabhāvataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tasil-avyaya (तसिल्/ablatival adverb): 'from/according to own nature'

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching the Ishvara Gita doctrine

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Atman
• Maya
• Shakti

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

It defines the Ātman as eternal, all-pervading, immutable, and दोष-वर्जित (free from any limitation or defect). Any perceived multiplicity is only an appearance, not a real change in the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports discriminative contemplation (viveka) central to Pāśupata-oriented and Ishvara Gita teachings: meditate on the kūṭastha, faultless Self and recognize sensory-mental plurality as Māyā’s projection rather than the Ātman’s nature.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By grounding liberation in the one, defectless Ātman beyond Māyā, the text aligns Shaiva and Vaishnava approaches in a shared non-dual metaphysics: the supreme reality taught by Kurma (Vishnu) is the same transcendence upheld in Shaiva doctrine.