Shloka 62
Vishnu-sahasranāma-style Japa: Vishnu as Cosmic Cause and Inner Self
Antaryāmin
देहात्मा चेन्द्रियात्मा च आत्मा बुद्धिस्तथैव च / मनसश्च तथैवात्मा चात्माहङ्कारचेतसः
dehātmā cendriyātmā ca ātmā buddhistathaiva ca / manasaśca tathaivātmā cātmāhaṅkāracetasaḥ
Das „Selbst“ (Ātman) wird auf vielerlei Weise bezeichnet: als das Selbst, das mit dem Körper identifiziert ist; als das Selbst, das mit den Sinnen identifiziert ist; als das Selbst, das mit dem Intellekt (buddhi) identifiziert ist; als das Selbst, das mit dem Geist (manas) identifiziert ist; und ebenso als das Selbst, das mit Ichhaftigkeit (ahaṅkāra) und mit dem denkenden Bewusstsein (cetas) identifiziert ist.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)
Concept: The term ‘ātman’ is used conventionally for multiple upādhis (body, senses, mind, intellect, ego, citta); true Self is to be discerned beyond identifications.
Vedantic Theme: Adhyāsa and upādhi-viveka; sākṣī-bhāva (witness consciousness) distinct from antaḥkaraṇa-vṛttis.
Application: Daily self-inquiry: label experiences as ‘body sensation’, ‘sense input’, ‘mind thought’, ‘intellect decision’, ‘ego claim’; rest as the witnessing awareness to reduce reactivity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.15.58-61 (context: supreme cause)
FAQs
This verse highlights that ‘self’ is often mistakenly attributed to body, senses, mind, intellect, and ego—clarifying that liberation requires seeing these as instruments rather than the true Self.
By listing the common identifications (body, senses, mind, intellect, ego), it points to the core spiritual task: disentangling the true ātmā from these faculties, which is essential for right understanding in life and at death.
Practice observing thoughts, sensations, and ego-reactions as changing processes; cultivate discrimination (buddhi) and self-restraint so actions are guided by dharma rather than bodily or sensory impulses.