Shloka 3

Gītā-sāra: The Self as Witness and the Inner Ascent into Brahman

Devanagari script

बिज्ञानरहितः प्राणः सुषुप्तौ हि प्रतीयते / नाहमात्मा च दुः खादिसंसारादिसमन्वयात्

Transliteration

bijñānarahitaḥ prāṇaḥ suṣuptau hi pratīyate / nāhamātmā ca duḥ khādisaṃsārādisamanvayāt

Translation

Im Tiefschlaf wird der Prāṇa, der Lebenshauch, wahrhaft als ohne unterscheidendes Gewahrsein erfahren. Und der Ātman ist nicht das egoische „Ich“, denn dieses „Ich“ ist mit Leid und mit dem Kreislauf des Saṃsāra samt seinen Bedingungen verstrickt.

Word by Word

• विज्ञान-रहितः: devoid of consciousness/knowledge
• विज्ञान-रहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + रहित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• प्राणः: the vital breath (prāṇa)
• प्राणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सुषुप्तौ: in deep sleep
• सुषुप्तौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुषुप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• प्रतीयते: is perceived/appears
• प्रतीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-इ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (is perceived/appears)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुषार्थ; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (pronoun)

• आत्मा: the Self
• आत्मा: Pratijna/Predicate (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• दुःख-आदि-संसार-आदि-समन्वयात्: because of association/connection with suffering etc. and worldly existence etc.
• दुःख-आदि-संसार-आदि-समन्वयात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (cause: 'because of')

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: In deep sleep prāṇa functions without discriminative cognition; therefore the Self is not the ego-sense ‘I’ which is bound up with duḥkha and saṃsāra.

Vedantic Theme: Ātma-anātma-viveka; sākṣitva (witnesshood) distinct from prāṇa/ahaṅkāra; suṣupti as pramāṇa for non-ego Self.

Application: Contemplate the suṣupti state: note the absence of ‘I’-notion yet continuity of being; practice neti-neti toward prāṇa and ego, reducing identification with suffering narratives.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: inner-space (adhyātma)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.237.4-7 (hṛdayākāśa-tejas, kṣetrajña, lamp/mirror analogies)

Characters & Entities

• Prāṇa
• Ātman
• Suṣupti

FAQs

What is the importance of deep sleep (suṣupti) in Garuda Purana teachings?

This verse uses deep sleep to show that prāṇa can function without vivid discriminative awareness, helping distinguish life-force from the true Self.

How does this verse explain the difference between the soul (Ātman) and the ego (‘aham’)?

It states that the Ātman is not the ego-sense because the ego is bound up with suffering and saṃsāra, whereas the Self is not inherently conditioned by those associations.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Observe that “I” and its anxieties rise with worldly identification; cultivating witness-awareness (rather than ego-reactivity) supports calmer, more ethical living and spiritual practice.