Shloka 17
Īśvara-gītā (Adhyāya 2) — Ātma-svarūpa, Māyā, and the Unity of Sāṅkhya–Yoga
नित्योदितः स्वयं ज्योतिः सर्वगः पुरुषः परः / अहङ्काराविवेकेन कर्ताहमिति मन्यते
nityoditaḥ svayaṃ jyotiḥ sarvagaḥ puruṣaḥ paraḥ / ahaṅkārāvivekena kartāhamiti manyate
Der höchste Purusha ist ewig offenbar, selbstleuchtend und allgegenwärtig; doch durch die undiskriminierende Verwirrung aus dem Ego meint man: „Ich bin der Handelnde.“
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in a Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis on Self-knowledge and liberation
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It describes the Self as ever-present and self-luminous, pervading all; it is not produced by actions or conditions, but is the constant witness-consciousness (puruṣa) beyond limitation.
The verse points to viveka (discriminative insight) central to jñāna-yoga and Pāśupata-oriented inner discipline: meditation on the self-luminous witness and relinquishing egoic agency (kartṛtva) as a prerequisite for steadiness in samādhi.
By teaching the same non-dual Self as the supreme reality, it aligns Vishnu’s instruction with Shaiva-Pāśupata vocabulary of inner renunciation and knowledge—presenting a shared, unified soteriology rather than sectarian opposition.