Shloka 2
Yoga, Nārāyaṇa as Supreme Principle, and the Emanation of Categories
Sāṅkhya-Yoga Outline
यथेन्द्रियार्थान् युगपत् समस्ता- न्नोपेक्षते कृत्सममतुल्यकालम् । तथाचलं संचरते स दिद्दां- स्तस्मात् स एक: परम: शरीरी
bhīṣma uvāca |
yathendriyārthān yugapat samastān
nopekṣate kṛtsnam atulyakālam |
tathācalam sañcarate sa didṛkṣāṁs
tasmāt sa ekaḥ paramaḥ śarīrī ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „So wie (der innere Zeuge) die ganze Spannweite der Sinnesobjekte nicht außer Acht lässt—weder auf einmal noch über unermessliche Zeit—, so ‘wandelt’ er auch, unbewegt bleibend, als der Sehende. Darum ist das höchste verkörperte Selbst eines: der allwissende Zeuge, der oberste Herr des Leibes, der alle Erfahrung durch die drei untrennbaren Bewusstseinszustände hindurch erleuchtet.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the unity and supremacy of the witnessing Self (ātman): though itself unmoving, it illuminates all sense-experiences across time and across the three states (waking, dream, deep sleep). Because it is the constant seer, it is one and the highest lord of the body.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation and right understanding, Bhishma explains to the listener that the true Self is not the changing stream of perceptions; it is the steady witness that makes all perceptions known, thereby grounding ethical detachment and inner stability.