Shloka 4
Yoga, Nārāyaṇa as Supreme Principle, and the Emanation of Categories
Sāṅkhya-Yoga Outline
न चक्षुषा पश्यति रूपमात्मनो न पश्यति स्पर्शनमिन्द्रियेन्द्रियम् । न श्रोत्रलिड्रं श्रवणेन दर्शन तथा कृतं पश्यति तद् विनश्यति
na cakṣuṣā paśyati rūpam ātmano na paśyati sparśanam indriyendriyam | na śrotrendriyaṁ śravaṇena darśanaṁ tathā kṛtaṁ paśyati tad vinaśyati ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Die Gestalt des Selbst wird vom Auge nicht gesehen; auch kann die Haut, das Organ des Tastens, es nicht berühren — denn das Selbst ist die innere Kraft, die die Sinne selbst erleuchtet. Auch das Ohr kann es durch Hören nicht erfassen, da jenes Selbst jenseits des Klanges ist. Wenn das Selbst durch unterscheidende Erkenntnis verwirklicht wird, fallen die Werkzeuge gewöhnlicher Wahrnehmung ab, denn was sie ergreifen, ist vergänglich.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The ātman cannot be grasped as a sensory object: it is not visible, tangible, or audible, because it is the inner illuminator and controller of the senses. True realization arises through discriminative knowledge, and with that realization the ordinary means that operate on perishable objects lose their relevance.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on liberation-oriented dharma. Here he emphasizes an Upaniṣadic point: the Self is subtler than sensory perception, and spiritual insight requires turning from external objects toward inner discernment.