Shloka 40
The Fall of Purañjana and the Supersoul as the Eternal Friend
Purañjana-Upākhyāna Culmination
स व्यापकतयात्मानं व्यतिरिक्ततयात्मनि । विद्वान् स्वप्न इवामर्शसाक्षिणं विरराम ह ॥ ४० ॥
sa vyāpakatayātmānaṁ vyatiriktatayātmani vidvān svapna ivāmarśa- sākṣiṇaṁ virarāma ha
King Malayadhvaja attained perfect knowledge by discerning the all-pervading Paramātmā from the individual soul, which is distinct and localized within the body. He understood that the material body is not the self; the soul is the witnessing seer of the body, and thus—like one awakening from a dream—he ceased from illusion.
The conditioned soul is often frustrated in trying to understand the distinctions between the material body, the Supersoul and the individual soul. There are two types of Māyāvādī philosophers: the followers of the Buddhist philosophy and the followers of the Śaṅkara philosophy. The followers of Buddha do not recognize that there is anything beyond the body. The followers of Śaṅkara conclude that there is no separate existence of the Paramātmā, the Supersoul; they believe that the individual soul is identical with the Paramātmā in the ultimate analysis. But the Vaiṣṇava philosopher, who is perfect in knowledge, knows that the body is made of the external energy and that the Supersoul, the Paramātmā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is sitting with the individual soul and is distinct from him. As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (13.3) :
FAQs
This verse teaches that the wise person realizes the Self is both all-pervading and distinct from the body-mind, and therefore stops identifying with mental impressions, treating them like a dream.
Because dream experiences feel real while they last, yet are false upon awakening; similarly, bodily and mental identifications dissolve when one awakens to the true Self.
Observe thoughts and emotions without clinging to them as 'me' or 'mine'; this reduces anxiety and attachment and supports steady devotion and inner freedom.