Shloka 3

Devanagari script

वासुदेवो जगन्नाथो ब्रह्मात्मास्म्यहमेव हि / देहिदेहस्थितो नित्यः सर्वदेहविवर्जितः

Transliteration

vāsudevo jagannātho brahmātmāsmyahameva hi / dehidehasthito nityaḥ sarvadehavivarjitaḥ

Translation

I alone am Vāsudeva, the Lord of the universe; I am the Supreme Self (Brahman). As the indwelling conscious Self, I eternally abide within bodies, yet I remain completely free from all bodies.

Word by Word

• वासुदेवः: Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जगन्नाथः: Lord of the world
• जगन्नाथः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः नाथः)

• ब्रह्मात्मा: whose self is Brahman; Brahman-Self
• ब्रह्मात्मा: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (ब्रह्म एव आत्मा)

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (त्रिलिङ्ग), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed; alone
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• हि: for; indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु/निपात-अव्यय (particle)

• देहि: embodied being
• देहि: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• देहस्थितः: situated in the body
• देहस्थितः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देह + स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; स्था धातु; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (देहे स्थितः)

• नित्यः: eternal
• नित्यः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वदेहविवर्जितः: free from all bodies
• सर्वदेहविवर्जितः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + देह + विवर्जित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; वर्ज् धातु; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां देहानां विवर्जितः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (as Vāsudeva) speaking to Garuda (Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vāsudeva as Jagannātha is identical with Brahman/Ātman; He is the indwelling consciousness in bodies yet untouched by embodiment.

Vedantic Theme: Antaryāmin and asanga-ātman; non-dual resonance (mahāvākya style) while retaining īśvara identity in Purāṇic voice.

Application: Practice self-inquiry and remembrance: ‘The witnessing consciousness is not the body’; cultivate detachment while honoring the indwelling Lord in all beings.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: Vishnu as supreme Self and inner ruler (general)

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Jagannātha
• Brahman
• Dehī (Self)

FAQs

What is the importance of identifying Vāsudeva as Brahman in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames Viṣṇu (Vāsudeva) as the supreme, all-pervading Self, grounding Garuḍa Purāṇa’s afterlife and ritual teachings in the higher truth that liberation comes from realizing the Self beyond bodily identity.

How does this verse explain the soul’s relationship with the body?

It states that the conscious Self abides in the body as its inner witness, yet is not the body—remaining untouched by bodily conditions, change, and mortality.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate detachment and ethical clarity by remembering: you are not merely the body and its roles; act with dharma while keeping awareness rooted in the inner Self.