Shloka 30
Atma-Jnana as the Direct Means to Moksha: Advaita, Maya, and the Three States
मायाविष्टस्तथा जीवो देहोहमिति मन्यते / मायानाशात्पुनः स्वीयरूपं ब्रह्मास्मि मन्यते
māyāviṣṭastathā jīvo dehohamiti manyate / māyānāśātpunaḥ svīyarūpaṃ brahmāsmi manyate
Thus the individual soul (jīva), deluded by māyā, imagines, “I am the body.” But when māyā is destroyed, it again recognizes its true nature and knows, “I am Brahman.”
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Dehābhimāna arises from māyā; with māyā’s destruction, the jīva recognizes its true nature as Brahman (aham brahmāsmi).
Vedantic Theme: Avidyā/adhyāsa and its nivṛtti through jñāna; identity of ātman and brahman (mahāvākya resonance).
Application: Practice viveka (discrimination), śravaṇa-manana-nididhyāsana, and sustained self-inquiry to weaken body-identification and stabilize in witness-consciousness.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.236.31-33 (svarūpa-darśana as the means; māyā’s falsity)
FAQs
This verse states that māyā causes the jīva to mistake the body for the Self; removing māyā is presented as the key condition for recognizing one’s real nature.
It describes the soul’s bondage as body-identification and its release as the restoration of true knowledge—realizing “I am Brahman” when delusion is destroyed.
Practice self-inquiry and detachment from body-based identity (status, appearance, fear), and cultivate knowledge that the Self is not the perishable body.