Shloka 2
Adhyāya 40: Brahmā on Mahān (The Great Principle) and the All-Pervading Puruṣa
महानात्मा मतिर्विष्णुर्जिष्णु: शम्भुश्न वीर्यवान् । बुद्धि: प्रज्ञोपलब्धिश्व॒ तथा ख्यातिर्धति: स्मृति:
vāyudeva uvāca | mahān ātmā matir viṣṇur jiṣṇuḥ śambhuś ca vīryavān | buddhiḥ prajñopalabdhiś ca tathā khyātir dhṛtiḥ smṛtiḥ |
Vāyudeva said: “The Great Self is known by these synonymous names—Great Soul, Intelligence, Viṣṇu, the Victorious One, Śambhu, the Mighty; also as understanding, wisdom, direct apprehension, renown, steadfastness, and memory. A learned brāhmaṇa who truly knows that reality of the Great Self never falls into delusion.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme inner reality (the Great Self) can be approached through many synonymous epithets—divine names and cognitive virtues alike—and that true knowledge of this reality frees a learned person from moha (delusion).
Vāyudeva is instructing by listing names/attributes that point to the Great Self, emphasizing that recognizing the one reality behind these terms is the mark of a true knower, who therefore does not become confused or spiritually misled.