Shloka 67
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
आत्मा शुद्धो ऽक्षरः शान्तो निर्गुणः प्रकृतेः परः प्रवृद्ध्यपचयौ नास्य एकस्याखिलजन्तुषु
ātmā śuddho 'kṣaraḥ śānto nirguṇaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ pravṛddhyapacayau nāsya ekasyākhilajantuṣu
The Self is pure, imperishable, and tranquil—without material qualities, and beyond Prakṛti. That One abides in all beings; for Him there is neither increase nor decline among the whole multitude of creatures.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Nature of the ātman as pure, nirguṇa, beyond prakṛti, equally present in all beings without change
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: The ātman is intrinsically pure, imperishable, and beyond prakṛti’s guṇas; though present in all beings, it does not undergo increase or decrease.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Practice self-inquiry and steady meditation to notice the unchanging witness behind bodily and mental fluctuations, reducing fear of loss and craving for gain.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms the jīva’s changeless essence while allowing its embodied states to vary—compatible with Viśiṣṭādvaita’s distinction between the self’s svarūpa and its dharma-bhūta-jñāna/karma-conditioned experience under the Lord as antaryāmin.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
It asserts that the Supreme Self (identified with Vishnu’s highest reality) is not a product of material nature and is therefore untouched by change, limitation, or the guṇas.
By stating that for the single Self present in all beings there is neither increase nor decline—growth and decay belong to embodied forms, not to the indwelling Supreme principle.
The verse supports the Purana’s portrayal of Vishnu as the supreme, immutable ground of all existence—immanent in all creatures yet transcendent beyond Prakriti and the guṇas.