Shloka 72
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
यद्द्रव्या शिबिका चेयं तद्द्रव्यो भूतसंग्रहः भवतो मे ऽखिलस्यास्य ममत्वेनोपबृंहितः
yaddravyā śibikā ceyaṃ taddravyo bhūtasaṃgrahaḥ bhavato me 'khilasyāsya mamatvenopabṛṃhitaḥ
Just as this palanquin is nothing but a collection of materials, so too this aggregate of living beings is a collection of elements. Yet, by the swelling force of “mine-ness,” you and I fasten ownership upon this whole and call it “myself” and “my world”.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya in a reflective, philosophical register)
Concept: Body and ‘world’ are merely aggregates of elements, but the sense of ‘mine’ (mamatā) inflates ownership and forges false identity.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Practice de-identification: label sensations, roles, and possessions as ‘elements/assemblage’ rather than ‘me/mine’.
Vishishtadvaita: While rejecting egoic ownership, the verse can be read in Viśiṣṭādvaita as redirecting mamatā from self/objects to the Lord, to whom the aggregate truly belongs (śeṣatva implied).
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: shanta
FAQs
It illustrates that what we treat as a single ‘thing’ (like a palanquin) is merely an arrangement of parts—likewise the body/world is an aggregate, not an ultimate self.
He presents mamatva as the mental force that “inflates” ownership over an elemental aggregate, turning a temporary assemblage into ‘my body’ and ‘my possessions’.
By undermining false ownership over aggregates, the text points toward dependence on the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—as the true ground of order, identity, and liberation.