Shloka 84
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
किं हेतुभिर् वदत्य् एषा वाग् एवाहम् इति स्वयम् तथापि वाङ् नाहम् एतद् वक्तुम् इत्थं न युज्यते
kiṃ hetubhir vadaty eṣā vāg evāham iti svayam tathāpi vāṅ nāham etad vaktum itthaṃ na yujyate
Why does speech speak by means of causes, even while declaring, “I alone am speech”? Yet speech is not the Ātman; therefore it is not fitting to say, “I speak,” in that manner.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Refuting the identification of speech (vāk) with the Self and correcting ‘I speak’ as a misattribution
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: corrective, precise
Concept: Speech acts through causes and instruments; therefore it is unfitting to equate speech itself with the Self or to ground ‘I speak’ in vāk rather than in the true subject.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Cultivate mindful speech: before speaking, notice the impulse, the mental formulation, and the bodily mechanism—then speak as a steward rather than an ego-claimant.
Vishishtadvaita: Distinguishes the conscious self from its faculties; in Vishishtadvaita, faculties function as dependent attributes/instruments under the Lord’s inner governance, preserving both agency and dependence.
FAQs
It is used as an example of an instrument that appears to act and even claims “I,” yet is not the true Self; this supports discernment between consciousness and the faculties.
He implies that saying “I speak” is philosophically imprecise, because speaking belongs to the faculty of speech, while the Self is distinct from that instrument.
The verse aligns with the Purana’s view that the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) is the ground of all powers and functions, while the true Self is not reducible to bodily or sensory operations.