Shloka 12
Dharma-Pramāṇa-Vicāra: The Elusiveness of Dharma and the Limits of Rule-Lists
तमेतमतितेजों5शं भूतात्मानं हृदि स्थितम् । तमोरजो भ्यामाविष्टा नानुपश्यन्ति मूर्तिषु
tam etam atitejoṁśaṁ bhūtātmānaṁ hṛdi sthitam | tamo-rajobhyām āviṣṭā nānupaśyanti mūrtiṣu ||
Vyāsa dit : Ce soi individuel est une parcelle souverainement lumineuse du Soi suprême, demeurant dans le cœur des êtres incarnés. Pourtant, ceux que dominent tamas et rajas ne le perçoivent pas au sein de leurs formes corporelles.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The indwelling self, a radiant portion of the Supreme, resides in the heart, but it is not recognized when the mind is dominated by rajas (restless desire) and tamas (delusion and inertia). Ethical clarity depends on cultivating sattva-like lucidity so that one’s actions are guided by the inner self rather than bodily impulses.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation and right understanding, Vyāsa explains to his listener that the true self is present within all embodied beings. He contrasts the ever-present reality of the ātman with the psychological condition of those clouded by the guṇas, who therefore fail to perceive the self within the body.