Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 76
Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’
योऽस्ति योऽहमिति ब्रह्मन्कथं वक्तुं न शक्यते । आत्मन्येव न दोषाय शब्दोऽहमिति यो द्विजा ॥ ७६ ॥
yo'sti yo'hamiti brahmankathaṃ vaktuṃ na śakyate | ātmanyeva na doṣāya śabdo'hamiti yo dvijā || 76 ||
Ô brahmane, on ne peut véritablement dire par des mots qui est Celui qui est, ni qui est celui qu’on appelle « moi ». Mais le mot « moi », lorsqu’il ne vise que l’Atman, n’est pas une faute, ô deux-fois-nés.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in Moksha-Dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It distinguishes the pure “I” (Atman/Brahman) from the egoic “I” (ahaṅkāra), teaching that ultimate identity cannot be fully captured by speech, yet the term “I” is valid when it points to the Self.
By purifying the sense of “I,” devotion becomes selfless—offered from the inner Self rather than from ego—supporting a bhakti that culminates in surrender and realization of the indwelling reality.
Vyākaraṇa (grammar/semantics) is implicitly relevant: the verse cautions that words like “aham” are context-dependent, and their meaning shifts from ego-identity to Atman-reference based on intended usage (lakṣaṇā/artha-viveka).