Shloka 24
ध्यानयोगवर्णनम्
Description of the Path of Meditation
आत्मानं तं विजानीहि सर्वलोकहितात्मकम् | तस्मिन् य: संश्रितो देहे हाब्बिन्दुरिव पुष्करे
ātmānaṃ taṃ vijānīhi sarvalokahitātmakam | tasmin yaḥ saṃśrito dehe haṃsabindur iva puṣkare ||
Bharadvāja berkata: “Kenalilah Sang Diri itu sebagai kṣetrajña, yang hakikatnya adalah kesejahteraan semua dunia. Walau Ia seakan bertumpu di dalam tubuh, sesungguhnya Ia tetap terpisah darinya—laksana setetes air di atas daun teratai.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Self (Ātman) is intrinsically oriented to universal welfare and is not truly bound to the body; even while dwelling in it, it remains untouched and distinct, like a water drop that does not cling to a lotus leaf.
In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja instructs the listener to recognize the nature of the Ātman, using the lotus-leaf metaphor to emphasize inner detachment and the Self’s separateness from bodily identity.