Shloka 5
ध्यानयोगवर्णनम्
Description of the Path of Meditation
भूगुरुवाच समिधामुपयोगान्ते यथाग्निर्नोपलभ्यते । आकाशानुगतत्वद्धि दुर्ग्राह्मो हि निराश्रय:
bhṛgur uvāca samidhām upayogānte yathāgnir nopalabhyate | ākāśānugatatvād dhi durgrāhyo hi nirāśrayaḥ ||
Bhṛgu berkata: “Wahai resi, sebagaimana ketika kayu bakar telah habis terbakar pada akhir pemakaiannya, api tidak lagi tampak; demikian pula ia tidak tertangkap karena telah menyatu dengan angkasa dan tinggal tak termanifest. Sebab api, tanpa sandaran, amat sukar digenggam.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the metaphor of fire disappearing when fuel is consumed to teach that a subtle principle can become unperceivable without being destroyed. When it lacks an external support (āśraya), it is difficult to apprehend—pointing toward the unmanifest nature of subtle reality (often applied to the Self or subtle elements).
In a didactic exchange among sages, Bhṛgu explains a philosophical point through an everyday example: after the kindling is burnt up, fire is not seen, not because it is annihilated, but because it has become unmanifest in space and cannot be grasped without a supporting medium.