Shloka 17
Kapila’s Devotional Sāṅkhya: Sādhu-saṅga, Bhakti-yoga, and Fearlessness in the Supreme Shelter
तदा पुरुष आत्मानं केवलं प्रकृते: परम् । निरन्तरं स्वयंज्योतिरणिमानमखण्डितम् ॥ १७ ॥
tadā puruṣa ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ prakṛteḥ param nirantaraṁ svayaṁ-jyotir aṇimānam akhaṇḍitam
នៅពេលនោះ ព្រលឹងឃើញខ្លួនឯងថាលើសពីប្រក្រឹតិ ជាអាត្មាបរិសុទ្ធ ភ្លឺដោយខ្លួនឯងជានិច្ច តូចណាស់ក៏ដោយ តែមិនបែកបាក់។
In the state of pure consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can see himself as a minute particle nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the jīva, or the individual soul, is eternally part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Just as the sun’s rays are minute particles of the brilliant constitution of the sun, so a living entity is a minute particle of the Supreme Spirit. The individual soul and the Supreme Lord are not separated as in material differentiation. The individual soul is a particle from the very beginning. One should not think that because the individual soul is a particle, it is fragmented from the whole spirit. Māyāvāda philosophy enunciates that the whole spirit exists, but a part of it, which is called the jīva, is entrapped by illusion. This philosophy, however, is unacceptable because spirit cannot be divided like a fragment of matter. That part, the jīva, is eternally a part. As long as the Supreme Spirit exists, His part and parcel also exists. As long as the sun exists, the molecules of the sun’s rays also exist.
FAQs
This verse says that true realization is to know oneself as pure spirit—beyond prakriti—self-effulgent, continuous, and indivisible.
Kapila explains to Devahuti that the ātmā is not a product of matter; its consciousness is intrinsic, so it is described as self-luminous rather than dependent on material conditions.
By remembering you are not reducible to changing roles, emotions, or circumstances; this steadies the mind, supports detachment, and strengthens sincere devotional practice.