Shloka 9
Dharma of the Renunciant: Alms Discipline, Meditation, and Expiations
आत्मानं सर्वभूतानां परस्तात्तमसः स्थितम् । सर्वस्याधारमव्यक्तमानंदं ज्योतिरव्ययम्
ātmānaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ parastāttamasaḥ sthitam | sarvasyādhāramavyaktamānaṃdaṃ jyotiravyayam
അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളുടെ ആത്മാവ്, തമസ്സിന് അപ്പുറം നിലകൊള്ളുന്നവൻ. അവൻ സർവ്വത്തിന്റെയും ആധാരം, അവ്യക്തൻ, ആനന്ദസ്വരൂപൻ—അവിനാശി ജ്യോതി.
Unspecified (verse context not provided; likely narration within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue framework of the Padma Purāṇa)
Concept: The Supreme is the inner Self of all beings, beyond ignorance, the unmanifest support and imperishable light; realizing/meditating on this dissolves bondage.
Application: Practice daily recollection that the same Self pervades all beings; reduce reactivity by returning to the ‘imperishable light’ through japa and quiet contemplation.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast, starless expanse opens beyond a veil of smoky darkness; from its center arises an unmanifest, formless radiance that subtly contains silhouettes of all beings as if held within a single light. The light is calm, not blinding—an ocean of blissful luminosity supporting worlds like lotus-seeds suspended in clear crystal.","primary_figures":["Vishnu as formless Paramātma (radiant presence)","cosmic beings as faint silhouettes"],"setting":"Transcendent sky beyond darkness; abstract cosmic space with a suggestion of lotus geometry and mandala-like support structures.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["imperishable white","sapphire blue","smoky indigo","pale gold","lotus pink"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a central circular aureole of Vishnu-Paramatma as pure jyoti (no anthropomorphic form, only a sacred halo with subtle shankha-chakra motifs), surrounded by concentric lotus-petal mandalas; gold leaf embellishment on the halo and lotus borders, rich reds and greens framing the cosmic field, gem-studded ornamental arcs suggesting ‘support of all’.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate washes of indigo and pale gold forming a serene cosmic night; a soft, pearl-white radiance at center with faint outlines of beings and lotuses; refined, lyrical minimalism with thin brushwork and a quiet Himalayan-sky sensibility, emphasizing stillness beyond tamas.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines forming a large circular prabhāmaṇḍala; inside, a luminous abstract Vishnu-jyoti with stylized shankha-chakra emblems; natural pigment palette with deep reds, yellows, greens, and a dominant pale-gold center, temple-wall aesthetic of sacred geometry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a grand lotus mandala emerging from darkness, with a central radiant bindu representing Paramatma; intricate floral borders, peacocks rendered as symbolic guardians at the corners, deep blues and gold; subtle Vaishnava icon motifs (chakra patterns) woven into the lotus petals."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["silence","soft temple bells","distant conch shell","low drone (tanpura)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: परस्तात्तमसः = परस्तात् + तमसः; सर्वस्याधारम् = सर्वस्य + आधारम्; आधारमव्यक्तम् = आधारम् + अव्यक्तम्; अव्यक्तमानंदं = अव्यक्तम् + आनन्दम्; ज्योतिरव्ययम् = ज्योतिः + अव्ययम्
FAQs
It describes the Supreme Reality as the inner Self of all beings—beyond ignorance (tamas), the unmanifest foundation of everything, characterized as bliss and imperishable light.
The language aligns with Vedāntic descriptions of Brahman/Paramātman (unmanifest, changeless, luminous, blissful). In Vaishnava readings, these qualities are often understood as attributes of the Supreme Lord as the ultimate support and indwelling Self.
By recognizing the same Self as present in all beings and as transcending darkness (ignorance), one is guided toward inner clarity, reverence for life, and spiritual practice aimed at realizing that imperishable ground.