Verse 29

Brahmavidya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

आत्मानमात्मना साक्षाद् ब्रह्म बुद्ध्वा सुनिश्चलम् । देहजात्यादिसम्बन्धान् वर्णाश्रमसमन्वितान् ॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

आत्मानम् । आत्मना । साक्षात् । ब्रह्म । बुद्ध्वा । सु-निश्चलम् । देह-जाति-आदि-सम्बन्धान् । वर्ण-आश्रम-समन्वितान् ॥

IAST Transliteration

ātmānam ātmanā sākṣād brahma buddhvā suniścalam | dehajātyādisambandhān varṇāśramasamanvitān ||

Translation

ਆਤਮਾ ਨੂੰ ਆਤਮਾ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਤੱਖ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਰੂਪ—ਅਤਿ ਅਡੋਲ ਨਿਸ਼ਚਯ ਨਾਲ—ਜਾਣ ਕੇ, ਦੇਹ ਤੇ ਜਨਮ ਆਦਿ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਠੇ ਸੰਬੰਧਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਵਰਣ-ਆਸ਼੍ਰਮ ਨਾਲ ਬਣੇ ਬੰਧਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ (ਤਿਆਗ ਦੇਣਾ)।

Academic Translation

Having directly known the Self by the Self as Brahman—utterly unwavering—(one should abandon) the connections beginning with body and birth, together with those constituted by varṇa and āśrama—

Verse Context

• Atman = Brahman; de-identification from upādhis (body, jāti, varṇāśrama)
• Mahavakya: Strongly aligned with ‘aham brahmāsmi’ and ‘ayam ātmā brahma’ in meaning (identity of Self and Brahman), though not phrased as a canonical Mahāvākya.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka-style)