Shloka 4
परमार्थ-निर्णयः—श्रेयस्-भेदः, कर्म-ध्यान-सीमा, एकात्मदर्शनम्
नाहं वहामि शिबिकां शिबिका न मयि स्थिता शरीरम् अन्यद् अस्मत्तो येनेयं शिबिका धृता
nāhaṃ vahāmi śibikāṃ śibikā na mayi sthitā śarīram anyad asmatto yeneyaṃ śibikā dhṛtā
ਮੈਂ ਪਾਲਕੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਢੋੰਦਾ; ਨਾਂ ਹੀ ਪਾਲਕੀ ਮੇਰੇ ਉੱਤੇ ਟਿਕੀ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਦੇਹ ਆਤਮਾ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਖਰੀ ਹੈ—ਇਸੇ ਦੇਹ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਇਹ ਪਾਲਕੀ ਧਾਰੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ।
Jada Bharata (as the palanquin-bearer), instructing King Rahugana
FAQs
It dramatizes self-knowledge: the true Self is not the physical doer or bearer; actions occur through the body, exposing the king’s pride and restoring humility grounded in dharma.
The speaker states that the palanquin is carried by the body, while the ‘I’ (Atman) is distinct from the body and therefore not the carrier—an explicit Self/body separation used as instruction.
By directing attention beyond bodily identity toward the enduring Self upheld by the Supreme Reality, the verse supports the Purana’s Vaishnava vision: true sovereignty and order arise from knowledge rooted in the ultimate ground, Vishnu.