Shloka 26

Mahāyoga: Detachment from ‘I/Mine’, Aṣṭāṅga Practice, Oṁkāra and Aham-Brahmāsmi Contemplation

Devanagari script

अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः स्थूलदेहविवर्जितम् / अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्जरामरणवर्जितम्

Transliteration

ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotiḥ sthūladehavivarjitam / ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirjarāmaraṇavarjitam

Translation

Eu sou Brahman — a Luz suprema — livre do corpo grosseiro. Eu sou Brahman — a Luz suprema — livre da velhice e da morte.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), उत्तमपुरुषार्थक; एकवचन (Singular), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.); लिङ्ग-अनियत (Gender-neutral)

• ब्रह्म: Brahman, the Absolute
• ब्रह्म: Samānādhikaraṇa / Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (Adjective); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• ज्योतिः: light, radiance
• ज्योतिः: Samānādhikaraṇa / Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्थूलदेहविवर्जितम्: devoid of the gross body
• स्थूलदेहविवर्जितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थूल (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (वर्ज् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्राय (स्थूलः देहः = स्थूलदेहः; तेन विवर्जितम्); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया; लिङ्ग-अनियत

• ब्रह्म: Brahman
• ब्रह्म: Samānādhikaraṇa / Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• ज्योतिः: light
• ज्योतिः: Samānādhikaraṇa / Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जरामरणवर्जितम्: free from old age and death
• जरामरणवर्जितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा (प्रातिपदिक) + मरण (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (वर्ज् धातु, क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: समास: जरा+मरण (द्वन्द्व) → जरामरण; ततः तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थक/बहुव्रीहि-प्राय विशेषण: (जरामरणेन) वर्जितम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Aham-brahmasmi: the Self is Brahman, pure Light, untouched by gross embodiment and mortality.

Vedantic Theme: Nirguna Brahman; deha-adhyasa-nivritti (removal of body-superimposition); amritatva (deathlessness).

Application: Contemplate ‘I am Brahman, the supreme Light’ while negating body-identification (neti-neti); use as nididhyasana during meditation and at the time of death to steady awareness.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.226.27-30 (continuation of Brahma-jnana negations)

Characters & Entities

• Brahman

FAQs

What is the importance of identifying oneself as Brahman in the Garuda Purana?

This verse teaches a liberating contemplation: realizing the Self as Brahman, the supreme Light, which is untouched by the gross body and therefore not subject to decay or death.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By distinguishing the Self from the physical body and affirming its deathless nature, the verse points to moksha as freedom from the cycle driven by bodily identification—an inner shift that transcends fear of death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Practice steady self-inquiry and remembrance—“I am not merely the body; I am the inner light”—to reduce attachment, act more ethically, and face change, aging, and mortality with clarity.