Shloka 40
Nārada’s Darśana of Viśvarūpa Nārāyaṇa and the Caturmūrti Doctrine (नारदस्य नारायणदर्शनं चतुर्मूर्तिविचारश्च)
तम: परिगतं वेश्म यथा दीपेन दृश्यते । तथा बुद्धिप्रदीपेन शक््य आत्मा निरीक्षितुम्
tamaḥ parigataṁ veśma yathā dīpena dṛśyate | tathā buddhi-pradīpena śakya ātmā nirīkṣitum ||
Janaka ensina que, assim como uma casa coberta de escuridão se torna visível pela luz de uma lâmpada, do mesmo modo o Si—velado pela escuridão da ignorância—pode ser discernido diretamente pela lâmpada do intelecto purificado.
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Self is not grasped by external means; it is revealed when ignorance (tamas) is dispelled by the illuminating power of purified intellect (buddhi) functioning as a lamp—i.e., discriminative knowledge leading to direct insight.
King Janaka is speaking in a didactic context within Śānti Parva, using a simple analogy (lamp and dark house) to explain how inner illumination through buddhi enables realization of the Ātman obscured by ignorance.