Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्जिह्वाघ्राणविवर्जितम् / अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः प्राणापानविवर्जितम्

Transliteration

ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirjihvāghrāṇavivarjitam / ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotiḥ prāṇāpānavivarjitam

Translation

अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः जिह्वाघ्राणविवर्जितम्। अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः प्राणापानविवर्जितम्॥

Word by Word

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

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

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

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

• जिह्वाघ्राणविवर्जितम्: devoid of tongue and nose
• जिह्वाघ्राणविवर्जितम्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक) + घ्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (वर्ज् धातु, क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: समास: जिह्वा+घ्राण (द्वन्द्व) → जिह्वाघ्राण; ततः तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थक विशेषण: (जिह्वाघ्राणेन) विवर्जितम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

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

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

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

• प्राणापानविवर्जितम्: devoid of prāṇa and apāna (vital airs)
• प्राणापानविवर्जितम्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + अपान (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (वर्ज् धातु, क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: समास: प्राण+अपान (द्वन्द्व) → प्राणापान; ततः तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थक विशेषण: (प्राणापानेन) विवर्जितम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra in an instructive context)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Brahman is beyond tongue/smell (sensory apparatus) and beyond prana-apana (vital functions); the Self is not the life-breath.

Vedantic Theme: Prana as anatman; sakshi-chaitanya (witness consciousness) independent of physiological processes; liberation not contingent on breath.

Application: In pranayama or breath awareness, distinguish the observer from breath; use the mantra-like assertion to prevent fear when breath changes (illness, aging, dying).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.226.26-29 (culminating negations leading to prana-transcendence)

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Prāṇa
• Apāna

FAQs

What is the importance of identifying Brahman as 'supreme light' in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames liberation as realizing the Self as Brahman—pure consciousness—described as the highest light that is not dependent on bodily senses or physiological life-functions.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey after death described in the Garuda Purana?

By stating that the highest reality is beyond prāṇa-apāna and sensory organs, it contrasts the perishable subtle-body processes involved in post-death travel with the liberated state that transcends them.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use the teaching as a contemplation in meditation: detach identity from sensory cravings and breath-based agitation, and cultivate steadiness by reflecting, 'I am not merely the body; I am the light of awareness.'