Shloka 20

Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā

Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties

Devanagari script

तृतीयं ज्योतिरित्याहुश्नक्षुरध्यात्ममुच्यते

Transliteration

tṛtīyaṃ jyotir ity āhuḥ nakṣur adhyātmam ucyate

Translation

వాయుదేవుడు పలికెను— ‘మూడవ జ్యోతి’ అని వారు చెప్పుదురు; అదే నేత్రమునకు సంబంధించిన అధ్యాత్మము—బాహ్య ఇంద్రియాలకు అతీతమైన ఆత్మను దర్శింపజేయు అంతర్దృష్టి.

Word by Word

तृतीयम्the third (one)

ज्योतिःlight; luminary

इतिthus; as

आहुःthey say; they call

नक्षुर्Naksur (a name/term)

अध्यात्मम्the inner self; the spiritual (principle)

उच्यतेis said; is called

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse points to a higher kind of illumination beyond ordinary sensory light: an inward, spiritual ‘light’ identified with adhyātma—self-knowledge or inner realization—through which one discerns the Self and right understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking in a didactic context, defining a doctrinal term: he explains that what some call the ‘third light’ is actually the inner spiritual faculty (adhyātma), shifting attention from external perception to inward realization.