Shloka 21

Adhyāya 249 — Mṛtyu-prādurbhāvaḥ (The Manifestation of Death) / Restraint of Tejas and Ordered Saṃhāra

Devanagari script

आत्मज्ञानमिदं गुहां सर्वगुह्मृतमं महत्‌ । अब्र॒ुवं यदहं तात आत्मसाक्षिकमञ्जसा

Transliteration

ātmajñānam idaṁ guhāṁ sarvaguhyṛtamaṁ mahat | abruvaṁ yad ahaṁ tāta ātmasākṣikam añjasā ||

Translation

ఈ ఆత్మజ్ఞానోపదేశం ఒక గూఢ రహస్యం—అన్ని రహస్యాలలోనూ అత్యంత మహత్తరమైనది, అత్యంత గోప్యమైనది. ప్రియమైనవాడా, నేను నీకు చెప్పింది ఆత్మసాక్షితో నిర్ధారితమైనది; సులభంగా సాక్షాత్కరించదగినది.

Word by Word

आत्मज्ञानम्knowledge of the Self

इदम्this

गुह्यम्secret

सर्वगुह्यतमम्the most secret of all

महत्great

अब्रुवम्I said / I spoke

यत्which (that which)

अहम्I

तातdear one / son (vocative)

आत्मसाक्षिकम्having the Self as witness / self-attested

अञ्जसाdirectly, plainly, truly

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

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 emphasizes that Self-knowledge (ātmajñāna) is the highest and most guarded secret, and that its truth is confirmed by direct inner experience—the Self as witness (ātma-sākṣin)—rather than by mere hearsay or external proof.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa, speaking as a spiritual authority, concludes or underscores his instruction by stressing the exceptional profundity of what he has taught and assuring the listener—addressed affectionately as “tāta”—that it is directly verifiable through inner realization.