Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 8

Ātmā’s Unborn Nature and Fearlessness at Death

Parīkṣit’s Final Instruction

Devanagari script

न तत्रात्मा स्वयंज्योतिर्यो व्यक्ताव्यक्तयो: पर: । आकाश इव चाधारो ध्रुवोऽनन्तोपमस्तत: ॥ ८ ॥

Transliteration

na tatrātmā svayaṁ-jyotir yo vyaktāvyaktayoḥ paraḥ ākāśa iva cādhāro dhruvo ’nantopamas tataḥ

Translation

อาตมันนั้นสว่างด้วยตนเอง อยู่เหนือกายหยาบที่เห็นและกายละเอียดที่ไม่เห็น เป็นฐานอันมั่นคงของสภาพกายที่แปรเปลี่ยน ดุจอากาศธาตุที่เป็นฉากหลังอันไม่แปรผัน ดังนั้นอาตมันจึงไร้ที่สุดและหาสิ่งวัตถุใดเทียบมิได้

Synonyms

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• ātmā: the Self
• ātmā: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• svayam-jyotiḥ: self-luminous (light by itself)
• svayam-jyotiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/predicative nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayam (अव्यय) + jyotis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः—स्वयम् एव ज्योतिः (self itself is light)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः (relative pronoun)

• vyakta-avyaktayoḥ: of the manifest and unmanifest
• vyakta-avyaktayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyakta (प्रातिपदिक) + avyakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासः; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन (Dual) — ‘of the manifest and the unmanifest’

• paraḥ: beyond, transcendent
• paraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of yaḥ/ātmā)

• ākāśaḥ: space
• ākāśaḥ: Upamana (उपमान/standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• iva: like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction: and)

• ādhāraḥ: support, substratum
• ādhāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/predicative nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• dhruvaḥ: fixed, steady
• dhruvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (of ādhāraḥ/ātmā)

• ananta-upamaḥ: having the likeness of the infinite / incomparable
• ananta-upamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ananta (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी/सम्बन्धः): अनन्तस्य उपमः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of dhruvaḥ/ādhāraḥ)

• tataḥ: therefore / from that
• tataḥ: Hetu (हेतु/reason marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-प्रभव-अव्यय (ablative adverb: from that/thereafter; here: therefore/thereupon)

Characters & Entities

• Śukadeva Gosvāmī
• Mahārāja Parīkṣit

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the self-luminous Atma?

This verse says the Atma is svayaṁ-jyoti (self-effulgent) and transcends both the manifest world and the unmanifest state; it is not a material object but the underlying reality.

Why did Shukadeva Gosvami describe the Self as being like space (ākāśa)?

To show that the Supreme Self supports everything without being limited by what it supports—just as space pervades and accommodates all forms yet remains untouched by them.

How can this teaching be applied in modern life for spiritual growth?

Practice seeing the body, mind, and changing circumstances as “manifest,” while grounding identity in the steady witnessing Self; this supports detachment, devotion, and clarity in daily decisions.