Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 1936
Adhyāya 240: Indriya–Manas–Buddhi–Ātman — The Inner Hierarchy and Restraint (इन्द्रिय-मनस्-बुद्धि-आत्म-क्रमः)
वैद्युतो अग्निरिवाकाशे दृश्यते55त्मा तथा55त्मनि । वह योगी अपने अन्तःकरणमें धूमरहित प्रज्वलित अग्नि, दीप्तिमान् सूर्य तथा आकाशमें चमकती हुई बिजलीकी ज्योतिके समान प्रकाशस्वरूप आत्माका दर्शन करता है
vaidyuto 'gnir ivākāśe dṛśyate ātmā tathātmani |
Sinabi ni Vyāsa: Kung paanong ang kidlat o apoy ay nakikitang kumikislap sa maluwang na langit, gayon din ang Sarili (Self) ay namamasdan sa loob ng Sarili. Sa pagninilay-yoga, nakikita ng yogin ang panloob na Sarili bilang dalisay na liwanag—gaya ng apoy na nagliliyab na walang usok, gaya ng maningning na araw, at gaya ng kidlat na kumikislap sa langit—palatandaan ng isip na luminaw at tumatag dahil sa disiplina.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Self is luminous and can be directly realized through yoga: when the mind is purified and concentrated, awareness turns inward and the yogin experiences the Ātman as self-revealing light—independent of external objects—symbolized by fire, sunlike brilliance, and lightning.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Vyāsa describes the contemplative experience of a yogin. The verse uses vivid natural images (fire/lightning in the sky) to convey how the inner Self becomes perceptible in deep meditation.