Shloka 28
Jñāna-hetu-nirūpaṇa
On the Causes/Means of Knowledge
नतो ऽहं सर्वदास्मिञ्शरीरे ऽहंममेत्यभिमानेन शून्यः / अत्तो ऽप्यहं त्वशरीरी सदैव तथैव नित्यं बहिरर्थैश्च शून्यः
nato 'haṃ sarvadāsmiñśarīre 'haṃmametyabhimānena śūnyaḥ / atto 'pyahaṃ tvaśarīrī sadaiva tathaiva nityaṃ bahirarthaiśca śūnyaḥ
Con hằng cúi mình trong thân này, nhưng rỗng không đối với ý niệm ngã chấp “ta” và “của ta”. Dẫu bị thời gian và biến dịch “nuốt” đi, con vẫn luôn vô thân; và cũng vậy, muôn đời rỗng không đối với các cảnh vật bên ngoài.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Aham-mama-abhimana-shunyata (freedom from ‘I’ and ‘mine’), and the self as ashariri (bodiless) untouched by change.
Vedantic Theme: Atman as akarta/abhokta and asanga; neti-neti toward nirvishaya awareness; body-mind as upadhi.
Application: Daily contemplation: observe ‘I/mine’ thoughts, label them as upadhi-based, and rest in witness-consciousness especially amid aging, loss, and change.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Brahma-khanda/Acara-khanda) teachings on vairagya and atma-viveka (general thematic parallel)
FAQs
This verse frames liberation as freedom from abhimāna—identifying with the body and possessiveness—so the Self is known as untouched by change.
It points to the soul (Atman) as aśarīrī—bodiless—implying that death and transformation affect the body, not the essential Self, which should not cling to external objects.
Reduce possessiveness and ego-driven reactions by remembering that the body and objects are transient; act ethically with detachment and steadiness in loss, gain, and change.