Shloka 35
Vīrya, Māyā/Prakṛti, Śrī’s Inseparability, Paramāṇu, and Hari’s Infinitude
जीवः सदा स्वल्पकर्तास्ति पूर्णः संसाररूपे दुः खरूपे च नित्यम् / विरुद्धयोश्चानयोरैक्यमाहुरीशस्य मायावशतो मायिनश्च
jīvaḥ sadā svalpakartāsti pūrṇaḥ saṃsārarūpe duḥ kharūpe ca nityam / viruddhayoścānayoraikyamāhurīśasya māyāvaśato māyinaśca
个我（jīva）恒为有限的行作者，然就真实而言亦是圆满。它不断显现为轮回之相，亦如苦本身之相。虽二者相违，贤圣仍宣说其为一——因为执幻者之个我，受主宰之摩耶（māyā）所摄。
Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Jīva is a limited doer in vyavahāra yet ‘complete’ in deeper truth; the unity of opposites is explained through the Lord’s māyā governing the māyī-jīva.
Vedantic Theme: Two-level ontology (vyavahāra/paramārtha); māyā as upādhi producing saṃsāra and duḥkha; dependence of jīva on Īśvara.
Application: Practice self-inquiry: distinguish the witnessing self from the limited agent; reduce identification with suffering by recognizing māyā’s superimposition and cultivating devotion/knowledge under Īśvara.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.3.34 (Īśvara’s nirduḥkhatva and pūrṇa-śakti); Garuda Purana 3.3.37 (bheda-jñāna as cause of censure and bondage)
FAQs
It explains that the jīva’s experience of worldly bondage and suffering arises because it falls under the Lord’s māyā, leading to mistaken identification and limited agency.
It frames the soul’s journey through saṃsāra as a product of misidentification: the jīva, though complete in essence, functions as a limited doer and thus repeatedly encounters duḥkha within embodied existence.
Reduce ego-based doerhood and cultivate discernment (viveka): treat suffering and worldly identity as conditioned appearances, and live with spiritual practice aimed at freedom from compulsive attachment.