Svayaṁ-Jyotiḥ

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A beautiful verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavadam, Kapila Mahaṛṣi to his father Kardama Prajāpati on the Supreme. (SB 3.24.39) माम् आत्मानम् स्वयांज्योतिः सर्वभूतगुहाशयम् आत्मन्येवातमना वीक्ष्य विशोको अभयम् ऋच्छसि mām ātmānaṁ svayaṁ-jyotiḥ sarva-bhūta-guhāśayam ātmany evātmanā vīkṣya viśoko 'bhayam ṛcchasi Synonyms:- mām — Me; ātmānam — the Supreme Soul, or Paramātmā; svayam-jyotiḥ — self-effulgent; sarva-bhūta — of all beings; guhā — in the hearts; āśayam — dwelling; ātmani — in your own heart; eva — indeed; ātmanā — through your intellect; vīkṣya — always seeing, always thinking; viśokaḥ — free from lamentation; abhayam — fearlessness; ṛcchasi — you will achieve. —SB 3.24.39 Kardama Prajāpati attained the Supreme State by realising the presence of the Supreme in All Beings and Non Beings. The state attained by Kardama Prajāpati is highlighted beautifuly in the following verses, वासुदेवे भगवति सर्वज्ञे प्रतयगात्मनि परेण भक्तिभावेन लब्धात्मा मुक्तबन्धनः vāsudeve bhagavati sarva-jñe pratyag-ātmani pareṇa bhakti-bhāvena labdhātmā mukta-bandhanaḥ Synonyms:- vāsudeve — to Vāsudeva; bhagavati — the Personality of Godhead; sarva-jñe — omniscient; pratyak-ātmani — the Supersoul within everyone; pareṇa — transcendental; bhakti-bhāvena — by devotional service; labdha-ātmā — being situated in himself; mukta-bandhanaḥ — liberated from material bondage. —SB 3.24.45 आत्मानम् सर्वभूतेषु भगवनतम् अवसथितम् अपशयत् सार्वभूतानि भगवत्यपि च आत्मनि ātmānaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu bhagavantam avasthitam apaśyat sarva-bhūtāni bhagavaty api cātmani Synonyms:- ātmānam — the Supersoul; sarva-bhūteṣu — in all living beings; bhagavantam — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avasthitam — situated; apaśyat — he saw; sarva-bhūtāni — all living beings; bhagavati — in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; api — moreover; ca — and; ātmani — on the Supersoul. —SB 3.24.46 इच्चाद्वेषविहीनेन सर्वत्र समचेतसा भगवत्भक्तियुक्तेन प्राप्ता भगवति गतिः icchā-dveṣa-vihīnena sarvatra sama-cetasā bhagavad-bhakti-yuktena prāptā bhāgavatī gatiḥ Synonyms:- icchā — desire; dveṣa — and hatred; vihīnena — freed from; sarvatra — everywhere; sama — equal; cetasā — with the mind; bhagavat — unto the Personality of Godhead; bhakti-yuktena — by discharging devotional service; prāptā — was attained; bhāgavatī gatiḥ — the destination of the devotee (going back home, back to Godhead). —SB 3.24.47 In Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 13, verses 27 and 28 Śrī Kṛṣṇa highlights the same principles. समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम् । विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति ॥ — २७ samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram . vinaśyatsv avinaśyantaṁ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati .. — 27 S. Radhakrishnan:- He who sees the Supreme Lord abiding equally all beings, never perishing when they perish, he, verily, sees. He who sees the Universal Spirit in all things, sees and becomes himself universal. समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम् । न हिनस्त्यात्मनात्मान्ं ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥ — २८ samaṁ paśyan hi sarvatra samavasthitam īśvaram . na hinasty ātmanā ātmānṁ tato yāti parāṁ gatim .. — 28 S. Radhakrishnan:- For, as he sees the Lord present, equally everywhere, he does not injure his true Self by the self and then he attains to the supreme goal. In the same chapter 13, verse 4, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says this universal principle has been repeatedly highlighted by Ṛṣis in various hymns and also brahmasūtra. ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं चन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् । ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः ॥ ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ candobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak . brahma–sūtra–padaiś ca eva hetu–madbhir viniścitaiḥ .. S. Radhakrishnan:- This has been sung by sages in many ways and distinctly, in various hymns and also in well-reasoned and conclusive expressions of the aphorisms of the Absolute (brahmasūtra). The Gītā suggests that it is expounding the truths already contained in the Vedas, the Upaniṣads and the Brahma Sūtra or the aphorisms of Brahman, later systematized by Bādarāyaṇa. The Vedic hymns are called chandas or rhythmical utterances.