Shloka
अतीव सूक्ष्मं परमात्मतत्त्वं
न स्थूलदृष्ट्या प्रतिपत्तुमर्हति ।
समाधिनात्यन्तसुसूक्ष्मवृत्त्या
ज्ञातव्यमार्यैरतिशुद्धबुद्धिभिः ॥ ३६१ ॥
atīva sūkṣmaṃ paramātmatattvaṃ
na sthūladṛṣṭyā pratipattumarhati ;
samādhinātyantasusūkṣmavṛttyā
jñātavyamāryairatiśuddhabuddhibhiḥ . 361 .
Anvaya
- परम–आत्म–तत्त्वंparama–ātma–tattvaṃ
- The reality of Supreme Atman
- अतीव सूक्ष्मंatīva sūkṣmaṃ
- is extremely subtle
- स्थूल–दृष्ट्याsthūla–dṛṣṭyā
- by gross (materialistic) vision
- न प्रतिपत्तुम् अर्हतिna pratipattum arhati
- cannot be realised
- समाधिनाsamādhinā
- By proper concentration of mind
- अत्यन्त–ससूक्ष्म–वृत्त्याatyanta–sasūkṣma–vṛttyā
- by extremely subtle analysis
- ज्ञातव्यम्jñātavyam
- it has to be known
- आर्यैःāryaiḥ
- by those who follow the path of scriptures
- अति–शुद्ध–बुद्धिभिःati–śuddha–buddhibhiḥ
- by those with pure minds
Translation
The reality of Supreme Atman is extremely subtle and thus cannot be realised by gross (materialistic) thinking. It has to be known by those with pure minds, who are on the path of scriptures. It is known by proper concentration of mind and by extremely subtle analysis.
Annotation
1) ‘Subtle’ – because Atman is beyond the three guṇa–s and is distinct from the five sheaths. 2) ‘Gross vision’ – is trying to know Atman like any other sense object. 3) ‘Extremely subtle’ – refers to the mental mode which perceives the universe as a manifestation in the homogeneous Brahman consciousness (Jagadguru). The word ārya means a respectable person. It is not a term used to denote race. It is derived from the root ‘ऋ गतौ’, which means that ārya is a person who deserves to be approached, emulated or followed.