आत्मबोध

स्वयमन्तर्बहिर्व्याप्य भासयन्नखिलं जगत्।
ब्रह्म प्रकाशते वह्निप्रतप्तायसपिण्डवत्।।६२।।

आदि शंकराचार्य का आत्मबोध ग्रन्थ अद्वैत वेदान्त की अनुपम व्याख्या है। इसमें आत्मा और ब्रह्म की परम सत्ता को सरल, किन्तु गहन उपमानों के माध्यम से स्पष्ट किया गया है। प्रस्तुत श्लोक में ब्रह्म के सर्वव्यापक, सर्वप्रकाशक और स्वप्रकाश स्वरूप का बोध कराया गया है।

ब्रह्म स्वयं अन्तर और बहिरंग दोनों में व्यापक होकर सम्पूर्ण जगत् को प्रकाशित करते हैं। जैसे – अग्नि के स्पर्श से लौहपिण्ड (लोहा) तप्त होकर स्वयं प्रकाशमान हो उठता है, वैसे ही ब्रह्म के कारण सम्पूर्ण सृष्टि प्रकाशित और चेतनाभास से युक्त प्रतीत होती है।

अद्वैत वेदान्त के अनुसार ब्रह्म न भीतर सीमित है, न बाहर बँधा है; वह तो सर्वत्र व्याप्त चेतना है। “ईशावास्यमिदं सर्वं” (ईशोपनिषद्) यही उद्घोष करता है। ब्रह्म स्वयं किसी अन्य से प्रकाशित नहीं होता। वह स्वयंज्योति है। जैसे – सूर्य स्वयंप्रकाश है और अन्य को आलोकित करता है, ठीक वैसे ही आत्मा स्वयंप्रकाश होकर सबको चेतना प्रदान करता है।
वस्तुतः जगत् जड़ है। किन्तु जब वह ब्रह्म की उपस्थिति से स्पर्शित होता है, तो लौहपिण्ड की भाँति चेतनाभास से युक्त होकर सक्रिय और जीवन्त प्रतीत होता है।
जीव का अनुभव इसी चेतनाभास पर आधारित है। जब साधक यह जान लेता है कि उसकी चेतना व्यक्तिगत नहीं, बल्कि ब्रह्म से उद्भूत है, तब उसके भीतर अद्वैत का सत्य प्रकट होता है।

बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् कहती है – “तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं, तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति” उसी के प्रकाश से सब प्रकाशित है।
इसी प्रकार, कठोपनिषद् में कहा गया – “न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं, तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं”। अर्थात् वहाँ सूर्य-चन्द्रमा नहीं चमकते, केवल ब्रह्म का प्रकाश ही सबको प्रकाशित करता है।

यह श्लोक साधक को स्मरण कराता है कि जगत् की प्रत्येक चेतना और प्राणवत्ता का मूल ब्रह्म है। जो साधक अपने भीतर और बाहर समान रूप से व्याप्त इस प्रकाश को देख लेता है, वह द्वैत से परे जाकर अद्वैत का अनुभव करता है।

आदि शंकराचार्य के इस उपमान में अद्वैत का सार समाहित है; जगत् की सारी दीप्ति ब्रह्म से ही है। जैसे अग्नि से तप्त लोहे में अग्नि की शक्ति प्रकट होती है, वैसे ही ब्रह्म की चेतना से यह जगत् प्रकट होता है। सत्य यह है कि प्रकाश, चेतना और अस्तित्व का एकमात्र स्रोत ब्रह्म ही है। उसे जान लेना ही मोक्ष की कुँजी है।

Adi Śhaṅkarācārya’s Ātmabodha is a luminous exposition of Advaita Vedānta, unveiling the truth of the Self through vivid metaphors. This verse highlights Brahman as all-pervading, self-luminous, and the very source of the universe’s apparent radiance.

Brahman pervades both within and without, illuminating the entire cosmos. Just as iron, when heated by fire, glows with light and heat, so too the world appears alive and luminous because of the presence of Brahman. Brahman is not confined within or limited outside. It is the infinite Consciousness that pervades all. The Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad affirms: “Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam” all this is pervaded by the Divine.

Brahman is self-revealing. It does not require another light to be known. Like the sun that shines by itself, the Self shines as pure awareness, illuminating everything else.
The world, by itself inert, appears conscious only because it is infused with Brahman’s presence just as iron glows only when touched by fire.
Individual consciousness (jīva) is not separate from Brahman; it is merely a reflection. Realizing this truth dissolves the illusion of duality and reveals oneness.

The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad declares: “When That shines, everything shines after It; by Its light all this is illumined.”
Similarly, the Kaṭha Upaniṣad says: “There the sun does not shine, nor the moon nor the stars; all shine after That alone.”

For the spiritual aspirant, this verse is a call to turn within. To see Brahman as the universal Light pervading all existence is to transcend illusion and dwell in the freedom of Advaita.

Adi Śhaṅkara’s metaphor is profound: the world is like iron heated by fire glowing, vibrant, and radiant only because of Brahman. The eternal truth is that all light, all life, and all awareness spring from Brahman, the Self-luminous Reality. To know That is to attain liberation.

He himself pervades and illuminates the whole world. Brahman shines like a pile of iron burnt by fire.

Adi Shankaracharya’s book on self-realization is a unique interpretation of Advaita Vedanta. In this, the supreme power of soul and Brahma has been explained through simple but deep analogies. In the presented verse, the omnipresent, all-illuminating and self-illuminating nature of Brahma has been explained.

Brahma himself becomes omnipresent both internally and externally and illuminates the entire world. Just as an iron body gets heated by the touch of fire and becomes luminous on its own, in the same way, due to Brahma, the entire creation appears illuminated and full of consciousness.

According to Advaita Vedanta, Brahman is neither limited within nor bound outside; That is the omnipresent consciousness. This is what “Ishaavasyamidam Sarvam” (Ishopanishad) proclaims. Brahma himself is not revealed by anyone else. That is self-light. Just as the sun is self-illuminating and illuminates others, similarly the soul is self-illuminating and provides consciousness to everyone. In fact the world is inanimate. But when it is touched by the presence of Brahma, it appears active and alive, imbued with consciousness like an iron ingot. The experience of the living being is based on this consciousness. When the seeker realizes that his consciousness is not personal but originates from Brahma, then the truth of Advaita is revealed within him.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: “Tameva bhantam anubhati sarvam, tasya bhasa sarvamidam vibhati” all the lights are illuminated by the light. Similarly, it was said in the Kathopanishad: “There is no sun shines, no moon and stars, that is the same as the brightness of everything”. That is, there the sun-moon does not light, only the light of Brahman illuminates everyone.

This verse reminds the seeker that the origin of every consciousness and vital force in the world is Brahma. The seeker who sees this light equally spread within and outside himself, goes beyond duality and experiences non-duality.

This simile of Adi Shankaracharya contains the essence of Advaita; All the brightness of the world is from Brahma only. Just as the power of fire is manifested in an iron heated by fire, similarly this world is manifested through the consciousness of Brahma. The truth is that Brahma is the only source of light, consciousness and existence. Knowing him is the key to salvation.

Brahman is self-revealing. It does not require another light to be known. Like the sun that shines by itself, the Self shines as pure awareness, illuminating everything else. The world, by itself inert, appears conscious only because it is infused with Brahman’s presence just as iron glows only when touched by fire. Individual consciousness (jīva) is not separate from Brahman; it is merely a reflection. Realizing this truth dissolves the illusion of duality and reveals oneness.

The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad declares: “When That shines, everything shines after It; by Its light all this is illumined.” Similarly, the Kaṭha Upaniṣad says: “There the sun does not shine, nor the moon nor the stars; all shine after That alone.”

For the spiritual aspirant, this verse is a call to turn within. To see Brahman as the universal Light pervading all existence is to transcend illusion and dwell in the freedom of Advaita.