Upanishads · Varāha 4.8
॥
Devanāgarī
भूमिकापञ्चकाभ्यासात्स्वात्मारामतया भृशम् । आभ्यन्तराणां बाह्यानां पदार्थानामभावनात्
Transliteration (IAST)
bhūmikāpañcakābhyāsātsvātmārāmatayā bhṛśam | ābhyantarāṇāṃ bāhyānāṃ padārthānāmabhāvanāt
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
भूमिका-पञ्चक-अभ्यासात्bhūmikā-pañcaka-abhyāsātby practice on the five stages
स्व-आत्म-आरामतया भृशम्sva-ātma-ārāmatayā bhṛśamdelighting greatly in his own self
आभ्यन्तराणां बाह्यानांābhyantarāṇāṃ bāhyānāṃof internal and external
पदार्थानाम् अ-भावनात्padārthānām a-bhāvanātobjects, from the non-perception
Translation
"By practice on the five stages, delighting greatly in his own self, from the non-perception of objects — internal and external…"
Version
cca330d4f334 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Worth noting is the phrase sva-atma-aramata, "delighting in one's own self," for it is a famous phrase. Atma-arama means "having a garden within oneself," from arama, "garden, grove, delight." The image is good: such a person has a garden within, and hence does not go out to walk.
This word stands in one of the most-discussed verses of the Bhagavatam — atmaramash cha munayo nirgrantha apy urukrame kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim ittham-bhuta-guno harih (1.7.10). Its translation is: "and those who delight in themselves, the silent sages, free of bonds — even they render causeless devotional service to the Wide-Strider; such are the qualities of Hari." This verse deserves examination, for it is the chief Vaishnava answer to exactly this stage.
It is said: even the atmarama, that is, one who has attained the very state described here, does not remain in it. The reason is named: ittham-bhuta-guno harih, "such are the qualities of Hari" — that is, His qualities are such that they attract even one who needs nothing further. That is, the argument is built not on the state's insufficiency, but on the attractiveness of the object: one does not leave the garden because it is bad there, but because something better has turned out to be outside.
This verse is examined at length in its literature and is famous for Chaitanya having interpreted it sixty-one ways; but its main sense is the one stated here.