SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
yathA sarvagatham saukshmyAdh AkASam nOpalipyathE |
sarvathrAvasthithO dhEhE thathAthmA nOpalipyathE ||
word-by-word meaning
AkASam – ether
sarvagatham – while prevailing with everything
saukshmyAth – being subtle
yathA na upalipyathE – not affected by the properties of those entities
thathA – similarly
AthmA – jIvAthmA
sarvathra dhEhE avasthitha: – while being present in different bodies such as dhEva (celestial), manushya (human), thiryak (animal) and sthAvara (plant)
saukshmyAth – being subtle
na upalipyathE – does not become affected by the properties of the bodies
Simple Translation
Just as ether which prevails with everything yet does not get affected by the properties of the entities it pervades due to being subtle, jIvAthmA[s] too being subtle while being present in different bodies such as dhEva (celestial), manushya (human), thiryak (animal) and sthAvara (plant) does not get affected by the properties of those bodies.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘As, being subtle, the all-pervading ākāśa (space) is soiled not, so is ātma tainted not, though everywhere present in body.’
Ākāśa or space prevails everywhere, and is in contact with all objects; and yet by reason of its subtle nature, the properties of those objects never stain it. So is ātma very subtle, and though it do dwell everywhere in the bodies of deva, man etc., the peculiar properties (or natures) that pertain to such bodies do not sully it.
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