Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya 423

Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya

Chapter-13 Prakṛti-Puruṣa-vivek Yogaḥ

jyotiṣām api tajjyotis tamasaḥ param-ucyate | jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ jñāna-gamyaṃ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam || 18 || 18. The Light of all lights is this [Self], said to be beyond Tamas (darkness). It is consciousness, It is the knowable, It is to be attained by wisdom, It is present in the hearts of all. Commentary ‘It is consciousness’ alone in the form of the radiance of the ātman which reveals all sources of light such as the sun, lamp etc. But a lamp and other such sources of light, merely dispel the darkness that intervenes between the eye and its object. This ātman is said to be beyond Tamas (darkness). — The term Tamas here denotes Material Nature (Prakrti) in its subtle state. The meaning is that the Self transcends Prakrti, and is the perceiver or knower of Prakrti.