Ātma Sūkta – The Self of the Self

May 28, 2025

The Ātma Sūkta: Realizing the Self of All

The Ātma Sūkta, a luminous yet lesser-known gem in the spiritual treasury of Hindu philosophy, appears within the Śrī Vaikhānasa Mantra Praśna (5.120.1–12). Comprising nine verses in the Triṣṭubh metre, this powerful hymn forms a crucial part of the Vaikhānasa ritual tradition, particularly during the invocation of Viṣṇu in his cosmic (sakala) form. Its primary spiritual function is to help the aspirant transcend limited egoic boundaries and awaken to the all-encompassing presence of the Ātman—the Self that dwells in all beings.

In practice, this hymn is recited during the invocation of Viṣṇu’s sakala rūpa—his all-encompassing form. But here's the beautiful twist: while you invoke the cosmic Viṣṇu, you're also invoking yourself—the true Self that underlies all selves.

आत्म सूक्त

आत्मात्मा परमान्तरात्मा मह्यन्तरात्मा यश्चातिरात्मा सतनोऽन्तरात्मा व्यावेष्टि।
विश्वं सकलं बिभर्ति यो व्यक्तपुण्यस् स-तुनः प्रधानः॥5.1.120.1॥
ātmātmā paramāntarātmā mahyantarātmā yaś cātirātmā satano’ntarātmā vyāveṣṭi
viśvaṃ sakalaṃ bibharti yo vyakta-puṇyas sa-tunaḥ pradhānaḥ

The Self of the self, the supreme inner Self, the innermost Self of me, the transcendent Self—He pervades the innermost being of the body.
He sustains the entire manifest universe. He is the visible merit (puṇya) and the essential principle (pradhāna) of all.

This opening verse describes multiple layers of the Self—moving inward from the individual to the universal. It portrays the divine not as distant, but as the inmost essence and sustaining power of all existence.

प्राणः प्रणीतिस्स उदान आदिर् वरदो वराहो व्यानश्च मे स्यात्।
तपसाञ्च मूर्तिः कपिलो मुनीन्द्रो यश्चापानो हयशीर्षो नः॥5.1.120.2॥
prāṇaḥ praṇītis sa udāna ādir vara-do varāho vyānaś ca me syāt
tapasāñ ca mūrtiḥ kapilo munīndro yaś cāpāno hayaśīrṣo naḥ

He is Prāṇa (life-breath), guiding energy, Udāna (upward breath), the primal one, bestower of boons, the Boar incarnation (Varāha), and Vyāna (diffused breath).
He is the embodiment of tapas (austerity), the sage Kapila, and the Apāna (downward breath), and Hayagrīva (horse-headed deity) for us.

The verse equates vital energies and divine forms with the Self, emphasizing that all functions of life and forms of divine wisdom are manifestations of the same inner presence.

यत्सर्वम् अश्नात्यजरस्समग्रं श्रियं ऊर्जयुक्तां स तु मे समानः।5.1.120.3।
yat sarvam aśnāty ajaras samagraṃ śriyam ūrja-yuktāṃ sa tu me samānaḥ

That which consumes all, yet remains undecaying and whole—full of energy and splendor—may that Self be my Samāna (balancing breath).

Here the Self is identified with Samāna, the digestive and harmonizing force. Though it absorbs all, it remains untouched—just as the true Self remains unchanged amid the play of energies.

बलम् आसुरं यत् सततं निहन्ता ब्रह्मा बुद्धिर्मे गोप ईश्वरः।5.1.120.4।
balam āsuraṃ yat satataṃ nihantā brahmā buddhir me gopa īśvaraḥ

He who constantly destroys the demonic force (āsuraṃ balam), is Brahmā, my intelligence (buddhi), the protector (gopa), and the Supreme Lord (īśvaraḥ).

This verse personifies the Self as the inner intelligence and guardian, the force that overcomes inner negativity (āsuric tendencies).

सविता च वीर्यं इन्दुश् च धातुरसभूतभूता भूतास्सभूताः।5.1.120.5।
savitā ca vīryaṃ induś ca dhātu-rasa-bhūta-bhūtā bhūtās sa-bhūtāḥ

He is the vitality of Savitṛ (the Sun), the moonlight of Indu (the Moon), the essence in bodily elements (dhātu-rasa), the root of all beings (bhūta), and the beings themselves, both manifest and unmanifest.

The Self is both cause and effect, both essence and expression, weaving cosmic principles like the Sun and Moon with our physical constitution.

द्यौर् मे अस्तु मूर्धोदरनाभो वा भूमिर् यथाङ्घ्रिर् ववृधेऽहम् ईशः।5.1.120.6।
dyaur me astu mūrdhodara-nābho vā bhūmir yathāṅghrir vavṛdhe’ham īśaḥ

Let the sky be my head, the navel my middle, and the Earth my feet—thus I grew as the Lord.

This cosmic body imagery merges microcosm and macrocosm—the devotee identifies themselves with the Universal Being, realizing “I am the Lord.”

अस्थीनि मे स्युरथ पर्वताख्या भुजगाश्च केशा दिवि ये चरन्तः।5.1.120.7।
asthīni me syur atha parvatākhyā bhujagāś ca keśā divi ye carantaḥ

May my bones be mountains, and the serpents who roam the skies be my hair.

The divine embodiment continues—mountains are bones, celestial beings (like serpents) the hair. The self is identified with the entire cosmos.

द्वौ नेत्ररूपौ वथु पृष्णि मुख्यौ रुधिरं च सारं सकलं च तोयम्।5.1.120.8।
dvau netra-rūpau vithu pṛṣṇi mukhyau rudhiraṃ ca sāraṃ sakalaṃ ca toyam

Let the two celestial bodies (Sun and Moon) be my eyes, and all waters—blood and essence—be my vital fluids.

Even the Sun and Moon are organs of this cosmic Self. The elements within and beyond are not separate.

स्नायवो मे आसन्ना द्यौर् भृगुर् मे हृदयं अस्तु।
सर्वे अन्ये मुनयोऽङ्गभूताः वेदा मे आस्यं जिह्वा मे सरस्वती॥5.1.120.9॥
snāyavo me āsannā dyaur bhṛgur me hṛdayam astu
sarve anye munayo’ṅga-bhūtā vedā me āsyaṃ jihvā me sarasvatī

Let my nerves be firm, the sky be my being; let Bhṛgu be my heart. All sages are my limbs, the Vedas my mouth, and Sarasvatī my tongue.

All elements of divine wisdom and its teachers are envisioned as parts of one’s body. The spiritual seeker becomes the spiritual cosmos.

दन्ता मरुत उपजिह्वा उपश्रुतिः।5.1.120.10।
dantā maruta upajihvā upaśrutiḥ

Let my teeth be the Maruts (storm deities), my lower tongue be subtle hearing.

Even the senses and faculties are deified—conscious participation in every function of the body.

वृषणौ मित्रावरुणावुपस्थः प्रजापतिर् आन्त्राः मे वेदाश् श्रुतिस्मृतिः मेधाधारणे॥5.1.120.11॥
vṛṣaṇau mitrā-varuṇāv upasthaḥ prajā-patir āntrāḥ me vedāś śruti-smṛtī medādhāraṇe

Let Mitra and Varuṇa be my generative organs; let Prajāpati be my intestines. Let the Vedas, Śruti, and Smṛti be my organs of retention and memory.

This connects procreation, digestion, and memory—all sacred functions—as governed by divine forces. No part of life is profane.

स्वेदं मे वर्षं मूत्रकोशं समुद्रं पुरीषं काञ्चनम्।5.1.120.12।
svedaṃ me varṣaṃ mūtra-kośaṃ samudraṃ purīṣaṃ kāñcanam

Let my sweat be the rain, the bladder the ocean, and excrement gold.

Even the body’s excretions are honored. This is a radical sacralization of embodiment—everything is divine, nothing shameful.

सावित्री गायत्री मर्यादा वेदि-हृत्पुण्डरीके विमले प्रविष्टः सकलः स-लक्ष्मीः स-विभूतिकाङ्गो यत् सर्वं पुण्यं मय्यधिष्ठानम् अस्तु।5.1.120.13।
sāvitrī gāyatrī maryādā vedi-hṛt-puṇḍarīke vimale praviṣṭaḥ sakalaḥ sa-lakṣmīḥ sa-vibhūtikāṅgo yat sarvaṃ puṇyaṃ mayy adhiṣṭhānam astu

May Sāvitrī, Gāyatrī, all sacred boundaries, and the whole auspiciousness with Lakṣmī and all powers that have entered the pure heart-lotus at the altar reside in me as their foundation.

This is the culmination—the sūkta declares that all sacred forces reside in the heart-lotus of the practitioner. The body is now a cosmic temple.

सर्वेषां देवानाम् आत्मकः सर्वेषां मुनीनां आत्मकः तपोमूर्तिर् इह पुण्यमूर्तिर् आसन्।5.1.120.14।
sarveṣāṃ devānām ātmakas sarveṣāṃ munīnām ātmakas tapo-mūrtir iha puṇya-mūrtir āsan

I am the Self of all gods, the Self of all sages, the embodiment of tapas and virtue in this very form.

A direct assertion of unity—not egoic, but transcendent. The seeker recognizes the Self in all.

सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः।5.1.120.15।
sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ

The Puruṣa has a thousand heads.

From the Puruṣa Sūkta, this final verse echoes the vision of the cosmic person, a being who is vast, all-pervading, and composed of all that exists.

💫 Why This Matters (And Not Just for Scholars)

This hymn isn’t merely for chanting during temple rituals. It’s a map back to wholeness.

We live fragmented lives—caught in roles, reactions, and illusions. The Ātma Sūkta gently but powerfully reminds us:

You’re not the role you play at work.
You’re not your traumas, your triumphs, or your to-do list.
You are the Self of the Self—beyond body, beyond mind.

In Vedānta, this realization is called ātma-jñāna—Self-knowledge. It’s liberation, not after death, but here and now. It’s freedom that comes when you know: “I am not this limited identity. I am That which shines in all.”

🌿 A Living Practice

So how do we live this wisdom?

Here’s what I do—and maybe it’ll serve you too:

Contemplate the verses. Don’t just chant them—feel them. Let each word ring through your being.
See the Self in others. Even in conflict. Even in difference. Especially then.
Return inward. Again and again. The mind wanders. It’s okay. Bring it back gently to that sacred presence within.

🙏 Reflection

When you chant the Ātma Sūkta, you’re not praising something outside yourself. You’re awakening what’s always been true—that you are the eternal, formless essence appearing as this very life.

Remember, the Self isn’t far. It’s not a mystery to be solved. It’s your own luminous being, patiently waiting to be recognized.

So next time you whisper, “ātmātmā paramāntarātmā” feel it.

Because you’re not becoming divine.

You are divine.

With love and presence, your fellow seeker in Self.

Reference: http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/4_rellit/vaisn/vaimp__u.htm

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