आत्मा ज्ञानमय: शुद्धो व्यतिरिक्तोऽगुणान्वय: । सुषुप्तिस्वप्नजाग्रद्भिर्मायावृत्तिभिरीयते ॥ ३१ ॥
ātmā jñāna-mayaḥ śuddho vyatirikto ’guṇānvayaḥ suṣupti-svapna-jāgradbhir māyā-vṛttibhir īyate
- ātmā
- the soul
- jñāna-mayaḥ
- comprising transcendental knowledge
- śuddhaḥ
- pure
- vyatiriktaḥ
- separate
- aguṇa-anvayaḥ
- uninvolved in the reactions of the material modes
- suṣupti
- in deep sleep
- svapna
- ordinary sleep
- jāgradbhiḥ
- and waking consciousness
- māyā
- of the material energy
- vṛttibhiḥ
- by the functions
- īyate
- is perceived
Being composed of pure consciousness, or knowledge, the soul is distinct from everything material and is uninvolved in the entanglements of the modes of nature. We can perceive the soul through the three functions of material nature known as wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep.