ātmā jñāna-mayaḥ śuddho
vyatirikto 'guṇānvayaḥ
suṣupti-svapna-jāgradbhir
māyā-vṛttibhir īyate
atma -- the soul; jnana-mayah -- comprising transcendental knowledge; suddhah -- pure; vyatiriktah -- separate; aguna-anvayah -- uninvolved in the reactions of the material modes; sushupti -- in deep sleep; svapna -- ordinary sleep; jagradbhih -- and waking consciousness; maya -- of the material energy; vrittibhih -- by the functions; iyate -- 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.
It is clearly stated here that the soul, atma, is constituted of pure knowledge, pure consciousness, and is thus ontologically distinct from the material nature. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti points out that the word atma may also be taken to mean "the Supreme Soul, Lord Krishna." Since the Lord has just explained in the previous verses that all material phenomena are expansions of Himself, the phrase maya-vrittibhir iyate indicates that by studying this world deeply we will come to the perception of God. From this point of view also, the gopis were advised not to lament.
