Chapter XIII · Śloka 33
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते ।
सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ॥
सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ॥
yathā sarva-gataṃ saukṣmyād ākāśaṃ nopalipyate |
sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate ||
sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate ||
Just as all-pervading space is not tainted because of its subtlety, so the Ātman, though present everywhere in the body, is not tainted.
The ākāśa analogy makes the Ātman's purity vivid: space fills a garbage heap and a temple equally yet remains untouched by either. The Self pervades the entire body-mind complex yet is as immaculate as sky — contact with matter does not contaminate consciousness.