na ca dehāt vṛttiḥ haḥ śarīra-stho na ca utthitaḥ | numān me anusṛjyaśva dehī nadī ās tri-bhujaḥ

dehāt (from the body) na ca (not) vṛttiḥ (relation) haḥ (I) śarīra-stho (located in the body) na ca (not) utthitaḥ (emanated) | me (my) numān (like) anusṛjyaśva (imagine) dehī (O embodied one) nadī (the river) ās (was) tri-bhujaḥ (three-armed)

Advaita Vedānta (Ādi Śaṅkarācārya): In this verse, the speaker's declaration 'I am not in the body, nor have I risen' underscores the non-dualistic perspective that the ultimate reality, Brahman, is beyond all physical and temporal constraints. As Shankara notes in his commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā, the jīva (individual self) is not separate from Brahman but is, in fact, Brahman itself. This verse points to the brahman-ātman identity, emphasizing that the true Self is not bounded by the limitations of the body or the cycle of birth and death. By saying 'cast me, O three-armed one, into the river like a corpse,' the speaker illustrates the detachment from the physical body, echoing the Upanishadic notion of the body as a mere vessel for the Self. This detachment is key to realizing the ultimate non-dual reality, where distinctions between the self and the divine disappear.

Vaiṣṇava tradition (Rāmānujācārya / Madhvācārya): The Vaiṣṇava interpretation of this verse focuses on the relationship between the jīva (individual self) and Īśvara (the Lord). Rāmānujācārya, in his commentary, sees this verse as an expression of the jīva's total dependence on Īśvara. The jīva, acknowledging its helpless state, seeks to be guided by the Lord, symbolized by the 'three-armed one.' The act of being 'cast into the river like a corpse' symbolizes the complete surrender of the jīva to the will of Īśvara, recognizing that true existence and action come from the divine. Madhvācārya might interpret this as a call for devotion and self-surrender, where the individual recognizes their limitations and seeks refuge in the Lord, illustrating the fundamental devotional posture of the Vaiṣṇava tradition.

Neo-Vedānta (Swami Vivekānanda / S. Rādhākrishnan): This verse, when seen through the lens of Neo-Vedānta, offers a profound message of liberation and universal applicability. Swami Vivekānanda, in his lectures, often emphasized the need to transcend the limitations of the body and the individual ego to realize the universal Self. The statement 'I am not in the body, nor have I risen' can be seen as a call to look beyond the material and temporal, towards the eternal and universal. The image of being 'cast into the river like a corpse' can symbolize the letting go of attachments and the achievement of a state where one is not bound by the fears and desires tied to the physical body. S. Radhakrishnan, in his philosophical works, also highlights the importance of realizing the distinction between the Self and the not-Self, or the body, to achieve spiritual freedom and a sense of unity with all existence, reflecting the contemporary relevance of Vedāntic thought.

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