The Self is visible only to the eye of knowledge.
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् ।
विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः ॥ १० ॥
utkrāmantaṃ sthitaṃ vāpi bhuñjānaṃ vā guṇānvitam .
vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñānacakṣuṣaḥ .. 10 ..
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Him who thus dwells in the body, who leaves the body once acquired, who stays in the body, who perceives sound and other objects, who is always in association with gunas, i.e., whom all dispositions of mind—such as pleasure, pain delusion—invariably accompany, the deluded do not recognise. They do not see Him, though in this way He comes quite within the range of their vision, because they are deluded in various ways, their minds being forcibly attracted by the enjoyment of objects seen and unseen.* Ah! such is human perversity.—Thus does the Lord regret.—But those whose wisdom-eye † has been opened by an authoritative source of knowledge, i.e., who possess the power of discrimination, do recognise Him.
Though Atman is nearest and therefore most easily perceivable, still, all do not see Him, because of their complete subservience to sense-objects.—A.
The wisdom-eye here spoken of refers to the scriptures (sastra) aided by reflection and reason (nyayanugrihita), which form a means to knowledge.—A.