Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, Verse 17

Chapter 15 – Purushottama Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युधाहृतः ।
यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ॥

Transliteration

uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmetyudhāhṛtaḥ .
yo lokatrayamāviśya bibhartyavyaya īśvaraḥ ॥

Meaning

But distinct from these is the Supreme Person, called the Paramatman, the imperishable Lord who enters the three worlds and sustains them.

Word meanings

उत्तमः – highest, supreme
पुरुषः – Person, Purusha
तु – but
अन्यः – other, distinct (from kshara and akshara)
परमात्मा – the Supreme Self
इति – thus, by this name
उदाहृतः – is declared
यः – who
लोकत्रयम् – the three worlds
आविश्य – having entered, pervading
बिभर्ति – supports, sustains
अव्ययः – imperishable, undiminishing
ईश्वरः – the Lord, the ruler

Anvaya (word order)

उत्तमः पुरुषः तु अन्यः, (यः) परमात्मा इति उदाहृतः, यः अव्ययः ईश्वरः लोकत्रयम् आविश्य बिभर्ति ।

Explanation

After kshara and akshara Krishna names a third: uttamah purushas tv anyah. The small word tu, ‘but’, marks a sharp turn. This Supreme Person is not one more member of the series; He is anya, wholly other. Scripture calls Him Paramatman, the Self even of selves. He is avyaya, undiminished though He bears the three worlds, and Ishvara, the Lord and controller of all.

For Shankara the Uttama Purusha is pure consciousness, eternal, awake and free, untouched by the limiting adjuncts of both kshara, the world of effects, and akshara, maya as cause. Entering the three worlds, earth, the middle region and heaven, by the power of His own consciousness, He sustains them by His mere being. In Advaita this is also the true nature of the individual once the adjuncts are set aside.

For Ramanuja the Uttama Purusha is Narayana, distinct from and superior to both the bound selves (kshara) and the liberated selves (akshara). He takes lokatraya as the three realities, non-conscious matter, bound souls and freed souls, all of which the Lord enters as inner controller and supports as a self supports its body. For Madhva the Supreme Person is Vishnu, higher than the souls with perishable bodies and higher even than the ever-free Lakshmi, who herself depends on Him always. The three acharyas thus agree on the supremacy of the Uttama Purusha, even while they identify kshara and akshara differently.

The Mundaka Upanishad’s image of two birds comes to mind: one eats the fruit, the other watches without eating. The Katha Upanishad calls the Supreme the eternal among the eternals, the conscious among the conscious. For the devotee the verse is an assurance that the ground of the world is no blind force but a conscious, imperishable and gracious Lord.

Context

In verse 16 Krishna described the perishable and the imperishable Purushas. Here He introduces the Supreme Person, the Paramatman, distinct from both. In the next verse He declares that He Himself is this Supreme Person and is therefore called Purushottama.

Life lesson

Amid the instability of the world, it is a source of strength to know that one imperishable consciousness upholds everything. Trusting that Presence, we can remain unafraid and calm as circumstances change.

Key terms

Uttama Purusha: the Supreme Person beyond kshara and akshara
Paramatman: the Supreme Self, Self of all selves
Avyaya: imperishable, never diminished
Lokatraya: the three worlds; for Ramanuja, matter, bound souls and freed souls