Bhagavatgita adetailed study chapter 15 The Supreme Purusha

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16.dhvaavimou

purushou loke ksharaScha akshara eva cha

 

ksharaH sarvaaNi bhoothaani kootasTho

aksjara uchyathe

 

There are two entities in this world, kshara and

akshara, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings belong to kshara and the akshara is

known as kootasTha.

 

The whole universe can be divided into the self and

the non-self. The self is imperishable and eternal and immutable. It is referred

to as kootasTha, as it is like the anvil in the shop of an ironsmith on which

all instruments are fashioned after being treated with fire but the anvil does

not undergo any change. Similarly all the changes due to body, mind and

intellect are only to the non-self while the self remains unchanged. The

non-self is kshara, perishable in the sense that the changes are temporary. The

akshara purusha is the individual self who gets identified with the body, mind

and intellect and undergoes changes and transmigrates through the cycle of

llife and death. Kshara is what has been described as the kshethra in

chapter13. Akshara is the kshethrajna, the immutable self.

 

17.utthamaH

purushaH thu anyaH paramaathmaa ithi

udhaahrthaH

 

yo lokathraym aaviSya bibharthi avyaya eeSvaraH

 

There is a Supreme Purusha other than these known as

the Parmaatahmaa, the immutable, who is pervading the three worlds and supports

them

 

The Supreme Self, Purushotthama is higher than these

two and known as the Supreme Soul, Paramathama and the inner self of all, both sentient and

insentient. He is transcendent as well as immanent and He pervades the three

worlds, meaning not only the manifest worlds but also the whole universe and

above. Like the aakaaSa in which everything exists and which exists in

everything and hence which supports everything, the Purushotthama supports the

whole universe by being inside and outside. He is the overlord by whose power

everything operates and exists, while He is immutable.

 

 

18.

yasmaath ksharapratheetho aham aksharaadhapi cha

utthamaH

 

atho asmin loke vedhe cha praThithaH purushotthamaH

 

As I transcend the perishable and also higher than

the imperishable I am known a sthe Purushotthama in this world as well as in

the Vedas.

 

Since the

Lord is all pervading He transcends the perishable non-self and also He is

higher than the imperishable individual self because He is the inner self of

the individual self.

 

The term Purushotthama is found in the Vedas as well

as in the other works in the world. This implies that the word Purushottama

refers only to the Lord.

 

19.yo

maam evam asammooDaH jaanaathi purushotthamam

 

Sa sarvavidh bhajathi maam sarvabhaavena

bhaaratha

 

The wise one who knows Me as the Purushotthama, is the knower of all and worships Me in all

ways.

 

The knowledge of the Supreme Being is not the mere

learning about Him but to experience the truth of the Supreme Being through jnana

, karma and bhakthi. The one who could do that is the man of perfection,

sThathaprjna, mentioned in the second chapter and such a man worships the Lord

in all ways, in whatever he does and wherever he is , as Sankara says in his

work Bajagovinda.

 

Yogaratho

vaabhogaratho vaa

sangaratho

vaa sangaviheenaH

Yasya

brahmaNi ramathe chittham

nandhati

nandhathi nahdhathyeva

 

Whether he is seen practicing yoga or seemingly indulgent

in bhoga , whether he is in company or alone, his

inner bliss remains unalloyed. He is always happy because his mind is

revels ever in Brahman.

 

20.

ithi guhyathamam Sasthram idham uktham mayaa anagha

ethath budDhvaa buddhimaan syaath

krthkrthyaScha

bhaaratha

 

This most secret knowledge is told by Me to you who

is sinless. Oh the descendent of Bharatha, knowing this one becomes wise and

all his work is accomplished.

 

The knowledge and experience of the real nature of

the Self and the Lord who is the inner self , is the most secret in the sense

that it is the highest knowledge which could be understood only by a few who

have transcended the gunas and have become a sThithaprajna. The guhyathvam

consists in the difficulty of comprehension. There is nothing more to be

accomplished by him.

 

 

The

end of 15th chapter.