उत्तम: पुरुषस्त्वन्य: परमात्मेत्युदाहृत: |
यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वर: || 17||
uttamaḥ puruṣhas tv anyaḥ paramātmety udāhṛitaḥ
yo loka-trayam āviśhya bibharty avyaya īśhvaraḥ
uttamaḥ—the Supreme; puruṣhaḥ—Divine Personality; tu—but; anyaḥ—besides; parama-ātmā—the Supreme Soul; iti—thus; udāhṛitaḥ—is said; yaḥ—who; loka trayam—the three worlds; āviśhya—enters; bibharti—supports; avyayaḥ—indestructible; īśhvaraḥ—the controller
Translation:
But there is another Being, the Highest, called the Supreme Self, who, as the Immutable, pervades and sustains the three worlds.
Commentary:
Different from the perishable bodies, and the Jiva, migrating from body to body, is the Supreme Purusha. He is distinct from the Jiva, who is only a reflected being of Paramatma. Is not the Supreme Purusha higher than the perishing bodies, and the Jiva bound by delusion to the vehicles of the body, senses and mind? The Supreme Purusha is ever free (nityamuktah), whereas the Jiva attains Mukti by knowledge of the Supreme Purusha. The Jiva is associated with the three Gunas, but Paramatma is free from the Gunas; He is Gunatita. Therefore He is known as the Supreme Purusha or Purushottama.
Some people live in the state of the body (have dehasthiti), and some in the state of the Jiva (have Jivasthiti). He who lives in Atma alone is the Supreme Purusha. This is the goal to be attained by all with determined effort. The thoughtful man should not waste his life in the bound conditions of the Jiva. He should find his freedom and perfection. He should go beyond the body-state, the Jiva-state and realise the Atmic state (i.e) the state of the Supreme Purusha. That is the end and aim of life. Nothing else can fulfill the true purpose of life.
Anyah: He is distinct from the body and mind. He is the witness (sakshi). The Jiva should realise that He is not affected by the modifications of the body and mind, and that he is the changeless imperishable Atma. This determined thought of his own purity, immutability, and immoratality is to be cultivated, strengthened and confirmed till he comes to rest in Atma, apart from everything else.
When one understands the nature and power of Paramatma his faith in Him would become firm and unshakable. Two attributes are mentioned here (1) He is the supporter, the controller, and the Lord of the three worlds. (2) He is indestructible. Having permeated the world, He is controlling all the forces in the universe. When all the bodies (upadhis) and the Jiva cease to exist, He shines alone eternally. The Jiva ceases to exist when he realises his true nature.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
“As long as God keeps us in His relative world, so long we feel that there are two. If one accepts Sakti, one accepts Brahman as well. If one is aware of night, one is also aware of day. If one is aware of knowledge, one is also aware of ignorance.
“But there is another state in which God reveals to His devotee that Brahman is beyond both knowledge and ignorance. It cannot be described in words. What exists, exists.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
“The jiva at first remains in a state of ignorance. He is not conscious of God, but of the multiplicity. He sees many things around him. On attaining Knowledge he becomes conscious that God dwells in all beings. Suppose a man has a thorn in the sole of his foot. He gets another thorn and takes out the first one. In other words, he removes the thorn of ajnana, ignorance, by means of the thorn of jnana, knowledge. But on attaining vijnana, he discards both thorns, knowledge and ignorance. Then he talks intimately with God day and night. It is no mere vision of God.
“He who has merely heard of milk is ‘ignorant’. He who has seen milk has ‘knowledge’. But he who has drunk milk and been strengthened by it has attained vijnana.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
From the thirteenth chapter onwards we have been talking about the One in the many. There is only that One. The third verse of the thirteenth chapter said, ‘Know Me to be that one Kṣetrajña in all the kṣetras.’ The Knower is one, the known are many. The different bodies makes it appear as if the knower also is many. But, no; in all kṣetras, there is only one Kṣetrajña, but it is conditioned by that particular kṣetra. When we investigate it, we find that there are no separate kṣetrajñas. There is only one infinite Seer, infinite Knower, and that is Brahman. That is the language of the Upaniṣads. Here, in the Gītā, it is said that He is avyaya, He is īśvara. All these things of the world are vyaya, perishable; the whole world is vyaya. We are all drawing energy and dissipating it. Ultimately, we won’t have any energy at all. That is the nature of the manifestation as these individual entities. But the source from which they come is avyaya being absolutely infinite, ever full. That is the Vedantic language.
Upon attaining enlightenment, the Buddha resolved to impart his wisdom to humanity. During his travels, he encountered a young shepherd boy who, upon beholding him, inquired: “What are you?” Throughout history, while numerous individuals have been asked, “Who are you,” very few have been posed the question, “What are you.” The Buddha’s countenance, bearing, and luminous presence were of such extraordinary quality that this that this simple question burst forth from the boy.
“Are you a God?” the boy asked. “No,” replied the Buddha. “Are you an angel?” Again, the Buddha said no. “Are you a human being?” Once more, the Buddha denied it. “What are you then?” he asked. The Buddha responded, “I am awake,”—which is the meaning of ‘Buddha’—implying that the rest of us are either sleeping, dreaming, or sleepwalking. This encounter reveals the essence of Buddha’s message: there exists a higher life into which we can awaken.
Question: Is Paramatma distinct from Kshara and Akshara Purushas?
Answer: Yes. He is. He is the Supreme Purusha.
Question: What is His nature?
Answer: (1) Having entered the three worlds, He sustains them. He is the Ruler of the Universe. (2) He is indestructible.
Question: What then is man’s duty?
Answer: Transcending the Kshara and Akshara states, man should attain the plane of Purushottama.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 15 
(20 Verses)
