FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 15.17

ఉత్తమ: పురుషస్త్వన్య: పరమాత్మేత్యుదాహృత: । యో లోకత్రయమావిశ్య బిభర్త్యవ్యయ ఈశ్వర: ॥ ౧౭ ॥
uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ
[uttamah purushas tv anyah]
paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ
[paramaatmety udaahritah]
yo loka-trayam āviśya
[yo loka-trayam aavishya]
bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ
[bibharty avyaya eeshvarah]
Word-for-word
uttamaḥ — the best puruṣaḥ — personality tu — but anyaḥ — another parama - ātmā — the Supreme Self iti — thus udāhṛtaḥ — is said yaḥ — who loka — of the universe trayam — the three divisions āviśya — entering bibharti — is maintaining avyayaḥ — inexhaustible īśvaraḥ — the Lord .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ
uttamaḥ
the best
puruṣaḥ
personality
tu
but
anyaḥ
another
paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ
parama - ātmā
the Supreme Self
iti
thus
udāhṛtaḥ
is said
yo loka-trayam āviśya
yaḥ
who
loka
of the universe
trayam
the three divisions
āviśya
entering
bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ
bibharti
is maintaining
avyayaḥ
inexhaustible
īśvaraḥ
the Lord .
Important Words
  • uttamaḥ — the best
    Paired with puruṣaḥ in the verse, the literal compound 'uttama-puruṣa' is the seed of the chapter's title-word Puruṣottama (15.18, 15.19). Kṛṣṇa is here, in the lower-key adjective form, beginning to unveil the name He will openly claim two verses later.
  • tu — but
    A small particle that does enormous work — 'but, however.' It marks the third category as decisively distinct from the previous two. Kṛṣṇa is not adding a member to the puruṣa-class; He is breaking the class open.
  • anyaḥ — another
    Different from both. Not a higher jīva, not a more refined kṣara. The verse is closing in advance every māyāvāda reading that would equate the Supreme with the liberated soul.
  • parama - ātmā — the Supreme Self
    Distinguished here from both individual ātman and Brahman. Paramātmā is named as an *anyaḥ puruṣaḥ* — *another* Person, the Lord's localized aspect within each heart. The doctrine of the three aspects (Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān) is condensed in this single line.
  • āviśya — entering
    The same verb as 15.13. Kṛṣṇa repeatedly enters — planets, hearts, the three worlds — without becoming any of them. The grammar of His immanence is consistent: ā-viś, never bhū.
  • avyayaḥ — inexhaustible
    Beyond even akṣara. Where the soul is 'non-falling,' the Lord is 'non-diminishing' — never reduced by any expenditure of energy, never depleted by any incarnation. The wealth is bottomless.
  • īśvaraḥ — the Lord
    From īś — to own, to rule. The verse closes with this word as the definitional title. The third puruṣa is not merely the largest; He is the owner. The first two categories — kṣara and akṣara — belong to Him.
Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Supreme Soul, the imperishable Lord Himself, who has entered the three worlds and is maintaining them.
Purport

The idea of this verse is very nicely expressed in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.2.13) and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.13). It is clearly stated there that above the innumerable living entities, some of whom are conditioned and some of whom are liberated, there is the Supreme Personality, who is Paramātmā. The Upaniṣadic verse runs as follows: nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. The purport is that amongst all the living entities, both conditioned and liberated, there is one supreme living personality, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who maintains them and gives them all the facility of enjoyment according to different work. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā. A wise man who can understand Him is eligible to attain perfect peace, not others.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
17. But the highest person is different from this. He is described as the Paramātmā, who having entered the three worlds, though being the controller and unchanging, supports it.
Commentary

Having just spoken about the impersonal Brahman, which the jṣānīs worship, the Lord now speaks about the Paramātmā which the yogīs worship. The word tu indicates a distinction from what was previously spoken. As the yogī is a different worshipper than the jṣānī, the object worshipped by him will also be different. The Lord shows the nature of Paramātmā. Paramātmā is He who, though having the nature of commanding (īśvara) and being unchanging (avyayaḥ), enters into the three worlds completely and supports and protects it (bibharti).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
17. The highest person is different from this. He is described as the paramātmā, who, having entered the three worlds, though being the controller and unchanging, supports them.
Commentary

The reason the two were delineated is now described in this verse. There is another (anyaḥ) person, who is different in conception from the two types mentioned. He is described according to the scriptures as paramātmā (iti udāhṛtaḥ). The quality which makes Him supreme (uttama) is then described. He enters the three worlds and supports everything. This position of supporting and protecting the universe cannot refer to the conditioned jīva because he cannot perform such actions. It cannot refer to the liberated jīva because he is devoid of interaction with the world.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Krsna explains here, directly and clearly, without the examples that He is the One, 'bibharty avyaya isvarah', He is the controller, He is the maintainer of this world, He is the Supersoul... When Krsna describes the 'aksara', the infallible, He said 'kuta‑stho 'ksara ucyate', the infallible ones, they are one with Krsna in desire. That is the quality that one needs to be in the spiritual world ‑ one has to be harmonious with Krsna in desire, which means that one has to be detached from the material world. Therefore Krsna in the beginning had said:'surrender to Supreme Personality of Godhead, give up your independent desire to be the enjoyer!' That is the state of infallibility ‑ one has to accept his position as the servant.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study Key verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Supersoul is discussed – Supreme Soul is the master of both living entities – He is the greatest living

personality

He enters the three worlds and is maintaining them
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
15.17 Tu, but; anyah, different, entirely contrary in characteristics from these; is the uttamah, supreme, most excellent; purusah, Person, who is different in characteristics from these-the mutable and the immutable-, untouched by the mutable and the immutable limiting adjuncts, and is by nature eternal, pure, conscious and free; udahrtah, spoken of in the Upanisads; iti, as; the paramatma, supreme Self; He is paramah, supreme, as compared with the selves like body etc. created by ignorance, and is the atma, Self, the inmost Consciousness of all beings. Hence He is the supreme Self. He Himself is being specially described: yah, who, by dint of His own active power inhering in the energy that is Maya; [Caitanya, consciousness, itself is the bala (energy); the sakti (active power) therein is Maya. Through that He upholds.] avisya, permeating; loka-trayam, the three worlds-called Bhuh (Earth), Bhuvah, (Intermediate Space) and Svah (Heaven); bibharti, upholds (them) by merely being present in His own nature. (And He) is the avyayah, imperishable; isvarah, God, the Omniscient One called Narayana, who is the Lord by nature. This name-the supreme Person-of God as described is well known. Showing that the name is apt by virtue of its etymological significance, the Lord reveals Himself saying, 'I am the unsurpassable God':
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
15.17 But there is the 'Supreme Person who is other than the bound and liberated selves' expressed by the terms, the 'perishable' and the 'imperishable'. He forms a completely different category. All Srutis call Him the Supreme Self. But by that very designation as the Supreme Self, it may be known that the Supreme Person is a category distinct from the bound and the liberated selves. How? 'Entering the threefold world,' supports it. 'Loka' (world) is that which is perceived. There are three such perceivable worlds, He enters the 'three worlds' which can be understood from the authority of the Srutis. These are the world of unconscient matter, the world of conscient selves conjoined with matter, and the world of liberated selves. As understandable from the Srutis, He enters into these three categories as their Atman and supports them. Thus, He is an entity different from the triad which He pervades and maintains. Further He is different, as He is imperishable and as He is the Lord. Being imperishable, He is different from the bound non-conscient matter whose nature is subject to decay. He is different from the bound conscient selves as the latter is subject to Prakrti and follows its laws. He is also distinguished from the liberated selves, because in their previous condition they were connected with matter and mixed with it. Similarly, He is the Lord of these 'three worlds,' a category distinct from those which have to be ruled.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
15.17 See Comment under 15.18
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
15.17 But distinct is the Supreme Purusha called the highest Self, the indestructible Lord Who, pervading the three worlds, sustains them.
Commentary

15.17 उत्तमः the Supreme? पुरुषः Purusha? तु but? अन्यः another? परमात्मा the highest? Self? इति thus? उदाहृतः called? यः who? लोकत्रयम् the three worlds? आविश्य pervading? बिभर्ति sustains? अव्ययः the indestructible? ईश्वरः Lord.Commentary Purushottama is beyond the universe though He pervades the three worlds. Therefore He is called the Supreme Being by the Vedas and men of this world. He pervades the three worlds and upholds them yet? He is not tainted by the world. He is above the world or worldliness.Just as the waking state is different from the dram or the deep sleep states? just as the orb of the sun is different from his rays or the mirage they casue? so also is the highest Purusha different from the perishable and the imperishable Purushas.The highest Purusha is the haven of peace. In Him all take their refuge and eternal rest. He is incomparable for He is selfcontained there is nothing like Him. He can only be compared to Himself. The imperishable Being (Akshara Brahman) Who is beyond the world and the Avyaktam (the Unmanifested) are essentially the same as the Purushottama Who transcends both the Kshara and the Akshara.The Purushottama is ite distinct from the two -- Kshara and Akshara. He is the Supreme Being. The physical body? the astral body and the causal body are also termed the Self. But these are secondary selves. Paramatma or the Supreme Self is the primary Self. Purushottama or Paramatma is the supreme or the highest when compared with the other secondary selves created by ignorance. He is the innermost consciousness of all beings. He is the support of everything. He is the Niyanta? the Inner Ruler. He is independent. Therefore He is known as the Supreme Self in the Vedanta.Anyah Another? ite distinct from the two.Lokatrayam The three worlds Bhuh (the earth)? Bhuvah (the midregion) and Svah (heaven) are the three worlds.Purushottama is further described as follows He is the imperishable and omniscient Lord Narayana Who permeates the three worlds by His vital energy and sustains them by His mere existence in them.Avyaya Imperishable? that which is free from the modifications such as birth? death? etc. Just as the king who rules his subjects and controls them is distinct from them? so also the Supreme Being Who is the ruler of the perishable and the imperishable is distinct from them. (Cf.VIII.20)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
15.17 But different is th supreme Person who is spoken of as the transcendental Self, who, permeating the three worlds, upholds (them), and is the imperisahble God.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
15.17 But higher than all am I, the Supreme God, the Absolute Self, the Eternal Lord, Who pervades the worlds and upholds them all.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 15.18 BG 8.22 BG 13.23 SB 1.3.1 SB 2.6.39 SB 10.87.19 CC Ādi 1.3 CC Madhya 20.153 CC Madhya 20.294 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.7Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.3.8
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Besides these two, there is the supreme person — the imperishable Lord — who, entering the three worlds, sustains them.
Practical Applications
  • Distinguish the Supreme Person from both fallible bodies and infallible souls.
  • Recognize a higher third category: the Lord.
  • Don't conflate self with the Lord, nor reduce the Lord to self.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I conflate self with Lord, or Lord with abstract principle?
  • What restores His distinct supremacy?
Analogy

A theater has audience and actors — two categories. Then someone points out the playwright, who is in neither row and on no stage, but who has entered every line of dialogue and is sustaining the entire performance. Kṣara and akṣara, fallible and infallible, are inside the play. The Supreme Person Kṛṣṇa names here is on a third and entirely different plane — the one who *wrote the play* and chose to walk through its rooms.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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