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Chapter 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Person

Bg 15.17
TEXT 17
uttamah purusas tv anyah
paramatmety udahrtah
yo loka-trayam avisya
bibharty avyaya isvarah
SYNONYMS
uttamah—the best; purusah—personality; tu—but; anyah—another; param—the Supreme; atma—Self; iti—thus; udahrtah—said; yah—one who; loka—of the universe; trayam—the three divisions; avisya—entering; bibharti—maintaining; avyayah—inexhaustible; isvarah—the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Lord Himself, who has entered into these worlds and is maintaining them.
PURPORT
This verse is very nicely expressed in the Katha Upanisad and Svetasvatara Upanisad. 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 Paramatma. The Upanisadic verse runs as follows: nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. 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 Paramatma. A wise man who can understand Him is eligible to attain the perfect peace, not others.
It is incorrect to think of the Supreme Lord and the living entities as being on the same level or equal in all respects. There is always the question of superiority and inferiority in their personalities. This particular word uttama is very significant. No one can surpass the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Loke is also significant because in the Paurusa, a Vedic literature, it is stated: lokyate vedartho 'nena. This Supreme Lord in His localized aspect as Paramatma explains the purpose of the Vedas. The following verse also appears in the Vedas:
tavad esa samprasado 'smac
charirat samutthaya param
jyoti-rupam sampadya svena
rupenabhinispadyate sa uttamah purusah
"The Supersoul coming out of the body enters the impersonal brahmajyoti; then in His form He remains in His spiritual identity. That Supreme is called the Supreme Personality." This means that the Supreme Personality is exhibiting and diffusing His spiritual effulgence, which is the ultimate illumination. That Supreme Personality also has a localized aspect as Paramatma. By incarnating Himself as the son of Satyavati and Parasara, He explains the Vedic knowledge as Vyasadeva.

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Copyright (c) 1972 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada