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
uttamaù—the best; puruñaù—personality; tu—but; anyaù—another; param—the Supreme; ätmä—Self; iti—thus; udähåtaù—said; yaù—one who; loka—of the universe; trayam—the three divisions; äviçya—entering; bibharti—maintaining; avyayaù—inexhaustible; éçvaraù—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 Kaöha Upaniñad and Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad. 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 Paramätmä. The Upanisadic verse runs as follows: nityo nityänäà cetanaç cetanänäm. 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 Paramätmä. 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 Pauruña, a Vedic literature, it is stated: lokyate vedärtho 'nena. This Supreme Lord in His localized aspect as Paramätmä explains the purpose of the Vedas. The following verse also appears in the Vedas:
tävad eña samprasädo 'smäc
charérät samutthäya paraà
jyoti-rüpaà sampadya svena
rüpeëäbhiniñpadyate sa uttamaù puruñaù
"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 Paramätmä. By incarnating Himself as the son of Satyavaté and Paräçara, He explains the Vedic knowledge as Vyäsadeva.