Bg 15.16
dvāv imau puruṣau loke kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca
kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭa-stho ’kṣara ucyate
Bg 15.17
uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ
yo loka-trayam āviśya bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ
Translation
16. Two 'PURUSHAS' are there in this world, the Perishable and the Imperishable. All beings are the Perishable and the 'KOOTASTHAH' is called the Imperishable.
17. But distinct is the Supreme PURUSHA called the Highest Self, the Indestructible Lord, who, pervading the three worlds (waking, dream and deep-sleep) , sustains them.
Commentary
Earlier, in Chapter XIII, we had an exhaustive discussion of the field-of-Matter and the Knower-of-the field. The discussion we had so far in this chapter must prove that the Sun, the warmth in the atmosphere, the earth, its potentialities, the plant-kingdom, and man and his capacities --- all of them together constituting the field-of-Matter, are nothing other than the Supreme Itself.
When the Infinite Consciousness becomes the light and heat of the Sun, the fertility of the earth, the essence in the plant, the Consciousness in the heart, the faculties of knowing and remembering, etc., they are all different forms of Consciousness alone. Thus, the fact that the field-of-Matter is nothing other than the Spirit Itself was already demonstrated. The only difference is that the Spirit, when It has assumed the form of Matter, looks as though It is subject to change and destruction. Thus the "realm of Matter" is indicated in this stanza as the Perishable (Kshara) Purusha.
In the relative field of experience, when we talk with reference to the inert and perishable world of Matter, the Spirit is indicated as the Conscious Principle, which is Imperishable. With reference to one's wife alone is one called a husband; when I have a son I will become a father. Similarly, with reference to the perishable and the changing Matter-envelopments, the Consciousness is indicated as the Imperishable and the Changeless. The body changes; from childhood to youth, from youth to old age; the mind changes in its quality of feelings and emotions; the intellect expressing differently with each added knowledge and experience is ever in a state of change. But one is constantly AWARE OF all these changes. This Consciousness which has been constantly recognising and illumining all changes, at all levels, all through the individual's life, is necessarily changeless. This Conscious Principle is called Akshara only with reference to and as a contrast with the Perishable, the (Kshara).
This Immutable and Imperishable principle of Life is the Self, common in all living creatures at all times. That this Self, in the midst of change remains changeless and that all changes can take place only in contact with it are both indicated by the metaphor suggested by the term used here, Kootashah.
DISTINCT FROM THESE TWO --- THE PERISHABLE AND THE IMPERISHABLE --- UNTAINTED BY THE IMPERFECTIONS OF THESE TWO RELATIVE CONDITIONS, IS THE HIGHEST SPIRIT:
But distinct from all these is the Highest Spirit spoken of as the Supreme Self. With reference to my own children alone am I really a father. With reference to my duty or status I may have yet another name. Similarly, the Imperishable is a status and a dignity gained by the Spirit only with reference to the field-of-the-perishables around and about It, through which It manifests as the various expressions of Life. When my children have died, or I am dismissed from my job, I am no more a father, nor can I any more claim my erstwhile official dignity. But that does not mean that I am, in the absence of children or work, an absolute zero, a total non-entity! No. I will exist as "the son of my father," or in my individual capacity, though devoid of all my special status and dignity born out of my relationship with my profession, or with my children.
When the perishable (Kshara) is transcended, what remains is not Imperishable (Akshara) but that which played as the 'Perishable-Purusha' as well as the 'Imperishable-Purusha.' This Pure Spirit (Purusha) is spoken of as the Supreme Self, who 'PERVADES AND SUSTAINS THE THREE WORLDS': "World" in Sanskrit means 'realm of experience.' The three realms of experiences in which we eke out our life's returns are the states of waking, dream, and deep-sleep. The same Self is the illuminator of the experiences in all the above three states-of-Consciousness.
There are not three different types of Purushas; according to the limitations and conditions around It, the Spirit, appears different in Its manifestations. A pot is in a room; now the 'pot-space' is a lesser part of the 'room-space,' and the room-space is only a negligible portion of the 'total-space.' At the same time 'pot-space' minus the pot, if understood as "space," is the same space as the infinite-space. Now, in the above example, pot-space and room-space are something other than the outer-space, in as much as, conditioned as they are, they have gathered unto themselves certain limitations, but the unconditioned 'pot-space' and the 'room-space' are nothing but the infinite-space; break the pot, pull down the walls, the space that was the 'pot-space' and the space that was the 'room-space' have both become one with the Infinite-space!
The Infinite Consciousness is Itself the perishable-field in another form, and as the Knower-of-the-Field, the same Consciousness is the Imperishable Reality in the perishable conditionings, But when these conditionings are transcended, the same Self is experienced as the Supreme Self --- Paramatman.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
dvāv imau puruṣau loke kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca
kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭa-stho ’kṣara ucyate
Bg 15.17
uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ
yo loka-trayam āviśya bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ
Translation
16. Two 'PURUSHAS' are there in this world, the Perishable and the Imperishable. All beings are the Perishable and the 'KOOTASTHAH' is called the Imperishable.
17. But distinct is the Supreme PURUSHA called the Highest Self, the Indestructible Lord, who, pervading the three worlds (waking, dream and deep-sleep) , sustains them.
Commentary
Earlier, in Chapter XIII, we had an exhaustive discussion of the field-of-Matter and the Knower-of-the field. The discussion we had so far in this chapter must prove that the Sun, the warmth in the atmosphere, the earth, its potentialities, the plant-kingdom, and man and his capacities --- all of them together constituting the field-of-Matter, are nothing other than the Supreme Itself.
When the Infinite Consciousness becomes the light and heat of the Sun, the fertility of the earth, the essence in the plant, the Consciousness in the heart, the faculties of knowing and remembering, etc., they are all different forms of Consciousness alone. Thus, the fact that the field-of-Matter is nothing other than the Spirit Itself was already demonstrated. The only difference is that the Spirit, when It has assumed the form of Matter, looks as though It is subject to change and destruction. Thus the "realm of Matter" is indicated in this stanza as the Perishable (Kshara) Purusha.
In the relative field of experience, when we talk with reference to the inert and perishable world of Matter, the Spirit is indicated as the Conscious Principle, which is Imperishable. With reference to one's wife alone is one called a husband; when I have a son I will become a father. Similarly, with reference to the perishable and the changing Matter-envelopments, the Consciousness is indicated as the Imperishable and the Changeless. The body changes; from childhood to youth, from youth to old age; the mind changes in its quality of feelings and emotions; the intellect expressing differently with each added knowledge and experience is ever in a state of change. But one is constantly AWARE OF all these changes. This Consciousness which has been constantly recognising and illumining all changes, at all levels, all through the individual's life, is necessarily changeless. This Conscious Principle is called Akshara only with reference to and as a contrast with the Perishable, the (Kshara).
This Immutable and Imperishable principle of Life is the Self, common in all living creatures at all times. That this Self, in the midst of change remains changeless and that all changes can take place only in contact with it are both indicated by the metaphor suggested by the term used here, Kootashah.
DISTINCT FROM THESE TWO --- THE PERISHABLE AND THE IMPERISHABLE --- UNTAINTED BY THE IMPERFECTIONS OF THESE TWO RELATIVE CONDITIONS, IS THE HIGHEST SPIRIT:
But distinct from all these is the Highest Spirit spoken of as the Supreme Self. With reference to my own children alone am I really a father. With reference to my duty or status I may have yet another name. Similarly, the Imperishable is a status and a dignity gained by the Spirit only with reference to the field-of-the-perishables around and about It, through which It manifests as the various expressions of Life. When my children have died, or I am dismissed from my job, I am no more a father, nor can I any more claim my erstwhile official dignity. But that does not mean that I am, in the absence of children or work, an absolute zero, a total non-entity! No. I will exist as "the son of my father," or in my individual capacity, though devoid of all my special status and dignity born out of my relationship with my profession, or with my children.
When the perishable (Kshara) is transcended, what remains is not Imperishable (Akshara) but that which played as the 'Perishable-Purusha' as well as the 'Imperishable-Purusha.' This Pure Spirit (Purusha) is spoken of as the Supreme Self, who 'PERVADES AND SUSTAINS THE THREE WORLDS': "World" in Sanskrit means 'realm of experience.' The three realms of experiences in which we eke out our life's returns are the states of waking, dream, and deep-sleep. The same Self is the illuminator of the experiences in all the above three states-of-Consciousness.
There are not three different types of Purushas; according to the limitations and conditions around It, the Spirit, appears different in Its manifestations. A pot is in a room; now the 'pot-space' is a lesser part of the 'room-space,' and the room-space is only a negligible portion of the 'total-space.' At the same time 'pot-space' minus the pot, if understood as "space," is the same space as the infinite-space. Now, in the above example, pot-space and room-space are something other than the outer-space, in as much as, conditioned as they are, they have gathered unto themselves certain limitations, but the unconditioned 'pot-space' and the 'room-space' are nothing but the infinite-space; break the pot, pull down the walls, the space that was the 'pot-space' and the space that was the 'room-space' have both become one with the Infinite-space!
The Infinite Consciousness is Itself the perishable-field in another form, and as the Knower-of-the-Field, the same Consciousness is the Imperishable Reality in the perishable conditionings, But when these conditionings are transcended, the same Self is experienced as the Supreme Self --- Paramatman.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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