Gita 15.17
Purushottama Yoga
उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः | यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ||१७||
uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ | yo loka-trayam āviśya bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ ||17||
In essence: But the Supreme Person (Uttama Purusha) is another—called the Paramatman—who, pervading the three worlds, sustains them as the imperishable Lord.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "So Krishna is saying there is something beyond even the imperishable? What could be beyond the unchanging?"
Guru: "The unchanging, by itself, is merely static—a principle of stability but without agency, personality, or love. The Purushottama combines the imperishable nature with personal being: He is unchanging yet fully conscious, stable yet actively sustaining, beyond the world yet intimately pervading it. This is the complete reality that mere impersonal stillness lacks."
Sadhak: "Paramātmā—is this the same as my Atman?"
Guru: "Related, not identical. Your atman is the individual self, a fragment of the Divine (verse 7). Paramātmā is the Supreme Self, the source and essence of all individual atmans. When you fully realize your atman, you recognize it as never separate from the Paramātmā—but you do not become the sustainer of three worlds. The drop recognizes it is water, the same substance as the ocean, but the drop is not the ocean in extent."
Sadhak: "If Purushottama is different from both perishable and imperishable, how can I reach Him?"
Guru: "By recognizing that He pervades everything—including you. He is not spatially elsewhere. When you seek the imperishable within, you find the doorway. When you see the Lord sustaining all worlds, you see His form. When you love and surrender, you directly contact the Person beyond categories. Purushottama can be known because He wishes to be known and has revealed Himself through this very teaching."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Begin the day by acknowledging the Purushottama: 'The Supreme Person pervades this world and sustains it. I am waking into His presence.' This is not abstract theology but recognition of what the teaching says is literally true. The three worlds you will move through today—physical, mental, spiritual—are all held by Him.
When encountering different realms of experience—material concerns, emotional exchanges, moments of insight—recognize each as pervaded by Purushottama. This prevents fragmentation of life into 'spiritual' and 'mundane.' All is loka-traya, all is pervaded, all is sustained by the Lord. No part of life is outside His presence.
Before sleep, address the Paramātmā: 'Supreme Self, you sustain all. I rest in your sustaining.' As consciousness withdraws from the outer worlds, rest in the awareness that you are never outside the Lord's pervading presence. The three worlds of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep are all His domain. You sleep held by the Imperishable Lord.