Sārathi

Chapter 15 of 18

पुरुषोत्तमयोग Purushottama Yoga

The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality. 20 verses.

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About this chapter

The fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is "Purushottama Yoga". In Sanskrit, Purusha means the "All-pervading God", and Purushottam means the timeless & transcendental aspect of God. Krishna reveals that the purpose of this Transcendental knowledge of the God is to detach ourselves from the bondage of the material world and to understand Krishna as the Supreme Divine Personality, who is the eternal controller and sustainer of the world. One who understands this Ultimate Truth surrenders to Him and engages in His devotional service.

  1. 15.1श्री भगवानुवाचऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्।śhrī-bhagavān uvāchaThe Blessed Lord said: They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree, with its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are the meters or hymns; he who…
  2. 15.2अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः।adhaśh chordhvaṁ prasṛitās tasya śhākhāIts branches spread below and above, nourished by the Gunas; its buds are sense-objects, and its roots stretch forth below in the world of men, originating action.
  3. 15.3न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च संप्रतिष्ठा।na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyateIts form is not perceived here as such, nor its end, origin, foundation, or resting place; having cut asunder this firmly rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of…
  4. 15.4ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्य यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः।tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁThen, that goal should be sought for, to which, having gone, none returns again. I seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha, from whence streamed forth the ancient activity…
  5. 15.5निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः।nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣhāFree from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling constantly in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, freed from the pairs…
  6. 15.6न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः।na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śhaśhāṅko na pāvakaḥNeither does the sun illuminate there, nor the moon, nor the fire; having gone there, they do not return; that is My supreme abode.
  7. 15.7ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।mamaivānśho jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥAn eternal portion of Myself having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to itself the five senses, with the mind as the sixth, abiding in Nature.
  8. 15.8शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः।śharīraṁ yad avāpnoti yach chāpy utkrāmatīśhvaraḥWhen the Lord, as the individual soul, obtains a body and when He leaves it, He takes these with Him, just as the wind takes the scents from their seats (flowers, etc.).
  9. 15.9श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च।śhrotraṁ chakṣhuḥ sparśhanaṁ cha rasanaṁ ghrāṇam eva chaPresiding over the ears, eyes, touch, taste, smell, and mind, it enjoys the objects of the senses.
  10. 15.10उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम्।utkrāmantaṁ sthitaṁ vāpi bhuñjānaṁ vā guṇānvitamThe deluded do not see Him who departs, stays, and enjoys; but those who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.
  11. 15.11यतन्तो योगिनश्चैनं पश्यन्त्यात्मन्यवस्थितम्।yatanto yoginaśh chainaṁ paśhyanty ātmany avasthitamThe yogis striving for perfection behold Him dwelling in the Self; but, the unrefined and unintelligent, even though striving, do not see Him.
  12. 15.12यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम्।yad āditya-gataṁ tejo jagad bhāsayate ’khilamThat light which resides in the sun, illuminating the whole world; that which is in the moon and in the fire—know that light to be Mine.
  13. 15.13गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा।gām āviśhya cha bhūtāni dhārayāmy aham ojasāPermeating the earth, I support all beings with My energy; and having become the watery moon, I nourish all herbs.
  14. 15.14अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः।ahaṁ vaiśhvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṁ deham āśhritaḥHaving become the fire Vaisvanara, I abide in the bodies of living beings and, associated with the Prana and the Apana, digest the fourfold food.
  15. 15.15सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च।sarvasya chāhaṁ hṛidi sanniviṣhṭoAnd I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me come memory and knowledge, as well as their absence. I am verily That which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am indeed…
  16. 15.16द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च।dvāv imau puruṣhau loke kṣharaśh chākṣhara eva chaTwo Purushas there are in this world: the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable, and the Kutastha—the unchanging—is called the imperishable.
  17. 15.17उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः।uttamaḥ puruṣhas tv anyaḥ paramātmety udāhṛitaḥBut distinct is the Supreme Purusha, called the highest Self, indestructible and Lord, who pervades the three worlds and sustains them.
  18. 15.18यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहमक्षरादपि चोत्तमः।yasmāt kṣharam atīto ’ham akṣharād api chottamaḥAs I transcend the perishable and am even higher than the imperishable, I am declared to be the highest Purusha in the world and in the Vedas.
  19. 15.19यो मामेवमसम्मूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम्।yo mām evam asammūḍho jānāti puruṣhottamamHe who, undeluded, knows Me as the highest Purusha, he, knowing all, worships Me with his whole being (heart), O Arjuna.
  20. 15.20इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयाऽनघ।iti guhyatamaṁ śhāstram idam uktaṁ mayānaghaThus, I have imparted to you this most secret science, O sinless one; by knowing this, one becomes wise, and all their duties are accomplished, O Arjuna.