A declaration · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“The highest reality lies beyond both change and permanence.”
I am beyond the perishable and even beyond the imperishable. Therefore, I am known in the world and in the Vedas as Purushottama, the Supreme Self.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallybecause · the perishable · beyond · I · than the imperishable · also · and · higher · therefore · I am · in the world · in the Veda · and · well known · Purushottama
Krishna says he is beyond both the changing world and the unchanging principle behind it. That is why he is called the Supreme Self.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Purushottama Yoga" (The Yoga of the Supreme Person).
Verse 18 sits in Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita — Purushottama Yoga, "The Yoga of the Supreme Person". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
In a temple courtyard, two neighbours argue about which deity ranks higher. Krishna makes his own claim plainly here: he is Purushottama, beyond both the passing and the lasting, and asks to be known that way.
Did you like this verse?
Purushottama, the highest Person, is the name Krishna gives himself, above the perishable and the imperishable.
What this verse means
Krishna says he is beyond both the changing world and the unchanging principle behind it. That is why he is called the Supreme Self.
Context & commentary
Krishna has been leading him through the deepest levels of reality. After explaining the perishable, the imperishable, and the supreme being beyond both, Krishna now names himself as that highest reality.
What it looks like today
In a temple courtyard, two neighbours argue about which deity ranks higher. Krishna makes his own claim plainly here: he is Purushottama, beyond both the passing and the lasting, and asks to be known that way.
“Reality is larger than both what fades and what seems permanent.”
Explore related themes: purushottama (14 verses), akshara (12 verses)