The Supreme Person sustains all worlds.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युधाहृतः |यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ||१५-१७||
uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmetyudhāhṛtaḥ . yo lokatrayamāviśya bibhartyavyaya īśvaraḥ ||15-17||
Use this verse for trust during instability.
Meaning
But there is another, the Supreme Person, called Paramatma, the imperishable Lord who enters and sustains the three worlds.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Beyond the perishable and imperishable is the Supreme Person, Paramatma.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna now reveals the highest category: Purushottama, the Supreme Person. He sustains the worlds while remaining imperishable and supreme.
Read the traditional commentary
Having spoken of the perishable and the imperishable, Krishna now unveils the supreme reality that transcends both. The Uttama Puruṣa — the Highest Person — is distinct from both the changing world and the unchanging ground. He is named Paramātmā, the Supreme Self, the indestructible Lord (avyaya īśvara) who enters and pervades the three worlds and sustains them all.
This is a vital teaching for the spiritual seeker. It is possible to realize the imperishable, changeless Self and yet still fall short of the highest truth, which is a living, personal Lord — not merely an abstract principle but the conscious sustainer of all that exists.
Krishna distinguishes the impersonal absolute from the Supreme Person who is its source. By pervading and upholding the three worlds, He shows that the ultimate reality is not a remote void but an intimate, sustaining presence actively holding all of creation in being. The seeker's goal is communion with this Supreme Self.
In daily life
Place your trust in the sustaining Lord beyond all change.
A person overwhelmed by instability can remember that Paramatma sustains life beyond visible systems.
Try this today
Offer one unstable area of life to Paramatma.
The Supreme Person sustains my life.Reflect
Where do I need to trust the sustaining Lord?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘परमात्मा इति उदाहृतः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on supreme self, in other chapters
Swipe left for 15.18 · Krishna is Purushottama, the Supreme Person.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 15.17
Who says Bhagavad Gita 15.17, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 15.17, in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga (Purushottama Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 15.17 mean?
But there is another, the Supreme Person, called Paramatma, the imperishable Lord who enters and sustains the three worlds. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 15.17 for daily life?
Place your trust in the sustaining Lord beyond all change. A person overwhelmed by instability can remember that Paramatma sustains life beyond visible systems.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 15.17 mean?
उत्तमः पुरुषः तु अन्यः — but the Supreme Person is distinct; परमात्मा इति उदाहृतः — called the Supreme Self; यः लोकत्रयम् आविश्य — who, pervading the three worlds; बिभर्ति — sustains / upholds; अव्ययः ईश्वरः — the indestructible Lord.
Where does verse 15.17 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 17 of 20 in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga. The next verse is 15.18.