Verse 15.17
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः | यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ||१७||
Transliteration (IAST)
uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ | yo loka-trayam āviśya bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ ||17||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
But distinct from these two is the Supreme Person, called the Paramātmā (Supreme Self), who pervading the three worlds, sustains them - the imperishable Lord.
Commentary
Shankaracharya explains that beyond both the perishable (manifest world) and the imperishable (unmanifest māyā or individual self), there exists the Supreme Being - Paramātmā - who transcends both categories. Ramanuja sees this as the definitive statement of Vishishtadvaita: God is distinct from both matter and souls while being their inner controller. Madhva emphasizes the absolute transcendence of Vishnu over all other categories of reality.