Verse 15.18
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहमक्षरादपि चोत्तमः | अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः ||१८||
Transliteration (IAST)
yasmāt kṣaram atīto 'ham akṣarād api cottamaḥ | ato 'smi loke vede ca prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ ||18||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
Because I transcend the perishable and am higher even than the imperishable, I am celebrated in the world and in the Vedas as the Purushottama (Supreme Person).
Commentary
This verse gives the chapter its name. Shankaracharya explains that Krishna declares Himself beyond both the phenomenal world (kṣara) and the unmanifest principle (akṣara), establishing His identity as the Absolute. Ramanuja considers this the pinnacle of the Gita's theology - the Lord is not merely the highest among beings but categorically transcendent. Madhva cites this as proof of Vishnu's supreme sovereignty over all reality, both manifest and unmanifest.