Bhagvad Gita - Chapter: 15 Purusottama Yogah

Purusottama Yogah - The real form of this tree is not perceivable here. It has neither a beginning nor an end. One must cut this deeply rooted tree with the weapon of detachment.

न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा |
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलमसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ||3||

The real form of this tree is not perceivable here. It has neither a beginning nor an end. One must cut this deeply rooted tree with the weapon of detachment.

Asanga: Detachment, the tool to cut through material bondage.
Mula: The deep root representing attachment and ignorance.

Krishna now urges detachment, presenting the sword of discernment as the only means to cut through illusion. Unlike temporary relief from suffering, this path requires complete renunciation of attachment to material desires, making way for true liberation, which will be elaborated upon in the following verses.

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Purusottama Yogah - Thereafter, one must seek that supreme state from which, having gone, one never returns. There, one should surrender to the Supreme Being, from whom everything has emanated.

तत: पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूय: |
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यत: प्रवृत्ति: प्रसृता पुराणी ||4||

Thereafter, one must seek that supreme state from which, having gone, one never returns. There, one should surrender to the Supreme Being, from whom everything has emanated.

Purusham: The Supreme Being, source of all creation.
Pravritti: The cycle of material existence and actions.

After severing attachment, one must seek the supreme abode, a realm beyond return. Here, Krishna indirectly describes himself as the ultimate refuge, the origin from which all existence emerges. This verse marks the transition from understanding worldly entanglement to seeking eternal truth.

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Purusottama Yogah - Free from pride and delusion, victorious over attachment, ever devoted to the Self, freed from dualities of pleasure and pain, the wise reach the eternal goal.

निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामा: |
द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ता: सुखदु:खसंज्ञैर्गच्छन्त्यमूढा: पदमव्ययं तत् ||5||

Free from pride and delusion, victorious over attachment, ever devoted to the Self, freed from dualities of pleasure and pain, the wise reach the eternal goal.

Nirmana: Freedom from pride and ego.
Dvandva: Dualities such as pleasure and pain, success and failure.

Liberation is not about external renunciation alone but internal transformation. Conquering pride, desires, and dualities leads to clarity and spiritual stability. These qualities define those who successfully detach from worldly suffering and approach the eternal, unchanging reality beyond material illusions.

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Purusottama Yogah - That supreme abode of Mine is not illuminated by the sun, moon, or fire. Having reached there, one never returns. That is My supreme abode.

न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावक: |
यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ||6||

That supreme abode of Mine is not illuminated by the sun, moon, or fire. Having reached there, one never returns. That is My supreme abode.

Paramam Dham: The supreme abode of Krishna, beyond material existence.
Surya: The Sun, symbolizing worldly light.

Krishna now reveals the nature of his supreme abode, distinct from the perishable world. Unlike the sun or fire that illuminates material existence, his realm is self-luminous, a space beyond return. This verse reinforces that true liberation means reaching a state where suffering and rebirth cease completely.

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ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूत: सनातन: |
मन:षष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ||7||

The eternal soul in the material world is My fragmental part. It is drawn into material existence by the mind and the senses.

Jiva: The individual soul, a part of the Supreme.
Indriyas: The senses, which pull the soul towards the material world.

The soul’s entanglement in the material world is due to the mind and senses, which pull it toward external experiences. Though a fragment of Krishna himself, the soul, bound by desires, struggles within this cycle. This verse highlights the essential struggle of human existence—the conflict between material pull and spiritual longing.

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Purusottama Yogah - When the soul leaves one body and enters another, it carries the senses and the mind with it, just as the wind carries scents from one place to another.

शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वर: |
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ||8||

When the soul leaves one body and enters another, it carries the senses and the mind with it, just as the wind carries scents from one place to another.

Sharira: The physical body which the soul occupies.
Vayu: Wind, used metaphorically for how the soul moves from body to body.

Using the analogy of wind carrying scents, Krishna explains the transmigration of the soul. The departure of the soul does not erase its tendencies; instead, it carries forward impressions and desires, shaping the next life. This reinforces the idea that liberation is not just about escape but about purification of the self.

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श्रोत्रं चक्षु: स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च |
अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते ||9||

The soul, presiding over the senses—ear, eye, touch, taste, and smell—enjoys sense objects through the mind.

Shrotra: Hearing, one of the five senses.
Vishaya: Sense objects that the soul experiences through the mind.

The soul, though distinct from the body, engages with the world through senses, continuously experiencing joy and sorrow. Krishna subtly points out that the senses are merely tools, and their control is crucial in breaking free from worldly attachments, setting up the need for higher spiritual vision.

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