15-17

उत्तमः पुरुषस्तु अन्यः परमात्मेति उदाहृतः ।
यो लोकत्रयम् आविश्य बिभर्ति अव्ययः ईश्वरः ॥ १७ ॥

uttamaH puruSastu anyaH paramAtmeti udAhRtaH |
yo lokatrayam Avizya bibharti avyayaH IzvaraH || 17 ||

तु [tu] However, उत्तमः पुरुषः [uttamaH puruSaH] the Supreme Person अन्यः [anyaH] is another one. उदाहृतः [udAhRtaH] He is known परमात्मा इति [paramAtmA iti] as the Ultimate Self. यो [yo] He आविश्य [Avizya] pervades लोकत्रयम् [lokatrayam] the three domains बिभर्ति [bibharti] and supports them. अव्ययः [avyayaH] He never wears out. ईश्वरः [IzvaraH] He is the Supreme Lord.

The Lord is superior to all of this.

In the previous Shlokas, it was mentioned that those who are bound in the material world are perishable, while those who are free from the material world are imperishable.

However, the supreme person is neither of them. He has distinct characteristics and is called the Ultimate Self in all the scriptures. The reference परमात्मा [paramAtmA] - ‘The Ultimate Self’ implies that the Supreme Person is distinct from both the bound and free beings.

How is He distinct? This Shloka states: ‘He pervades the three domains and supports them’.

The Lord looks over them, hence they are called as domains (the Sanskrit word लोक [loka] , also used to mean the world and its people, comes from लोक्यते [lokyate] , which means ‘they are looked over’.

The English word ‘domain’ also comes from the Latin word dominus, meaning ‘the lord who looks over’).

The three domains are known from the scriptures. They are: Inanimate matter, Conscious beings who are bound with it, Conscious beings who are free from it.

The Lord pervades all three of them as the core of their Self and supports them. In this way, He is distinct from those who are pervaded and supported by Him. This person, who has been described as being distinct, is the Lord.

He does not wear out. In this way, He is unlike the material world, which does wear out. Since He is not bound by matter, He is distinct from all beings that are attached to matter. By being the Lord and controller of everything, He is unlike the other beings that are free of the material world as well.