15-18

यस्मात् क्षरम् अतीतोऽहम् अक्षरात् अपि चोत्तमः ।
अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः ॥ १८ ॥

yasmAt kSaram atIto'ham akSarAt api cottamaH |
ato'smi loke vede ca prathitaH puruSottamaH || 18 ||

यस्मात् अहम् [yasmAt aham] As I am क्षरम् अतीतः [kSaram atItaH] beyond the perishable अपि च [api ca] and also अक्षरात् उत्तमः [akSarAt uttamaH] superior to the imperishable, प्रथितः अस्मि [prathitaH asmi] I am well-known लोके [loke] in the world वेदे च [vede ca] and in the Vedas पुरुषोत्तमः [puruSottamaH] as the Supreme Person.

I am beyond the perishable, whose nature was described previously. I am superior to the imperishable in its bound and in its free state. The basis of this superiority was explained in the previous Shloka. By this, I am well-known as the Supreme Person in the world and in the scriptures.

The ‘world’ beholds traditions and the knowledge in them. Here, this word is used to mean the [smr’ti] - epics, traditions and knowledge that are handed down from generation to generation.

The Lord is famous as the Supreme Person both in scriptures that are written down, as well as in the tradition and knowledge handed down over generations.

The श्रुति [zruti] scripture छान्दोग्य [chAndogya] , 8-12-3 says - ‘This Self vacates the body and gains the supreme light of the Lord. The Self shines on his own, in his own form. The goal he reaches is the Supreme Person’

A [smr’ti] story in विष्णु पुराण [viSNu purANa] , 5-17-33 says - ‘Akrura tells Kamsa that Krishna is definitely a portion of Vishnu, having come to the Earth as an incarnation. He is without a beginning, middle or end’.