For Eternal Beginners
परस्तस्मात् तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात् सनातनः ।
यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥ २० ॥
अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तः तमाहुः परमाम् गतिम् ।
यम् प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमम् मम ॥ २१ ॥
parastasmAt tu bhAvo'nyo'vyakto'vyaktAt sanAtanaH |
yaH sa sarveSu bhUteSu nazyatsu na vinazyati || 20 ||
avyakto'kSara ityuktaH tamAhuH paramAm gatim |
yam prApya na nivartante taddhAma paramam mama || 21 ||
परः [paraH] The one who is beyond तस्मात् तु अव्यक्तात् [tasmAt tu avyaktAt] primordial matter, अन्यः भावः [anyaH bhAvaH] who has a different state of existence, अव्यक्तः [avyaktaH] who cannot be perceived by techniques such as observation and inference, सनातनः [sanAtanaH] who is ancient, यः न विनश्यति [yaH na vinazyati] who does not perish सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु [sarveSu bhUteSu nazyatsu] when all beings perish - सः [saH] He उक्तः [uktaH] is called as अव्यक्तः [avyaktaH] the subtle one अक्षरः [akSaraH] and the one who does not wear out. तम् आहुः [tam AhuH] He is called परमाम् गतिम् [paramAm gatim] the ultimate destination. यम् प्राप्य तत् [yam prApya tat] Having obtained that धाम परमम् मम [dhAma paramam mama] ultimate abode of mine, न निवर्तन्ते [na nivartante] they do not return.
As in 8-11, this Shloka describes the nature of the Lord as manifested in the Self, in terms of being imperceptible and ever-lasting.
There is a goal to achieve, beyond this universe made from primordial matter. It is entirely distinct from any matter, since it exists in the form of knowledge alone. It is not apparent to us and cannot be described in terms of anything else. It is unique in its form.
The Self is ever-lasting, so the one who yearns for the Self isn’t stuck in creation and destruction.
It is ancient and not subject to creation and destruction - it lasts forever. Even while being inside everything in space, in everything that goes into creation, in everything that’s created, even when all of this is destroyed, it doesn’t perish. It is called imperceptible and imperishable in several Shlokas:
12-3: ‘those who focus on the indestructible, which cannot be distinguished, which isn’t evident to our senses…’
15-16: ‘Staying like an anvil without deforming, it is said to be imperishable’.
Experienced people say that it is the ultimate goal, as said in 8-13: ‘…the one who leaves his body attains the ultimate goal’
Thus, the one that’s termed ‘the ultimate destination’ over here is the one that’s not destroyed. Meaning, this goal is the Self that’s free from the influences of nature. People who realize the Self in this state do not return. The Lord says - this is My ‘ultimate abode’, the ultimate seat from which the Lord rules over this universe.
The non-conscious material environment is one seat from which the Lord rules. The Self in a state of attachment to the environment is the second seat.
Beyond this, the pure and free Self is the ultimate Seat of the Lord, from where He rules the universe - that is the seat meant by the phrase ‘ultimate abode’ here. It is detached from the environment. This abode does not go through cycles of creation and destruction.
The word ‘abode’ also denotes a state of lustrous existence. Here, luster is knowledge. When the Self is entangled in the environment, its knowledge is confined. When the Self is freed from the confines of the environment, it is an unbroken expanse of knowledge. This is the superior state of existence.
In the next Shloka, the Lord says that those who know will aim to attain something that’s totally distinct from what has just been described.