Episode 533: Chapter 15, verses 16,17 and 18
Gita For Daily Living - Neil Bhatt
This episode explores Chapter 15, verses 16–18 of the Bhagavad Gita, focusing on the concept of Purushottama—the Supreme Being. The speaker d
Key takeaways
- The perishable Purusha refers to the physical body and material world, which are temporary and subject to change.
- The imperishable Purusha is the conditioned consciousness that survives death but remains limited by identity and form.
Main topics
- The nature of Purushottama in Chapter 15
- Perishable vs. imperishable purushas
Notable quotes
"In this world, there are two Purushas: one is perishable, the other imperishable."
"The space here is imperishable. No matter how many buildings we build and destroy, it remains."
Conclusion
The episode concludes that true liberation lies in recognizing the Paramatma—the supreme,
Transcript preview
Speaker 1 (0:28) The Bhagavad Gita is a book of mankind's collected experience of and answers to life's most basic questions. Who I am? From where do I come? What is my purpose and destiny? And most practically, how do I find happiness? These podcasts originate in the lectures of Neil Bhatt, a disciple of Swami Chinmayananda. They are presented here in 20 to 30 minute segments, each covering three of the Gita's 701 verses. Welcome to Gita Wisdom for Daily Living. Speaker 2 (0:57) We have been discussing Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga, Yoga of the Supreme Being. We have been seeing the definition of the Jiva, Jagat and Ishvara. We have also seen Purusha and Prakriti. We have seen in Chapter 13, the field and its knower. We have seen that the Prakriti is the field and Purusha is the knower. Myriads of names and forms. Myriads of individuals, they form this field of experiences. Bhagavan had said that the knower is the same in each one of them. That I am the knower. I remain the knower in all fields of experiences. So no one in me, no one in you, no one in him, no one in her. Bhagavan said that's me alone. There are no separate no-ers. So continuing that theme, Bhagavan is now explaining what is the nature of that supreme being and how that supreme being is related to the world which we experience in our day-to-day life. Bhagavan said that the root of this Sansar is in the Moola Prakriti, the primordial cause which created this Jagat. So my world, when I trace back, I can continue tracing back, say I'm related to my parents, my parents are related to their parents. So as a person, I'm related to two sets of parents. Then I go one step further, I'll have four sets of parents. One step further, I'll have eight sets of parents. It can continue and grows to a level probably to the infinity, when it includes the entire Jagat. So I'm related to the entire Jagat and that's my relationship. But my narrow perspective, I only see what my ego tells me who I am and who I'm related to. This Sansar, Bhagavan said, is you can detach yourself from to recognize your true self. And then Bhagavan had explained that in everything that you see, I am the doer. You are not the doer. I think I am doing things. Bhagavan said, I do everything. In last few verses we have seen, He said that not only that I become the sun and moon to give you the light. to see and experience this world, but I also enter into the earth to become fertility in the earth, become the liquidity in the earth to grow the food. So I am not only the source of sun and moon, which is the source of all the energy on this planet, but I am also the earth and I am also the fertility, I am also that food. And when the food is eaten, Bhagavan said, I am the one who takes care of it. Pachami annam chatur vidam. Residing in each being, in each living being is the vaisvanara, the fire in the belly. I digest that food. So Bhagavan has said that everything that you see in your life that you are doing is actually I am doing. I am residing in you as your own consciousness. I am performing all these actions. As I said, we are so lucky that we don't have to think about what happens to our food after we eat it. Our job is