Purushottama Yoga — the Yoga of the Supreme Person
20 shlokas
Shri Krishna speaks of the ashvattha, the sacred pipal of samsara, with its roots above and its branches below. The Vedic hymns are its leaves, and whoever knows this tree knows the Veda. Its branches spread up and down, fed by the gunas, budding into sense objects, and its roots run down into the world of men, binding them to action. Cut it down with the strong axe of detachment, he says, and seek the place from which there is no return, taking refuge in the primal Purusha. There neither sun nor moon nor fire gives light; that is his supreme abode. The jiva in every body is his own eternal portion, carrying the senses from body to body as the wind carries scent. He is the light in sun, moon and fire, the soma that feeds the plants, the digestive fire in every creature, and he dwells in every heart. Beyond the perishable and the imperishable stands Purushottama, the Supreme Person, the one to be known by all the Vedas.
Shri Bhagavan said श्रीभगवानुवाच
ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् ।
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्
ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhamaśvatthaṃ prāhuravyayam |
chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yastaṃ veda sa vedavit
They speak of an imperishable ashvattha tree with its roots above and its branches below. The Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows it knows the Veda.
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा
गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः ।
अधश्च मूलान्यनुसंततानि
कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके
adhaścordhvaṃ prasṛtāstasya śākhā
guṇapravṛddhā viṣayapravālāḥ |
adhaśca mūlānyanusaṃtatāni
karmānubandhīni manuṣyaloke
Its branches spread below and above, nourished by the gunas, with sense objects for their shoots. Below, its roots stretch on into the world of men, binding them to action.
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते
नान्तो न चादिर्न च संप्रतिष्ठा ।
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल-
मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा
na rūpamasyeha tathopalabhyate
nānto na cādirna ca saṃpratiṣṭhā |
aśvatthamenaṃ suvirūḍhamūla-
masaṅgaśastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā
Its true form is not seen here, nor its end, nor its beginning, nor where it rests. Cutting down this firmly rooted ashvattha with the strong axe of non-attachment,
ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं
यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः ।
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये
यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी
tataḥ padaṃ tatparimārgitavyaṃ
yasmingatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ |
tameva cādyaṃ puruṣaṃ prapadye
yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī
One should then seek that place from which those who reach it never return, saying: I take refuge in that primal Purusha from whom this ancient stream of the world flowed forth.
निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा
अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः ।
द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञै-
र्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत्
nirmānamohā jitasaṅgadoṣā
adhyātmanityā vinivṛttakāmāḥ |
dvandvairvimuktāḥ sukhaduḥkhasaṃjñai-
rgacchantyamūḍhāḥ padamavyayaṃ tat
Free of pride and delusion, with the fault of attachment conquered, always dwelling on the Self, their desires turned away, released from the pairs called pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach that imperishable state.
न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः ।
यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम
na tadbhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ |
yadgatvā na nivartante taddhāma paramaṃ mama
Neither the sun lights it, nor the moon, nor fire. Having gone there, none return. That is my supreme abode.
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः ।
मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति
mamaivāṃśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ |
manaḥṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛtisthāni karṣati
An eternal portion of my own becomes the jiva in the world of living beings. It draws to itself the five senses, with the mind as the sixth, which rest in Prakriti.
शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः ।
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात्
śarīraṃ yadavāpnoti yaccāpyutkrāmatīśvaraḥ |
gṛhītvaitāni saṃyāti vāyurgandhānivāśayāt
When the lord of the body takes a body and when he leaves it, he takes these with him and goes, as the wind carries scents from their source.
श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च ।
अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते
śrotraṃ cakṣuḥ sparśanaṃ ca rasanaṃ ghrāṇameva ca |
adhiṣṭhāya manaścāyaṃ viṣayānupasevate
Presiding over hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell, and over the mind, he enjoys the objects of the senses.
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् ।
विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः
utkrāmantaṃ sthitaṃ vāpi bhuñjānaṃ vā guṇānvitam |
vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñānacakṣuṣaḥ
Whether he departs or stays, or enjoys while joined to the gunas, the deluded do not see him. Those with the eye of knowledge see.
यतन्तो योगिनश्चैनं पश्यन्त्यात्मन्यवस्थितम् ।
यतन्तोऽप्यकृतात्मानो नैनं पश्यन्त्यचेतसः
yatanto yoginaścainaṃ paśyantyātmanyavasthitam |
yatanto'pyakṛtātmāno nainaṃ paśyantyacetasaḥ
Yogis who strive see him dwelling in themselves. But those of unpurified mind, lacking discernment, do not see him even when they strive.
यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् ।
यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम्
yadādityagataṃ tejo jagadbhāsayate'khilam |
yaccandramasi yaccāgnau tattejo viddhi māmakam
The radiance in the sun that lights the whole world, the radiance in the moon and in fire: know that radiance to be mine.
गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा ।
पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः
gāmāviśya ca bhūtāni dhārayāmyahamojasā |
puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ
Entering the earth, I hold up all beings by my strength. Becoming soma, full of sap, I nourish all the plants.
अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः ।
प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम्
ahaṃ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṃ dehamāśritaḥ |
prāṇāpānasamāyuktaḥ pacāmyannaṃ caturvidham
Becoming Vaishvanara, the fire of life, I dwell in the bodies of living beings, and joined with prana and apana I digest the four kinds of food.
सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि संनिविष्टो
मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च ।
वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो
वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम्
sarvasya cāhaṃ hṛdi saṃniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtirjñānamapohanaṃ ca |
vedaiśca sarvairahameva vedyo
vedāntakṛdvedavideva cāham
I am seated in the heart of all. From me come memory, knowledge and their loss. I alone am to be known by all the Vedas; I am the maker of Vedanta and the knower of the Veda.
द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च ।
क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते
dvāvimau puruṣau loke kṣaraścākṣara eva ca |
kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭastho'kṣara ucyate
There are two Purushas in the world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are the perishable; the unchanging one is called the imperishable.
उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः ।
यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः
uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmetyudāhṛtaḥ |
yo lokatrayamāviśya bibhartyavyaya īśvaraḥ
But the highest Purusha is another, called the Supreme Self, the undying Lord who enters the three worlds and upholds them.
यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहमक्षरादपि चोत्तमः ।
अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः
yasmātkṣaramatīto'hamakṣarādapi cottamaḥ |
ato'smi loke vede ca prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ
Because I am beyond the perishable and higher even than the imperishable, I am known in the world and in the Veda as Purushottama.
यो मामेवमसंमूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम् ।
स सर्वविद्भजति मां सर्वभावेन भारत
yo māmevamasaṃmūḍho jānāti puruṣottamam |
sa sarvavidbhajati māṃ sarvabhāvena bhārata
One who, free of delusion, knows me thus as Purushottama knows all, and worships me with his whole being, Bharata.
इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयानघ ।
एतद्बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत
iti guhyatamaṃ śāstramidamuktaṃ mayānagha |
etadbuddhvā buddhimānsyātkṛtakṛtyaśca bhārata
Thus I have told you this most secret teaching, sinless one. Understanding it, a person becomes wise and has done all that is to be done, Bharata.
