Gita 15.18 Fragmentation is not the cause of illusion, disharmonization is

Transcript

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Bhagavad Gita 15.18 यस्मातक्षरमतितोहं अक्षरादपिछोत्तमः अतोस्मिलोके वेदेज़ प्रतितः पुरुषोत्तमः यस्मातक्षरम, because Krishna is beyond the fallible and infallible, अतोस्मिलोके वेदेज़, therefore in the words as well as in the Vedas, he is celebrated as पुरुषोत्तमः, प्रतितः पुरुषोत्तमः. He is the supreme being. Now this chapter is known as पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, this verse clearly identifies Krishna as the पुरुषोत्तमः.
So the implication here is that every one of us is meant to progress towards realizing the eternality of our Lord, our understanding that He is the supreme reality. There can be multiple understandings of what is real, what is unreal or what is semi-real, but unless our understanding is founded in that which is supremely real, we will not be able to focus positively our endeavors. A person searching for water in a mirage can’t find water as long as they don’t know the difference between a mirage and an oasis where water can actually be found.
Similarly, as long as our conception is that reality is whatever our senses encounter or whatever our mind conceives, then we will stay in illusion. पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत्तम्योगा, पुरुषोत This is where he concludes by saying that actually he alone is the eternal reality. He is the supreme reality.
So we also are realities but we are not separate realities in the sense that we all are parts of Krishna and we all are meant to move closer to Him and to learn to be in harmony with Him. That too was pointed out in 15.7 when it said, ममईवाम्षो जीवनोके जीवभूता सनातनाम्ष So we are His sanatanamsha, whether we are we are still His amsha, whether we are conditioned or liberated we still remain His fragmented parts. But fragmentation is not the cause of illusion, rather the fragmentation that is associated with disconnection and illusion, that is what is the cause of the problem.
So we are parts of Krishna and our connection with Him, our integration with Him is not in identity but in purpose. That means the more we realize that Krishna is the whole and we are His parts and thereby we strive to harmonize with Him through loving intention, then we go beyond the circumstantial illusions that trap people in this world and we move towards the ultimate spiritual reality that is Krishna. We move towards realizing and relishing our eternal spiritual connection with Krishna.
So by grounding our efforts for truth in the one who is the supreme truth, we can become more and more situated in truth and more and more realize the eternal truth. Krishna has used the word vedavit, one who is the knower of the Vedas. In 15.2 when he talks about अधश्चोर्दों प्रस्वितास्थस्यशाकागुणप्रविद्धाविज्ञेप्रवाला अधश्चमूलान्यन्नुसंततानी कर्मानुबंधीनिमनश्यलोके Sorry in 15.1 he has used it ओर्धमूलवधशाकं अश्वत्थं प्राहुरवेयं चन्नांस्यस्यपरणानि यस्तं वेद सवेदवेत। So he is the supreme lord, the one ultimate reality.
And to the extent we understand him, to that extent we progress towards absorption in him, recognizing that everything else is a distraction if it is not connected with him, if it is not founded in him. So here Krishna has told that तोस्मिलोके वेदीच। The Vedas do talk about him as the supreme person because he is the reality that all of us ultimately seek to pursue. He is the reality that is the foundation for all our endeavors and he is the reality that will enable us to overcome all illusions.
The first verse in this Trishloki Gita, as it is often called 15.16 to 18, the first verse talks about spiritual reality or the spiritual spark of consciousness. Some sparks are situated in matter and abound, some sparks are freed from matter and are liberated. Beyond these is the control of matter and that controller of matter was identified as Paramatma in 15.17, is now declared to be non-different from Krishna.
And this progression of thought from the controller of matter to the transcendental Lord, when Krishna is seen earlier also in the 6th chapter, when Krishna states that सर्वभूतस्तमात्मानं सर्वभूतानिचात्मनिः इच्छते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्रसमधर्शिनः He says, those who see everything situated in spiritual reality, in the spiritual reality, and CJ, that spiritual reality is situated in everything, they are seeing with equal vision. And the next verse states that, योमांपश्चतिसर्वत्रसमंपश्चतियोर्जुन सुखंबयदिवादुकम् सयोगीपर्मोमतः That, सयोगीपर्मोमतः, that this is the understanding of the topmost yogis, that they are seeing Krishna everywhere and seeing everything in Krishna. That means, 29 and 30 are talking about the same thing, but it is through progression that that revelation comes.
So first we see a generic underlying and containing spiritual reality, and then we identify that to be Krishna. And similarly, in this verse also, in the 15.17 and 18 also, first the generic overseeing spiritual reality is identified as the Paramatma, and then that reality is also identified as Krishna in this verse. Thus, Krishna describes the progressive spiritual revelation from the perspective of the seeker as the seeker’s perception expands and elevates till it can take in the summit of reality, Krishna.
And that Krishna is the summit of reality will be seen from the next verse, which will stress that one who knows Krishna is the knower of everything, so Sarvaveda.