Verse 17
But distinct is the
Supreme Purusha called the highest Self, the indestructible Lord who,
pervading the three worlds, sustains them.
Verse 18
As I transcend the
perishable and am even higher than the imperishable, I am declared as the
highest Purusha in the world and in the Vedas.
The Supreme Purusha is different
from both the purusha and prakriti mentioned.
He is called Paramatma, the Supreme Self. We may call the purusha of
the Sankhya as a kind of self, but this is a Supreme Self which includes every
other kind of self, and all selves are subsumed under this universal inclusiveness.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V.VI.I
beginning manomayo-ayam puruso
states: The resplendent Supreme Being is the ruler and lord of all governing
all that exists.
Chinmaya explains in his own unique way,
“If two trains are both moving at the same speed
no movement is recognized by perceivers in both the trains. If the changes in
the world of Matter --- the body, the mind and the intellect are recognized,
then there must be a steady principle that illumines all these different
changes. This constant factor among the Perishing is called the Imperishable.
This illumining factor gathers its status as the
"Imperishable" only with reference to the "Perishable"
realms. Once the perishable realms are transcended, the Imperishable amidst
them Itself comes to shine forth as the Pure Infinite, which is the Purushottama. Since the Truth, Purushottama, is experienced only on
transcending both the 'Perishable' and the 'Imperishable,' It is known by the
term the 'Highest-Spirit' --- Purushottama.
This term is used to indicate the Supreme-most Self, both by the ancient sacred
volumes (Vedas), and by the poets and writers of the world.”
Love.