Bhagavad-gītā 15.18
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहमक्षरादपि चोत्तमः।अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः।।15.18।।
yasmāt kṣharam atīto ’ham akṣharād api chottamaḥ ato ’smi loke vede cha prathitaḥ puruṣhottamaḥ
As I transcend the Perishable and am above even the Imperishable, therefore am I in the world and in the Veda celebrated as the Purushottama, (the Highest Purusha).
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| yasmāt | hence |
| kṣharam | to the perishable |
| atītaḥ | transcendental |
| aham | I |
| akṣharāt | to the imperishable |
| api | even |
| cha | and |
| uttamaḥ | transcendental |
| ataḥ | therefore |
| asmi | I am |
| loke | in the world |
| vede | in the Vedas |
| cha | and |
| prathitaḥ | celebrated |
| puruṣha-uttamaḥ | as the Supreme Divine Personality |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from yasmāt (hence), uttamaḥ (transcendental), and puruṣha-uttamaḥ (as the Supreme Divine Personality). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the world tree and the person beyond it. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 15.18.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the inverted tree image, the distinction of persons, the embodied journey, divine support and Puruṣottama.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
As I transcend the Perishable and am above even the Imperishable
- 2
am I in the world and in the Veda celebrated as the Purushottama, (the Highest Purusha)
- 3
yasmāt: hence
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 15.18, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 15.18 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 15.18 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 15.18 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 15.18, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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