Shloka 18
Chapter 43: Tumult of Battle-Sounds and the Proliferation of Dvandva
Paired Engagements
यस्मात् क्षरमतीतो5हमक्षरादपि चोत्तम: । अतोड<स्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथित: पुरुषोत्तम:
yasmāt kṣaram atīto ’ham akṣarād api cottamaḥ | ato ’smi loke vede ca prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ ||
Because I transcend the perishable (kṣara)—the changing realm of beings and matter—and I am higher even than the imperishable (akṣara), the individual self, therefore in the world and in the Veda I am renowned as Puruṣottama, the Supreme Person.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Supreme (Puruṣottama) transcends both the perishable (kṣara) domain of change and the imperishable (akṣara) individual self; hence ultimate devotion and refuge are directed to the Supreme who is acknowledged by both worldly tradition and the Veda.
In the teaching dialogue on the battlefield, the speaker is defining the highest divine identity as Puruṣottama, distinguishing it from both mutable nature and the enduring self, to clarify why this Supreme is the final object of knowledge and devotion.