Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya 428

Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya

Chapter-13 Prakṛti-Puruṣa-vivek Yogaḥ

upadṛṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ | paramātmeti cāpyukto deho’smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ || 23 || 23. The embodied Self is called the witness, the sanctioner, supporter, experiencer, the great lord and likewise the supreme person. Commentary This Self (Puruṣa) existing in the body becomes the one who observes and ‘sanctions’ — permits the physical activities in accordance with volition and other mind states. Likewise, It is the 'supporter' of the body. It becomes the 'experiencer' of the pleasure and pain resulting from its activities. Thus, by virtue of ruling and supporting the body and by making the body completely subservient to its own needs, the Self becomes 'the great lord' (maheśvara) of the body, the senses and the mind. . The embodied jivātman is said to be the 'supreme person' in relation to the body, the senses and the mind. The particle 'likewise' (api) indicates that the Self is the 'supreme lord' in relation to the body in the same way as it is the supreme person. The supremacy of the Self has already been described in the text beginning with 'It is the beginingless Brahman to which I am superior' . It is true that the Self [in its emancipated state] has limitless power and knowledge. But it becomes 'the great lord' and the 'supreme person' only in relation to the physical body. The term 'Self' (ātman) hereafter will be applied to both the body and the mind, for example:— 'Some perceive the Self by means of the self through meditation' .