Chapter 11 Shloka 38
त्वमादिदेव: पुरुष: पुराणस्त्वमस्य विश्वस्य परं निधानम्।
वेत्तासि वेद्यं च परं च धाम त्वया ततं विश्वमनन्तरूप।।३८।।
O Lord!
You are the Primordial, Ancient One. You are the Supreme Support of the universe; You are the Knower and You are the One worthy of being known. You are the Supreme abode, and O Eternal One, this entire universe is pervaded by You.
Glorifying the Lord, Arjuna says:
“You are the Master of all deities.
You are the ancient Purusha.
You are the foremost of all mankind; You are Divinity Itself.
You are the indestructible, eternal, primeval One –
ageless, immortal and infinite.
You are the indivisible Truth and the Support of this entire Universe.
You are the supreme Support;
You are the Embodiment of knowledge, and its practical application in life.
You are Knowledge Itself – You know all;
You are the Knower of Your own Essence.
You are the One worthy of being known, yet You are difficult to know;
You also transcend thought.
You are unparalleled, matchless and unique.
O everlasting Lord, You are all these forms of the Universe.
O Unmanifest One devoid of form, You are indeed these myriad forms.
Yet, You cannot be divided –
You are the one unified whole in this entire diversity.
It is You who creates these appearances in their entirety within this Whole,
yet You remain complete.”
Arjuna refers to the Lord as the supreme Abode:
a) The Lord is the supreme goal of the individual.
b) He is the individual’s ultimate refuge and resting place.
c) The Atma is the supreme refuge in the individual’s life.
d) Emancipation is the supreme and ultimate destination of the individual.
Little one, the abode of the individual’s body is his worldly home, but the habitat of the individualised Atma is the Supreme Atma. If the individualistic tendency of the jiva takes the refuge of the Supreme Lord, it will renounce its attachment with the transient body and merge in the Eternal Atma. One who reaches this ultimate goal never returns to the individualistic plane. Hence the Atma is called the supreme abode.
The Param Dham or the Supreme Abode
1. This is where the Supreme Lord abides.
2. This is the residing place of Brahm.
3. This is the resting place of the emancipated souls.
4. This is the abiding place of the Jivan Muktas or those who have attained emancipation whilst still alive.
5. This is the resting place of the Nitya Mukta or the eternally liberated soul.
Little one, when the individual renounces his bodily abode, it could be said that he enters the Supreme Abode. However, establishment in the Supreme Abode is possible only if one relinquishes the body idea whilst still alive.
When the individual attains unity with the Atma, he becomes established in the supreme abode – the resting place of the Lord Himself.
