But distinct from all these is the Highest Spirit spoken of as the Supreme Self. With reference to my own children alone am I really a father. With reference to my duty or status I may have yet another name. Similarly, the Imperishable is a status and a dignity gained by the Spirit only with reference to the field-of-the-perishables around and about It, through which It manifests as the various expressions of Life. When my children have died, or I am dismissed from my job, I am no more a father, nor can I any more claim my erstwhile official dignity. But that does not mean that I am, in the absence of children or work, an absolute zero, a total non-entity! No. I will exist as “the son of my father,” or in my individual capacity, though devoid of all my special status and dignity born out of my relationship with my profession, or with my children.

When the perishable (Kshara) is transcended, what remains is not Imperishable (Akshara) but that which played as the ‘Perishable-Purusha’ as well as the ‘Imperishable-Purusha.’ This Pure Spirit (Purusha) is spoken of as the Supreme Self, who ‘PERVADES AND SUSTAINS THE THREE WORLDS’: “World” in Sanskrit means ‘realm of experience.’ The three realms of experiences in which we eke out our life’s returns are the states of waking, dream, and deep-sleep. The same Self is the illuminator of the experiences in all the above three states-of-Consciousness.

There are not three different types of Purushas; according to the limitations and conditions around It, the Spirit, appears different in Its manifestations. A pot is in a room; now the ‘pot-space’ is a lesser part of the ‘room-space,’ and the room-space is only a negligible portion of the ‘total-space.’ At the same time ‘pot-space’ minus the pot, if understood as “space,” is the same space as the infinite-space. Now, in the above example, pot-space and room-space are something other than the outer-space, in as much as, conditioned as they are, they have gathered unto themselves certain limitations, but the unconditioned ‘pot-space’ and the ‘room-space’ are nothing but the infinite-space; break the pot, pull down the walls, the space that was the ‘pot-space’ and the space that was the ‘room-space’ have both become one with the Infinite-space!

The Infinite Consciousness is Itself the perishable-field in another form, and as the Knower-of-the-Field, the same Consciousness is the Imperishable Reality in the perishable conditionings, But when these conditionings are transcended, the same Self is experienced as the Supreme Self — Paramatman.

SHOWING THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE VERY TERM, PURUSHOTTAMA, THE LORD SHOWS HOW HE IS REALLY THE SUPREME:

Tu, but; anyah, different, entirely contrary in characteristics from these; is the uttamah, supreme, most excellent; purusah, Person, who is different in characteristics from these-the mutable and the immutable-, untouched by the mutable and the immutable limiting adjuncts, and is by nature eternal, pure, conscious and free; udahrtah, spoken of in the Upanisads; iti, as; the paramatma, supreme Self; He is paramah, supreme, as compared with the selves like body etc. created by ignorance, and is the atma, Self, the inmost Consciousness of all beings. Hence He is the supreme Self. He Himself is being specially described: yah, who, by dint of His own active power inhering in the energy that is Maya; [Caitanya, consciousness, itself is the bala (energy); the sakti (active power) therein is Maya. Through that He upholds.] avisya, permeating; loka-trayam, the three worlds-called Bhuh (Earth), Bhuvah, (Intermediate Space) and Svah (Heaven); bibharti, upholds (them) by merely being present in His own nature. (And He) is the avyayah, imperishable; isvarah, God, the Omniscient One called Narayana, who is the Lord by nature. This name-the supreme Person-of God as described is well known. Showing that the name is apt by virtue of its etymological significance, the Lord reveals Himself saying, ‘I am the unsurpassable God’: