उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः ।
परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः ।। १३.२२ ।।

upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ |
paramātmeti cāpy-ukto dehe’smin-puruṣaḥ paraḥ || 13.22 ||

This is a very comprehensive analysis. Despite prakrti’s operative effects, within the human body shines the Supreme, Transcendent Self. This inmost presence must be the sole focus in spiritual seeking – a point every one should pay sufficient attention to. However imposing and endless be the prakrti and its expression, namely the visible existence, the seeker’s concern should constantly be the supreme Self within. Krishna’s words emphasizing this are of great importance to the seeker.

In one sense, Krishna explained and described the same supreme Reality as jneya – the One to be Known (13.12 to17). The seeker should study that description, as we have discussed it, and then reflect upon what Krishna speaks now about the purusha.

Purusha and prakrti were general concepts, prevalent far before Krishna’s Kurukshetra dialogue came to be. Therefore, he wants to relate his description with the age-old concepts and make them, as well as his own words coherent and effective. Krishna’s method is not one of divergence but integration. He does not want to dislodge any belief or tradition as such. His effort is only to bring about a re-evaluation and correction, wherever necessary. In fact, the jneya he dealt with earlier and the purusha he deals with now are one and the same.

The inmost Presence

See how he describes the inmost presence within:

In this very body dwells the supreme Purusha. It is transcendent. Remaining the Witness all the time, It guides whatever transpires in one’s personality. Thus, It is the wielder or sustainer. It is the enjoyer and sufferer alike. It is the supreme Lord, the Great Soul.

Stupendous universe, consisting of innumerable planets and heavenly bodies, should not the least delude and unsettle the seeker. Let the visible existence be endless, infinitely various and powerful. But it only points to something still loftier and transcendental, in whose light and glory the manifestation thrives. And that Supreme verily dwells within one’s own body, is the message of spirituality.

Thus rises the question: Which of the two should the discerning seeker cling to, both by way of attraction and refuge? Should the seeking mind have its focus on the inferior or the Superior? The thinking mind explores, experiments and soon comes to the conclusion that there is nothing substantial and lasting to gain from the world of sensory perceptions:

Having investigated the world of actions, the man of discretion should develop dispassion (to the fruits of actions, which are caused and hence, ephemeral). Through actions one cannot attain the ‘uncaused’ (i.e., the supreme Reality).

Thus the choice is the superior inner field. For this, one has to discreetly turn to his own within. Krishna lists the characteristics of this inmost transcendent Spirit:

Upadrashta - The Inmost Presence merely ‘witnesses’ everything that takes place, be it any event, transformation or experience, whether in oneself or in the outside world. Do not think that the Witness gets involved in any process whatsoever.

Anumanta - As He is the witness, He also permits and guides all the phenomena that transpire in the material body, and the experiences within, namely in mind, intelligence and ego.

Bharta - He alone supports all the movements in the individual body as well as in the extensive universe. All together His task is complex and comprehensive.

Bhokta - As He sustains and guides all processes, He also experiences varied enjoyments and sufferings. Being unaffected by both enjoyment and suffering, His is a continuous experience of both. To enable and afford all this, what should be the magnitude of bhoktrtva of the Indwelling Spirit?

Mahesvarah - On this account, the Indwelling Presence is to be regarded as Mahesvarah, the supreme Lord. Ìsvarah is a term applied to God, who is generally considered as present somewhere outside. Krishna says the actual Ìsvarah, the Mahesvarah, is within one’s own body. He is the inmost Self, the supreme Purusha.

Paramatma - Yes, the inmost presence, the indwelling Spirit, is the Paramatma, the supreme Source of infinitude in every way. Atma is that which is denoted by the term ‘I’ by every one. The same in its full magnitude and potential becomes Paramatma.

The seeker should not miss the focus Krishna provides here. He speaks about the complex and infinite Nature which keeps changing ceaselessly. And through all the transformations, sukha and duhkha are the only two resultants that the humans encounter or undergo. But these are sufficient to lead the seeker to delve within himself and unearth the inmost source, the Mahesvarah and the Paramatma.

The body alone cannot cause any experience. If the body were competent to cause experience, then how does it get totally forgotten in the sleep state? Experience verily rests upon something different from the body. All perceptions originate from the transcendental Spirit within the body. Krishna has enumerated its nature, qualities and status. To realize them properly the seeker must reflect upon them with discrimination and steadfastness.