BhG 15.18

syntax

yasmāt (because) aham (I) kṣaram (perishable) atītaḥ (who has surpassed),
akṣarāt api ca (and even than the imperishable) uttamaḥ (highest),
ataḥ (therefore) loke vede ca (in the world and in the Veda) puruṣottamaḥ ([as] the best among men) prathitaḥ (celebrated) asmi (I am).

grammar

yasmāt	–	av. (5n.1) – because (from: yat sn. – which, indeclinable ablative with an ending -tas);
kṣaram	–	kṣara 2n.1 m. – perishable (from: √kṣar – to flow, to perish);
atītaḥ	–	atīta (ati-√i – to cross over) PP 1n.1 m. – who has surpassed;
aham	–	asmat sn. 1n.1 – I;
akṣarāt	–	a-kṣara 5n.1 m. – than imperishable (from: √kṣar – to flow, to perish, kṣara – perishable);
api	–	av. – although, moreover, besides, even;
ca	–	av. – and;
uttamaḥ	–	uttama 1n.1 m. – the best, uppermost, highest (superlative of: ud – upwards, above);
ataḥ	–	av. – from this, hence, therefore (indeclinable ablative with an ending -tas);
asmi	–	√as (to be) Praes. P 3v.1 – I am;
loke	–	loka 7n.1 m. – in the world;
vede	–	veda 7n.1 m. – in the Veda (√vid – to know, to understand);
ca	–	av. – and;
prathitaḥ	–	prathita (√prath – to spread, to become known) PP 1n.1 m. – known, celebrated;
puruṣottamaḥ	–	puruṣa-uttama 1n.1 m.; TP: puruṣāṇām uttama iti – the best among men (from: √pur – to precede, to lead or √pṝ – to fill, to nourish, puru – abundance, pūru – people; ut-tama – uppermost, highest, superlative of: ud – upwards, above);

textual variants

yasmāt → tasmāt (therefore);
akṣarād api → akṣarasya api (nawet imperishable);
ato ‘smi → ato ‘smin (therefore in this);

Śāṃkara

yathā-vyākhyātasyeśvarasya puruṣottama ity etat nāma prasiddham | tasya nāma-nirvacana-prasiddhayārthavattvaṃ nāmno darśayan niratiśayo’ham īśvara ity ātmānaṃ darśayati bhagavān—
yasmāt kṣaram atīto’haṃ saṃsāra-māyā-vṛkṣam aśvatthākhyam atikrānto’ham akṣarād api saṃsāra-māyā-rūpa-vṛkṣa-bīja-bhūtād api cottama utkṛṣṭatamaḥ ūrdhvatamo vā | atas tābhyāṃ kṣarākṣarābhyām uttamatvād asmi loke vede ca prathitaḥ prakhyātaḥ | puruṣottama ity evaṃ māṃ bhakta-janā viduḥ | kavayaḥ kāvyādiṣu cedaṃ nāma nibadhnanti | puruṣottama ity anenābhidhānenābhigṛṇanti

Rāmānuja

yasmād evam uktaiḥ svabhāvaiḥ kṣaraṃ puruṣam atīto ‚ham, akṣarān muktād apy uktair hetubhir utkṛṣṭatamaḥ, ato ‚haṃ loke vede ca puruṣottama iti prathito ‚smi / vedārthāvalokanāl loka iti smṛtir ihocyate / śrutau smṛtau cety arthaḥ / śrutau tāvat, „paraṃ jyotir upasaṃpadya svena rūpeṇābhiniṣpadyate, sa uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ” ityādau / smṛtav api, „aṃśāvatāraṃ puruṣottamasya hy anādimadhyāntam ajasya viṣṇoḥ” ityāda

Śrīdhara

evam uktaṃ puruṣottamatvam ātmano nāma-nirvacanena darśayati yasmādi it | yasmāt kṣaraṃ jaḍa-vargam atikrānto ‚haṃ nityam uktatvāt | akṣarāc cetana-vargād apy uttamaś ca niyantṛtvāt | ato loke vede ca puruṣottama iti prathitaḥ prakhyāto ‚smi | tathā ca śrutiḥ – sa eva sarvasyeśānaḥ sarvasyādhipatiḥ sarvam idaṃ praśāstīty ādi

Madhusūdana

idānīṃ yathā-vyākhyāteśvarasya kṣarākṣara-vilakṣaṇasya puruṣottama ity etat prasiddha-nāma-nirvacanenedṛśaḥ parameśvaro ‚ham evety ātmānaṃ darśayati bhagavān brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāhaṃ [Gītā 14.27] tad dhāma paramaṃ mama [Gītā 15.6] ityādi prāg-ukta-nija-mahima-nirdhāraṇāya yasmād iti | yasmāt kṣaraṃ kāryatvena vināśinaṃ māyāmayaṃ saṃsāra-vṛklṣam aśvatthākhyam atīto ‚tikrānto ‚haṃ parameśvaro ‚kṣarād api māyākhyād avyākṛtād akṣarāt parataḥ para iti pañcamy-antākṣara-padena pratipāditāt saṃsāra-vṛkṣa-bīja-bhūtāt sarva-kāraṇād api cottama utkṛṣṭatamaḥ | ataḥ kṣarākṣarābhyāṃ puruṣotpādhibhyām adhyāsena puruṣa-pada-vyapadśyābhyām uttamatvād asmi bhavāmi loke vede ca prathitaḥ prakhyātaḥ puruṣottama iti sa uttamaḥ puruṣa iti veda udāhṛta eva loke ca kavi-kāvyādau harir yathaikaḥ puruṣottamaḥ smṛtaḥ ity ādi prasiddham |
kāruṇyato naravad ācarataḥ parārthān
pārthāya bodhitavato nijam īśvaratvam |
sac-cit-ukhaika-vapuṣaḥ puruṣottamasya
nārāyaṇasya mahimā na hi mānam eti ||
kecin nigṛhya karaṇāni visṛjya bhogam
āsthāya yogam amalātma-dhiyo yatante |
nārāyaṇasya mahimānam ananta-pāram
āsvādayann amṛta-sāram ahaṃ tu muktaḥ ||

Viśvanātha

yogibhir upāsyaṃ paramātmānam uktvā bhaktair upāsyaṃ bhagavantaṃ vadan bhagavattve ‚pi svasya kṛṣṇa-svarūpasya puruṣottama iti nāma vyācakṣāṇaḥ sarvotkarṣam āha yasmād iti | kṣaraṃ puruṣaṃ jīvātmānam atītaḥ akṣarāt puruṣāt brahmata uttamād avikārāt paramātmanaḥ puruṣād apy uttamaḥ |
yoginām api sarveṣāṃ
mad-gatenāntarātmanā |
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṃ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ || [Gītā 6.47] iti |
upāsaka-vaiśiṣṭyād evopāsya-vaiśiṣṭya-lābhāt | ca-kārād bhagavato vaikuṇṭha-nāthādeḥ sakāśād api ete cāṃśa-kalāḥ puṃsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam iti sūtokter aham uttamaḥ |
atra yadyapy ekam eva sac-cid-ānanda-svarūpaṃ vastu brahma-paramātma-bhagavat-śabdair ucyate na tu vastutaḥ svarūpataḥ ko ‚pi bhedo ‚sti svarūpa-dvayābhāvāt (BhP 6.9.35) iti ṣaṣṭha-skandhokteḥ | tad api tat-tad-upāsakānāṃ sādhanataḥ phalataś ca bheda-darśanāt bheda iva vyavahriyate | tathā hi brahma-paramātma-bhagavad-upāsakānāṃ krameṇa tat-tat-prāpti-sādhanaṃ jñānaṃ yogo bhaktiś ca | phalaṃ ca jñāna-yogayor vastuto mokṣa eva, bhaktes tu premavat-pārṣadatvaṃ ca | tatra bhaktyā vinā jñāna-yogābhyāṃ naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṃ na śobhate [BhP 1.5.12] iti | pureha bhūman bahavo ‚pi yoginaḥ [BhP 10.14.5] ity ādi-darśanāt na mokṣa iti |
brahmopāsakaiḥ paramātmopāsakaiḥ sva-sādhya-phala-siddhy-arthaṃ bhagavato bhaktir avaśyaṃ kartavyaiva | bhagavad-upāsakas tu sva-sādhya-phala-siddhy-arthaṃ na brahmopāsanāpi paramātmopāsanā kriyate | na jñānaṃ na ca vairāgyaṃ prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha [BhP 11.20.31] iti, yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna-vairāgyataś ca yat [BhP 11.20.32] ity ādau –
sarvaṃ mad-bhakti-yogena
mad-bhakto labhate ‚ñjasā |
svargāpavargaṃ mad-dhāma
kathañcid yadi vāñchati || iti [BhP 11.20.33] |
yā vai sādhana-sampattiḥ
puruṣārtha-catuṣṭaye |
tayā vinā tad āpnoti
naro nārāyaṇāśrayaḥ || ity ādi vacanebhyaḥ ||
ataeva bhagavad-upāsanayā svargāpavarga-premādīni sarva-phalāny eva labdhuṃ śakyante | brahma-paramātmopāsanayā tu na premādīnīty ata eva brahma-paramātmābhyāṃ bhagavad-utkarṣaḥ khalu abhede ‚py ucyate | yathā tejastvenābhede ‚pi jyotir dīpāgni-puñjeṣu madhye śītādy-ārti-kṣayād dhetor agni-puñja eva śreṣṭha ucyate | tatrāpi bhagavataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇasya tu parama evotkarṣaḥ | yathā agni-puñjād api sūryasya, yena brahmopāsanā-paripākato labhyo nirvāṇa-mokṣaḥ sva-dveṣṭṛbhyo ‚py agha-bak-jarāsandhādibhyo mahā-pāpibhyo datta iti | ataeva brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham ity atra yathāvad eva vyākhyātaṃ śrī-svāmi-caraṇaiḥ |
śrī-madhusūdana-sarasvatī-pādair api —
cid-ānandākāraṃ jalada-ruci-sāraṃ śruti-girāṃ
vraja-strīṇāṃ hāraṃ bhava-jaladhi-pāraṃ kṛta-dhiyām |
vihantuṃ bhūbhāraṃ vidadhad-avatāraṃ muhur aho
tato vāraṃ vāraṃ bhajata kuśalārambha-kṛtinaḥ || iti |
vaṃśī-vvibhūṣita-karān nava-nīradābhāt
pītāmbarād aruṇa-bimba-phalādharauṣṭhāt |
pūrṇendu-sundara-mukhād aravinda-netrāt
kṛṣṇāt paraṃ kim api tattvam ahaṃ na jāne || iti |
pramāṇato ‚pi nirṇīyaṃ
kṛṣṇa-māhātmyam adbhutam |
na śaknuvanti ye soḍhuṃ
te mūḍhā nirayaṃ gatāḥ ||
ity uktavadbhiḥ kṛṣṇe sarvotkarṣa eva vyavasthāpita ity ataḥ dvāv imau ity ādi śloka-trayasyāsya vyākhyāyām asyām abhyasūyā nāviṣkartavyā | namo ‚stu kevala-vidbhyaḥ

Baladeva

atha puruṣottama-nāma-nirvacanaṃ svasya tattvam āha yasmād iti uttama utkṛṣṭatamaḥ | loke pauruṣeyāgame lokyate vedārtho ‚nena iti nirukteḥ | vede tāvad eṣa samprasādo ‚smāc charīrāt samutthāya paraṃ jyotīrūpaṃ sampadya svena rūpeṇābhiniṣpadyate, sa uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ ity ādau prathitaḥ yat paraṃ jyotiḥ samprasādenopasampannaṃ sa uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ paramātmetiy arthaḥ | loke ca –
tair vijñāpita-kāryas tu
bhagavān puruṣottamaḥ |
avatīrṇo mahā-yogī
satyavatyāṃ parāśarāt || [SkandaP] ity ādau prathitaḥ