Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 15 of 18

Purushottama Yoga

पुरुषोत्तमयोग — The Supreme Person · 20 verses

All 20 verses

Sanskrit, transliteration and English meaning for every verse.

1. 15.1 · Krishna

   ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् ।
   छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥

   ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhamaśvatthaṃ prāhuravyayam |
   chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yastaṃ veda sa vedavit ||

   The Lord said: They speak of an imperishable ashvattha (sacred fig tree) with its roots above and its branches below. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns; whoever knows it knows the Vedas.

2. 15.2 · Krishna

   अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा
   गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः ।
   अधश्च मूलान्यनुसंततानि
   कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ॥

   adhaścordhvaṃ prasṛtāstasya śākhā
   guṇapravṛddhā viṣayapravālāḥ |
   adhaśca mūlānyanusaṃtatāni
   karmānubandhīni manuṣyaloke ||

   Its branches spread below and above, nourished by the gunas, with the objects of the senses as their shoots; and below, in the world of humans, its roots stretch out, binding through action.

3. 15.3 · Krishna

   न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते
   नान्तो न चादिर्न च संप्रतिष्ठा ।
   अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल-
   मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ॥

   na rūpamasyeha tathopalabhyate
   nānto na cādirna ca saṃpratiṣṭhā |
   aśvatthamenaṃ suvirūḍhamūla-
   masaṅgaśastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā ||

   Its true form is not perceived here, nor its end, nor its beginning, nor its foundation. Having cut down this deep-rooted ashvattha with the strong axe of non-attachment —

4. 15.4 · Krishna

   ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं
   यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः ।
   तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये
   यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी ॥

   tataḥ padaṃ tatparimārgitavyaṃ
   yasmingatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ |
   tameva cādyaṃ puruṣaṃ prapadye
   yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī ||

   — one should then seek that state from which those who reach it never return, thinking: “I take refuge in that primal Person from whom the ancient stream of creation flowed forth.”

5. 15.5 · Krishna

   निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा
   अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः ।
   द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञै-
   र्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत् ॥

   nirmānamohā jitasaṅgadoṣā
   adhyātmanityā vinivṛttakāmāḥ |
   dvandvairvimuktāḥ sukhaduḥkhasaṃjñai-
   rgacchantyamūḍhāḥ padamavyayaṃ tat ||

   Free from pride and delusion, having conquered the fault of attachment, ever devoted to the Self, with desires turned away, released from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach that imperishable state.

6. 15.6 · Krishna

   न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः ।
   यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥

   na tadbhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ |
   yadgatvā na nivartante taddhāma paramaṃ mama ||

   Neither the sun nor the moon nor fire illumines it. Those who reach it do not return: that is my supreme abode.

7. 15.7 · Krishna · key verse

   ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः ।
   मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ॥

   mamaivāṃśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ |
   manaḥṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛtisthāni karṣati ||

   An eternal fragment of myself becomes the living soul in the world of beings. It draws to itself the five senses and the mind, which rest in nature.

8. 15.8 · Krishna

   शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः ।
   गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ॥

   śarīraṃ yadavāpnoti yaccāpyutkrāmatīśvaraḥ |
   gṛhītvaitāni saṃyāti vāyurgandhānivāśayāt ||

   When the lord of the body takes on a body and when he leaves it, he takes these with him and goes, as the wind carries scents away from their source.

9. 15.9 · Krishna

   श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च ।
   अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते ॥

   śrotraṃ cakṣuḥ sparśanaṃ ca rasanaṃ ghrāṇameva ca |
   adhiṣṭhāya manaścāyaṃ viṣayānupasevate ||

   Presiding over the ear, the eye, touch, taste and smell, and the mind, he enjoys the objects of the senses.

10. 15.10 · Krishna

    उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् ।
    विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः ॥

    utkrāmantaṃ sthitaṃ vāpi bhuñjānaṃ vā guṇānvitam |
    vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñānacakṣuṣaḥ ||

    The deluded do not see him as he departs, as he stays, or as he experiences, joined with the gunas (qualities of nature); those with the eye of wisdom see.

11. 15.11 · Krishna

    यतन्तो योगिनश्चैनं पश्यन्त्यात्मन्यवस्थितम् ।
    यतन्तोऽप्यकृतात्मानो नैनं पश्यन्त्यचेतसः ॥

    yatanto yoginaścainaṃ paśyantyātmanyavasthitam |
    yatanto’pyakṛtātmāno nainaṃ paśyantyacetasaḥ ||

    Yogis who strive see him established within themselves; but those who are unrefined and lack discernment do not see him, even though they strive.

12. 15.12 · Krishna

    यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् ।
    यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ॥

    yadādityagataṃ tejo jagadbhāsayate’khilam |
    yaccandramasi yaccāgnau tattejo viddhi māmakam ||

    The radiance in the sun that lights up the whole world, the radiance in the moon and in fire — know that radiance to be mine.

13. 15.13 · Krishna

    गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा ।
    पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ॥

    gāmāviśya ca bhūtāni dhārayāmyahamojasā |
    puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ ||

    Entering the earth, I sustain all beings with my energy; and becoming the moon, full of nourishing sap, I nourish all plants.

14. 15.14 · Krishna

    अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः ।
    प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ॥

    ahaṃ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṃ dehamāśritaḥ |
    prāṇāpānasamāyuktaḥ pacāmyannaṃ caturvidham ||

    Becoming the digestive fire within the bodies of living beings, and joined with the incoming and outgoing breaths, I digest the four kinds of food.

15. 15.15 · Krishna

    सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि संनिविष्टो
    मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च ।
    वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो
    वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ॥

    sarvasya cāhaṃ hṛdi saṃniviṣṭo
    mattaḥ smṛtirjñānamapohanaṃ ca |
    vedaiśca sarvairahameva vedyo
    vedāntakṛdvedavideva cāham ||

    I am seated in the hearts of all. From me come memory, knowledge and their loss. I alone am what is to be known through all the Vedas; I am the author of Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas.

16. 15.16 · Krishna

    द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च ।
    क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ॥

    dvāvimau puruṣau loke kṣaraścākṣara eva ca |
    kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭastho’kṣara ucyate ||

    There are two persons in this world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable; the unchanging one is called imperishable.

17. 15.17 · Krishna

    उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः ।
    यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ॥

    uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmetyudāhṛtaḥ |
    yo lokatrayamāviśya bibhartyavyaya īśvaraḥ ||

    But there is another, the highest Person, called the supreme Self, who, as the imperishable Lord, enters the three worlds and sustains them.

18. 15.18 · Krishna

    यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहमक्षरादपि चोत्तमः ।
    अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः ॥

    yasmātkṣaramatīto’hamakṣarādapi cottamaḥ |
    ato’smi loke vede ca prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ ||

    Because I am beyond the perishable and higher even than the imperishable, I am celebrated in the world and in the Veda as Purushottama (the supreme Person).

19. 15.19 · Krishna

    यो मामेवमसंमूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम् ।
    स सर्वविद्भजति मां सर्वभावेन भारत ॥

    yo māmevamasaṃmūḍho jānāti puruṣottamam |
    sa sarvavidbhajati māṃ sarvabhāvena bhārata ||

    Whoever, free from delusion, knows me thus as the supreme Person knows everything, and worships me with his whole being, Bharata.

20. 15.20 · Krishna

    इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयानघ ।
    एतद्‌बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत ॥

    iti guhyatamaṃ śāstramidamuktaṃ mayānagha |
    etad‌buddhvā buddhimānsyātkṛtakṛtyaśca bhārata ||

    Thus I have taught you this most secret teaching, sinless one. Understanding it, a person becomes wise and has done all that needs to be done, Bharata.