Bhagavad Gita BG 15.15
Chapter 15, Verse 15 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च । वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ॥
sarvasya caham hrdi sannivishto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca vedaish ca sarvairu aham eva vedyo vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham
Meaning
And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory, knowledge, and their removal. I am indeed to be known by all the Vedas; I am the author of Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas.
Understanding
The culminating declaration of Krishna's immanence: sarvasya caham hrdi sannivishtah (I am seated in the hearts of all — sarvasya = of everything, hrdi = in the heart, sannivishtah = well-established within). From Me: smrtih (memory — the ability to recall), jnanam (knowledge — the capacity to know), apohanam (their removal — the taking away of both memory and knowledge, i.e., the power of forgetting and dissolution). The Divine is the source of cognitive function itself: knowing, remembering, and forgetting. Then: vedaish ca sarvaih aham eva vedyah (by all the Vedas, I alone am to be known — the entire Vedic tradition points to Me). Vedanta-krd (the maker/author of Vedanta — the culminating/end portion of the Vedas) veda-vid eva caham (and I am indeed the knower of the Vedas — not just the object but also the subject of Vedic knowledge). This verse is the crown of Ch15's immanent theology.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| सन्निविष्टः | sannivishtah | well-established within, seated firmly, entered into |
| स्मृतिः | smrtih | memory, remembrance, recollection |
| अपोहनम् | apohanam | removal, taking away, forgetting (apo = away, hana = striking) |
| वेद्यः | vedyah | to be known, that which is to be known (gerundive) |
| वेदान्तकृत् | vedanta-krt | the maker/author of Vedanta (the end/culmination of the Vedas) |
| सर्वस्य | sarvasya ca | and of all |
| अहम् | aham | I |
| हृदि | hṛdi | in the heart |
| सन्निविष्टः | sanniviṣṭaḥ | seated, dwelling |
| मत्तः | mattaḥ | from Me |
| स्मृतिः | smṛtiḥ | memory |
| ज्ञानम् | jñānam | knowledge |
| अपोहनम् | apohanam ca | and forgetfulness |
| वेदैः | vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ | and by all the Vedas |
| अहम् | aham eva | I alone |
| वेद्यः | vedyaḥ | to be known |
| वेदान्त-कृत् | vedānta-kṛt | the author of Vedanta |
| वेद-वित् | veda-vit | the knower of the Vedas |
| एव | eva ca aham | I alone indeed |
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