Yoga through Appreciating the Infinite Opulences of God
Verse 10.15
स्वयमेवात्मनाऽत्मानं वेत्थ त्वं पुरुषोत्तम। भूतभावन भूतेश देवदेव जगत्पते।।10.15।।
swayam evātmanātmānaṁ vettha tvaṁ puruṣhottama bhūta-bhāvana bhūteśha deva-deva jagat-pate
Word Meanings
swayam—yourself; eva—indeed; ātmanā—by yourself; ātmānam—yourself; vettha—know; tvam—you; puruṣha-uttama—the Supreme Personality; bhūta-bhāvana—the Creator of all beings; bhūta-īśha—the Lord of everything; deva-deva—the God of gods; jagat-pate—the Lord of the universe
Translation · English
Verily, Thou Thyself knowest Thyself by Thyself, O Supreme Person, O source and Lord of all beings, O God of gods, O ruler of the world!
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Arjuna reaches a state of profound spiritual realization, acknowledging that the nature of the Supreme is inherently self-revealing and beyond the limitations of human discursive thought. By addressing Krishna as Purushottama (the Supreme Person), Arjuna transcends his mundane relationship with his charioteer, perceiving instead the ultimate reality that is simultaneously the Source (Bhuta-bhavana) and the Sovereign (Jagat-pate) of all existence. This acknowledgement highlights a fundamental principle of the Gita: the Divine cannot be fully grasped by the finite mind or intellectual analysis. Instead, the Divine knows Itself by Itself, and the role of the seeker is to become a refined vessel capable of receiving the revelation of that self-existent truth. It is a moment of surrender where Arjuna moves from questioning the external manifest world to contemplating the inner, unmanifest Source. He recognizes that Krishna is not merely a player within the universe, but the very substratum upon which the entire cosmos is projected. This shift in perspective is crucial for the path of Bhakti, where the devotee ceases to 'study' God as an object and begins to 'participate' in the Divine nature through humble acknowledgment of His infinite majesty. The titles Arjuna bestows upon Krishna—Creator, Lord of beings, God of gods—serve as an internal mapping of the Divine hierarchy, leading the seeker back to the singular, non-dual essence that resides at the heart of all diversity.
The ultimate reality is self-evident and self-manifesting; it can only be truly known when the seeker surrenders the ego-mind and recognizes the Divine as the absolute substratum of all existence.
Connected Verses
Directly links to the idea that all scriptures and knowledge ultimately point to the realization of the Supreme Person, who is the true subject of the Vedas.
Explains the paradox that the One is indivisible yet appears divided within all beings, mirroring the idea that the Divine is the knower and the known.
Confirms that the Divine is not revealed to everyone, as He remains veiled by His yogamaya, known only to those who pierce the illusion of the material appearance.
Reinforces the concept that the Divine, though unborn and eternal, manifests through His own nature, existing independently of worldly causality.
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