Chapter 15 of 18
The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality
The fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is Purushottama Yoga. In Sanskrit, Purusha means the All-pervading God, and Purushottam means the timeless & transcendental aspect of God. Krishna reveals that the purpose of this Transcendental knowledge of the God is to detach ourselves from the bondage of the material world and to understand Krishna as the Supreme Divine Personality, who is the eternal controller and sustainer of the world. One who understands this Ultimate Truth surrenders to Him and engages in His devotional service.
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श्रीभगवानुवाच | ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् | छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ||१५-१||
Krishna describes worldly life as an upside-down sacred tree: its root is in the higher divine reality, while its branches spread downward into the changing world of actions, desires, and attachments. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns that nourish and explain this tree. To truly understand this image is to see both the world’s divine source and the way we can become entangled in it.
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः | अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ||१५-२||
Krishna compares worldly life to a vast tree whose branches spread in every direction. The three gunas—our tendencies toward clarity, restlessness, and inertia—keep this tree growing, while pleasures of the senses tempt us like fresh buds. Our actions and their consequences become roots that bind us more deeply to the cycle of worldly attachment.
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा | अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलं असङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ||१५-३||
The web of worldly life is so vast and tangled that we cannot fully trace where it begins, where it ends, or what keeps it standing. Its attachments run deep, so Krishna asks us to cut through them with the firm inner discipline of non-attachment—not by abandoning life, but by refusing to let possessions, desires, and relationships bind our peace and identity.
ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः | तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये | यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी ||१५-४||
Once we recognise how deeply we are entangled in worldly attachments, we should seek the highest spiritual destination—the state from which there is no return to suffering and repeated bondage. Krishna asks us to take refuge in the eternal Supreme Being, the original source from whom this ancient flow of life and creation has emerged.
निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः | द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञैर्- गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत् ||१५-५||
Those who let go of ego, confusion, and unhealthy attachment become inwardly steady. By turning away from endless cravings and not being shaken by pleasure or pain, they see life clearly and move towards the eternal Divine reality.
न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः | यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ||१५-६||
Krishna describes His highest abode as a reality beyond all material light—the sun, moon, and fire are not needed there. Reaching that divine state means freedom from the repeated cycle of birth and death, and lasting union with the Supreme.
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः | मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ||१५-७||
Krishna says that every living being carries an eternal spark of the Divine within. Yet, while living in the material world, the soul becomes involved with the mind and five senses, which pull it toward worldly experiences and attachments. Remembering our spiritual nature can help us rise above this constant tug of desires and distractions.
शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः | गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ||१५-८||
The soul does not end when the body dies. As it leaves one body and enters another, it carries the mind and senses’ tendencies with it—just as the wind carries a fragrance away from a flower. This reminds us that our inner habits and attachments shape our journey beyond this present life.
श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च | अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते ||१५-९||
The individual soul experiences the world through the five senses—hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell—along with the mind. These senses bring us into contact with pleasures and objects outside us, but the soul itself is more than these changing experiences; recognising this helps us avoid becoming trapped by every desire and attraction.
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् | विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः ||१५-१०||
Most people notice only the body and its outward actions, not the conscious self within it. Whether the soul leaves a body, remains in it, or experiences life through the senses and the three qualities of nature, it is not easily recognised. Those who cultivate inner wisdom learn to see this deeper reality beyond appearances.
यतन्तो योगिनश्चैनं पश्यन्त्यात्मन्यवस्थितम् | यतन्तोऽप्यकृतात्मानो नैनं पश्यन्त्यचेतसः ||१५-११||
Those who sincerely discipline their mind and deepen their spiritual practice begin to recognise the Divine presence within themselves. But simply making effort is not enough: when the mind is scattered, immature, or ruled by impulses, this inner truth remains unseen. Real understanding grows through self-purification, steady attention, and inner awareness.
यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् | यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ||१५-१२||
Krishna says that the light shining through the sun, moon, and fire is an expression of His divine presence. The brilliance and order we see in nature are not separate from the Divine; they remind us that God quietly sustains and illuminates the whole world.
गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा | पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ||१५-१३||
Krishna says that the same Divine presence quietly sustains life everywhere: it holds the earth and all living beings in place, and nourishes plants through the moon’s cooling, life-giving influence. Seeing this can awaken gratitude—our food, strength, and survival are not merely personal achievements, but are supported by a deeper divine order.
अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः | प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ||१५-१४||
Krishna says that the divine is present even in the body’s most ordinary process: digestion. As the inner vital fire, working with the breath, He transforms the food we eat into nourishment. This is a reminder that our life and strength are not entirely self-created; they are sustained each moment by a deeper divine presence.
सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनञ्च | वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ||१५-१५||
Krishna says that the Divine dwells within every heart and is the source of our ability to remember, understand, and even forget. The deepest purpose of all true learning and spiritual study is to recognise and know this Divine reality, which is both the source and the knower of all wisdom.
द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च | क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ||१५-१६||
Krishna says that life has two dimensions: the changing world of bodies and beings, which is perishable, and the unchanging inner reality, which is imperishable. Recognising this helps us not cling too tightly to temporary circumstances and to seek steadiness in what remains constant within us.
उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युधाहृतः | यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ||१५-१७||
Beyond the changing body and the individual soul is the Supreme Self—God, the eternal Lord. Present throughout all realms, He sustains the whole universe without ever diminishing or being affected by its changes. Remembering this can help us place our trust in something steady and divine amid life’s uncertainty.
यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहमक्षरादपि चोत्तमः | अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः ||१५-१८||
Krishna says that He is beyond both the changing material world and even the individual imperishable soul. As the Supreme Person, He is the ultimate source, support, and reality behind all that exists. Recognising this helps us look beyond temporary identities and place our trust in the Divine.
यो मामेवमसम्मूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम् | स सर्वविद्भजति मां सर्वभावेन भारत ||१५-१९||
When we clearly understand Krishna as the Supreme Divine Reality, beyond the changing world and yet present within it, confusion begins to fall away. Such understanding is not merely intellectual: it naturally leads a person to love, trust, and worship Him wholeheartedly, with their entire life.
इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयानघ | एतद्बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत ||१५-२०||
Krishna closes this teaching by saying that understanding the Supreme Reality is the deepest wisdom. When a person truly recognises God as the highest truth and lives with that awareness, their understanding becomes clear and life finds its real fulfilment; they no longer feel that something essential is missing.
