सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो
मत्त: स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च |
वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो
वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् || 15||
sarvasya chāhaṁ hṛidi sanniviṣhṭo
mattaḥ smṛitir jñānam apohanaṁ cha
vedaiśh cha sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛid veda-vid eva chāham
sarvasya—of all living beings; cha—and; aham—I; hṛidi—in the hearts; sanniviṣhṭaḥ—seated; mattaḥ—from Me; smṛitiḥ—memory; jñānam—knowledge; apohanam—forgetfulness; cha—as well as; vedaiḥ—by the Vedas; cha—and; sarvaiḥ—all; aham—I; eva—alone; vedyaḥ—to be known; vedānta-kṛit—the author of the Vedant; veda-vit—the knower of the meaning of the Vedas; eva—alone; cha—and; aham—I
Translation:
And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory and knowledge, and their loss as well. It is I alone who am to be known through all the Vedas; I am indeed the Author of Vedānta and the Knower of the Vedas.
Commentary:
Sarvasya: Without distinction of caste, creed, religion, race and nationality, the Lord is present in the hearts of all beings. No one needs to feel desperate that he is devoid of the Lord’s presence. The worst sinners and outcastes can ennoble their lives by giving up their evil ways, and feeling the presence of the Lord within themselves. Even the worst sinner can attain perfection, if he remembers that the background for him also is the mighty universal Lord, and he is one with Him.
Thus the Gita opens the door of the highest realisation to all beings. The Lord is the background, the source, and the foundation for all. What does it matter whether the wave is small or big, for, both are the same to the ocean. The small Jiva need not fear. The Jiva is part of the Lord Himself, in the same way as the wave is part of the ocean. The trumpet call of the Lord is ‘I am in all, come to Me, I am yours.’
Hridi: He, the Lord, is seated in the hearts of all. He is the nearest to all. It is gross foolishness to imagine that the Lord is not with beings, or He is far away from them. Repeatedly does the Lord declare ‘I am in the hearts of all’, thus urging man to realise his divine nature and give up all thoughts of weakness, vileness and wretchedness. He is the witness of all that one does, and He is also the punisher, if he does wrong. So thinking, everyone should evolve towards higher planes of righteousness and perfection.
Smritir jnanam apoham: Memory, knowledge, loss of memory, all these are different forms of mental energy. The Lord is the foundation of the mind, and so all these mental states are caused by the Lord Himself. He is the observer of the subtlest mental processes and nothing can be hidden from Him. So, let every seeker be fully aware of the thoughts that are coming up in his mind, check them up, and entertain only those which are pure, uplifting, and inspiring.
Vedais cha sarvaih aham eva vedyah: The Vedas and the Sastras speak of different Gods and Goddesses, but the Supreme Being to be known is Paramatma, the Lord only. This one supreme Being is manifesting as Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara, Indra, Varuna, Yama and so the ultimate goal for all mankind is the one indivisible Sachidananda Para Brahman. All others are the manifestations of His wonderful Glory.
Vedantakrit: He is the author of Vedanta. The Vedas and the Upanishads are products of that One Divine intelligence. They are the words of Paramatma. Sincere seekers have to read them with faith and devotion. Such faith in the word of God is the only, way for spiritual progress and realisation. One’s faith in them should be firm and immovable. In tracing the line of Gurus, it is the sadachara to start with Narayana (Paramatma). (“OM Narayanam Padmabhuvam … … …”). He is the source of all knowledge from the highest to the lowest.
Question: Where is Paramatma?
Answer: He is in the hearts of all beings.
Question: From whom proceed memory, knowledge and their absence?
Answer: From Paramatma alone.
Question: Who is the author of Vedanta? Whom does the Vedas proclaim? Who is the knower of the Vedas?
Answer: Paramatma alone.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 15 🔻 (20 Verses)
