Chapter 15, Verse 15
सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनञ्च | वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ||१५-१५||
sarvasya cāhaṃ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtirjñānamapohanañca . vedaiśca sarvairahameva vedyo vedāntakṛdvedavideva cāham ||15-15||
Meaning
15.15 And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory and knowledge, as well as their absence. I am verily That which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of the Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas am I.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
This verse stands at the spiritual heart of the chapter. Krishna declares that He is seated in the hearts of all beings — sarvasya hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ — the inner witness present in every creature. From Him flow memory, knowledge, and even their loss; the very faculties by which we learn, recall, and forget are gifts of the Divine indwelling. Our entire mental life rests upon His presence within.
Krishna then makes a sweeping claim about scripture itself: He is the one ultimate goal of all the Vedas (vedyaḥ), the author of the Vedanta, and the true knower of the Vedas. All sacred study, finally, is pointing toward Him. This unites the chapter's themes: the same Lord who pervades sun, moon, earth, and digestion also dwells most intimately within our own hearts. We need not search far — the Supreme being sought through all the scriptures is already seated within, closer to us than our own thoughts.
💡 Key Takeaway
The Divine dwells in your own heart as the source of memory and knowledge, and is the goal of all scripture.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् | छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ||१५-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhamaśvatthaṃ prāhuravyayam . chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yastaṃ veda sa vedavit ||15-1||
15.1 The Blessed Lord said They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree having its root above and branches below, whose leaves are the metres or hymns: he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् | विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः ||१५-१०||
utkrāmantaṃ sthitaṃ vāpi bhuñjānaṃ vā guṇānvitam . vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñānacakṣuṣaḥ ||15-10||
15.10 The deluded do not see Him Who departs, stays and enjoys; but they who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.
यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् | यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ||१५-१२||
yadādityagataṃ tejo jagadbhāsayate.akhilam . yaccandramasi yaccāgnau tattejo viddhi māmakam ||15-12||
15.12 That light which residing in the sun illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon and in the fire know that light to be Mine.