True seeing requires the eye of knowledge.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् |विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः ||१५-१०||
utkrāmantaṃ sthitaṃ vāpi bhuñjānaṃ vā guṇānvitam . vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñānacakṣuṣaḥ ||15-10||
Use this verse to develop deeper perception.
Meaning
The deluded do not perceive the soul departing, staying, or experiencing under the gunas, but those with the eye of knowledge see.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The wise perceive the soul’s journey; the deluded only see surface life.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna teaches that ordinary sight is not enough. The soul’s movement, experience, and bondage through the gunas are recognized by inner wisdom, not by physical eyes alone.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna draws a sharp line between two ways of seeing. The same soul that departs at death, dwells within the living body, and experiences the world through the gunas is present and active before everyone — yet the vimūḍhāḥ, the deluded, completely fail to perceive it. Lost in identification with the body and its sensations, they see only the outer shell and miss the conscious presence within.
The difference is not in what is there to be seen, but in the instrument of seeing. Those endowed with the jñāna-cakṣus — the eye of knowledge — behold the indwelling soul clearly. This inner eye is not a physical faculty but the awakened discernment that comes from spiritual study, reflection, and practice.
Krishna's message is quietly urgent: the truth of the Self is always present and available, but it remains invisible to a mind clouded by delusion. The work of the seeker is to develop this clearer vision.
In daily life
Look deeper than surface behavior.
A person may see someone’s anger but wisdom asks what pain, guna, or attachment is behind it.
Try this today
Pause before judging and ask what is deeper here.
I seek the eye of knowledge.Reflect
Where do I need the eye of knowledge?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘गुणान्वितम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on discernment, in other chapters
- Verse 13.12True knowledge is whatever keeps you steadily turned toward your deepest Self; everything else is ignorance dressed up as learning.
- Verse 16.6Understanding the patterns of the lower nature is the first step to recognising and rooting them out within yourself.
- Verse 18.4Even the act of letting go has a quality — it can be pure, restless, or deluded.
- Verse 7.20When desire narrows our vision, we chase gifts and forget the Giver — notice when devotion has shrunk to a means of getting.
Swipe left for 15.11 · Purified awareness sees the Self.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 15.10
Who says Bhagavad Gita 15.10, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 15.10, in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga (Purushottama Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 15.10 mean?
The deluded do not perceive the soul departing, staying, or experiencing under the gunas, but those with the eye of knowledge see. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 15.10 for daily life?
Look deeper than surface behavior. A person may see someone’s anger but wisdom asks what pain, guna, or attachment is behind it.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 15.10 mean?
उत्क्रामन्तम् — the one departing (the body); स्थितम् वा अपि — or remaining; भुञ्जानम् — or enjoying; गुणान्वितम् — associated with the gunas; विमूढाः — the deluded.
Where does verse 15.10 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 10 of 20 in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga. The next verse is 15.11.