Knowing Purushottama completes the seeker’s understanding.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयानघ |एतद्बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत ||१५-२०||
iti guhyatamaṃ śāstramidamuktaṃ mayānagha . etadbuddhvā buddhimānsyātkṛtakṛtyaśca bhārata ||15-20||
Use this verse as Chapter 15 completion reflection.
Meaning
Thus I have taught this most secret scripture, O sinless one. Knowing this, one becomes wise and fulfilled in what must be done, O Bharata.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Chapter 15 ends by saying this teaching makes one wise and fulfilled.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna concludes the chapter by calling this wisdom most secret. It reveals the world-tree, detachment, the soul’s divine origin, Krishna’s presence in life, and His identity as Purushottama.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna closes the chapter by underscoring the supreme value of what He has just revealed. He calls it guhyatamaṃ śāstram — the most secret teaching of all — not because it is meant to be hidden, but because its depth is grasped only by the prepared and earnest heart. The knowledge of the Puruṣottama is the highest wisdom, and Krishna places it before Arjuna as a sacred trust.
The promise that follows is complete fulfillment. One who truly understands this teaching becomes buddhimān, genuinely wise, and kṛtakṛtya — one who has done all that needs to be done, with nothing left to accomplish. This is the rare state of inner completeness, where the restless seeking of life finally comes to rest.
Addressing Arjuna as anagha, the sinless one, Krishna affirms his fitness to receive it. The chapter thus ends on a note of profound peace: to know the Supreme Person is to arrive, at last, at the goal of all striving.
In daily life
Review the chapter as a full journey: see bondage, cut attachment, seek Krishna, and worship fully.
A person can end this chapter with a summary journal: what binds me, what frees me, and how Krishna sustains me.
Try this today
Write a 3-line Chapter 15 summary for yourself.
I understand Purushottama and feel spiritually fulfilled.Reflect
What is my biggest learning from Chapter 15?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘इदम् उक्तम् मया’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on fulfillment, in other chapters
- Verse 4.31A life of giving and offering leads to lasting fulfillment; a life of mere taking finds peace neither here nor hereafter.
- Verse 2.65In the state of divine grace, all sorrows are destroyed and wisdom quickly stabilizes in a serene mind.
- Verse 10.32Of all knowledge, the science of the Self is supreme — it alone liberates and ends all sorrow.
- Verse 13.35Cultivate the inner eye of knowledge to distinguish the changing field from the deathless knower, and you walk straight to the Supreme.
Swipe left for 16.1 · Divine life begins with purity, courage, and discipline.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 15.20
Who says Bhagavad Gita 15.20, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 15.20, in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga (Purushottama Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 15.20 mean?
Thus I have taught this most secret scripture, O sinless one. Knowing this, one becomes wise and fulfilled in what must be done, O Bharata. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 15.20 for daily life?
Review the chapter as a full journey: see bondage, cut attachment, seek Krishna, and worship fully. A person can end this chapter with a summary journal: what binds me, what frees me, and how Krishna sustains me.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 15.20 mean?
इति — thus; गुह्यतमम् शास्त्रम् — the most secret teaching / science; इदम् उक्तम् मया — this has been spoken by Me; अनघ — O sinless one; एतत् बुद्ध्वा — having understood this.
Where does verse 15.20 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 20 of 20 in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga. It closes the chapter; Chapter 16 begins with verse 16.1.