Sanskrit
स्वयमेवात्मनाऽऽत्मानं वेत्थ त्वं पुरुषोत्तम । भूतभावन भूतेश देवदेव जगत्पते ॥ १५ ॥
svayam evātmanātmānaṃ vettha tvaṃ puruṣottama bhūtabhāvana bhūteśa devadeva jagatpate
Translation
Thyself indeed knowest Thyself by Thyself, O Purushottama; Source of beings, Lord of beings, Shining One of Shining Ones, Ruler of the world!
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A tightly self-referential line — “Thyself indeed knowest Thyself by Thyself” — that denies external knowledge of Krishna is even in principle available, since ordinary knowing requires a knower distinct from the known. It’s the closest this chapter comes to an apophatic move, conceding the limit right before Arjuna asks Krishna to describe himself anyway in verses 16-18. Svayam evātmanātmānaṃ vettha — “you know yourself, by yourself, as yourself” — closes the circle: no outside vantage on Krishna exists, because knower, knowing, and known would all have to be him. It is the same self-knowing Self formula as BG 6.20’s “seeing the Self by the Self.””
Study deeper
Word by word
- svayam evātmanātmānaṃस्वयं एवात्मनात्मानं
- by yourself alone, [you know] the Self through the Self (svayam + eva + ātmanā + ātmānam)
- vettha tvaṃ puruṣottamaवेत्थ त्वं पुरुषोत्तम
- you know, O Supreme Person (vettha + tvam + puruṣottama)
- bhūtabhāvana bhūteśaभूतभावन भूतेश
- O source of beings, Lord of beings (bhūta-bhāvana + bhūta-īśa)
- devadeva jagatpateदेवदेव जगत्पते
- O God of gods, Lord of the world (deva-deva + jagat-pate)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Having just conceded that Krishna can only be known by Krishna — that ordinary knowing requires a separation between knower and known which doesn’t apply here — Arjuna asks him to describe himself anyway in the very next verse. Conceding an in-principle limit doesn’t stop the request; it only changes what the request can accomplish: not a complete account, but as much as can be offered from outside an unreachable center.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you accept that something about a person or situation is fundamentally beyond full understanding, keep asking your questions anyway — this verse has Arjuna concede Krishna can only be known by himself, then ask him to describe himself regardless. A stated limit on complete knowledge doesn't make partial answers worthless.
Professional
- When a system is acknowledged as too complex for anyone to fully model, keep requesting the best partial account available rather than abandoning documentation altogether — this verse concedes an in-principle limit and asks the question anyway in the very next line. "We can't know everything" isn't a reason to stop asking.
Family & Social
- When you accept you'll never fully understand what someone close to you is going through, keep asking them to share what they can anyway — this verse concedes a limit on knowing and asks for an account regardless. Accepting a limit doesn't mean the partial answer isn't worth requesting.
Ask yourself
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