The striving yogis see this supreme reality abiding in themselves. The unrefined and thoughtless, even while striving, do not see it.
— Krishna
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Bhagavad Gita · 15.11
Hindi · हिन्दी
यत्न करनेवाले योगीलोग अपनेआपमें स्थित इस परमात्मतत्त्वका अनुभव करते हैं । परन्तु जिन्होंने अपना अन्तःकरण शुद्ध नहीं किया है, ऐसे अविवेकी मनुष्य यत्न करनेपर भी इस तत्त्वका अनुभव नहीं करते ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
यतन्तःstrivingयोगिनःyogisचandएनम्thisपश्यन्तिseeआत्मनिin the selfयतन्तःstrivingअपिevenअकृतात्मानःthose without a purified inner beingनnotएनम्thisपश्यन्तिseeअचेतसःthe thoughtless
Read literallystriving · yogis · and · this · see · in the self · striving · even · those without a purified inner being · not · this · see · the thoughtless
Understanding the verse
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It shifts the goal from trying harder to becoming inwardly clear enough to perceive what is already present.
People who have disciplined and purified themselves can realize the supreme reality within. Effort without inner refinement is not enough.
02
On the battlefield
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Krishna keeps answering Arjuna’s deeper confusion, not just his fear of fighting. After describing how the inner being moves through bodies and senses, Krishna says only the disciplined can perceive the supreme reality within themselves.
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In your life
Why this verse still matters
You sit in silence after a fight, trying to understand why the same pattern keeps repeating. More information does not help until your inner state changes enough to see what was hidden.
The takeaway
“Real progress feels less like forcing and more like becoming fit to see.”
People who have disciplined and purified themselves can realize the supreme reality within. Effort without inner refinement is not enough.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 15.11?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Purushottama Yoga" (The Yoga of the Supreme Person).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 15.11?
Verse 11 sits in Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita — Purushottama Yoga, "The Yoga of the Supreme Person". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 15.11 matter today?
You sit in silence after a fight, trying to understand why the same pattern keeps repeating. More information does not help until your inner state changes enough to see what was hidden.
It shifts the goal from trying harder to becoming inwardly clear enough to perceive what is already present.
What this verse means
People who have disciplined and purified themselves can realize the supreme reality within. Effort without inner refinement is not enough.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Krishna keeps answering Arjuna’s deeper confusion, not just his fear of fighting. After describing how the inner being moves through bodies and senses, Krishna says only the disciplined can perceive the supreme reality within themselves.
Why this verse still matters
You sit in silence after a fight, trying to understand why the same pattern keeps repeating. More information does not help until your inner state changes enough to see what was hidden.
“Real progress feels less like forcing and more like becoming fit to see.”
Explore related themes: purushottama (14 verses)