Purushottama Yoga · Verse 11

Bhagavad Gita 15.11

Seeing the supreme reality depends on inner purification, not effort alone.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

यतन्तो योगिनश्चैनं पश्यन्त्यात्मन्यवस्थितम् ।
यतन्तोऽप्यकृतात्मानो नैनं पश्यन्त्यचेतसः ॥
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 ॥
English
The striving yogis see this supreme reality abiding in themselves. The unrefined and thoughtless, even while striving, do not see it.

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.

The takeaway

Real progress feels less like forcing and more like becoming fit to see.

Word-by-word translation

यतन्तः (striving) / योगिनः (yogis) / च (and) / एनम् (this) / पश्यन्ति (see) / आत्मनि (in the self) / अवस्थितम् (abiding) । / यतन्तः (striving) / अपि (even) / अकृतात्मानः (those without a purified inner being) / न (not) / एनम् (this) / पश्यन्ति (see) / अचेतसः (the thoughtless)

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