Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 10, Verse 15
स्वयमेवात्मनाऽत्मानं वेत्थ त्वं पुरुषोत्तम।
भूतभावन भूतेश देवदेव जगत्पते।।
भूतभावन भूतेश देवदेव जगत्पते।।
swayam evātmanātmānaṁ vettha tvaṁ puruṣottama
bhūta-bhāvana bhūteśa deva-deva jagat-pate
also searched as "swayam evatmanatmanam vettha tvam purushottama"
Translation
O Supreme Person, O Creator of beings, O Lord of beings, O God of gods, O Ruler of the universe, You Yourself know Yourself alone.
Vāṇi's rendering
You alone know yourself, by yourself — maker of beings, lord of beings, god of gods, master of the world.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| स्वयम्svayam | by yourself, on your own |
| एवeva | alone, only (sandhi: eva + ātmanā joins as evātmanā) |
| आत्मनाātmanā | through your own self |
| आत्मानम्ātmānam | your own self (as what is known) |
| वेत्थvettha | you know |
| त्वम्tvam | you |
| पुरुषोत्तमpuruṣottama | O highest person |
| भूतभावनbhūta-bhāvana | O one who brings all beings into being |
| भूतेशbhūteśa | O lord of beings (sandhi: bhūta + īśa) |
| देवदेवdeva-deva | O god of the gods |
| जगत्पतेjagat-pate | O master of the world |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 Verse 15 mean?
Arjuna admits that Krishna is known only by Krishna. No scripture, no sage, no argument reaches him from outside. So Arjuna stops explaining and starts addressing — maker of beings, lord of beings, god of gods, master of the world. The verse marks the point where knowledge turns into speech directed at someone.
What does the verse swayam evatmanatmanam vettha tvam purushottama teach?
That the deepest thing about Krishna is self-known, not inferred. Ātmanā ātmānam — by the self, the self. Arjuna is not confessing ignorance in defeat; he is placing his knowing where it belongs, at the feet of what exceeds it. Reverence here is accuracy, not humility performed for effect.
Why does Arjuna call Krishna by four different names here?
Because one name will not hold him. Bhūta-bhāvana, bhūteśa, deva-deva, jagat-pate — origin, ruler, god of gods, master of all. Each name reaches from a different direction and each falls short. When you cannot define something, you keep calling it. That calling is the verse's whole gesture.
How can I use this verse when I feel I understand nothing about God?
Take it as permission. You are not required to arrive at a definition before you may speak. Arjuna, taught for nine chapters, ends by saying only you know yourself — and then addresses him anyway. Not understanding is no barrier to relationship. Notice who is doing the calling.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna has run out of authority. He has quoted the sages, cited the seers, said he believes — and now he sets all of it down and says: only you know yourself. Four names follow, each larger than the last, and none of them explains anything. They are the sound of someone naming what he cannot contain. This is what happens at the edge of knowing: praise replaces analysis. You have met that edge — with a person you love, with your own mind at three in the morning. The honest move is not to invent an answer. It is to keep addressing what you cannot hold.