Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 15, Verse 20
इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयाऽनघ।एतद्बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत।।
iti guhyatamaṁ śāstram idam uktaṁ mayānagha
etad buddhvā buddhimān syāt kṛta-kṛtyaś ca bhārata
also searched as "iti guhyatamam shastram idam uktam mayanagha"
Translation
Thus, O sinless one, this most mysterious doctrine has been imparted by Me. By understanding this, one will become truly wise and fulfill their duty.
Vāṇi's rendering
This is the most secret of teachings. Understand it, and you are wise — and everything needed is already done.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| इतिiti | thus, in this way |
| गुह्यतमम्guhya-tamam | most secret, the innermost of hidden things |
| शास्त्रम्śāstram | teaching, instruction that carries authority |
| इदम्idam | this |
| उक्तम्uktam | has been spoken |
| मयाmayā | by me (joined by sandhi to the next word) |
| अनघanagha | O faultless one, you in whom there is no stain |
| एतत्etat | this |
| बुद्ध्वाbuddhvā | having understood, having awakened to |
| बुद्धिमान्buddhimān | wise, one whose understanding is clear |
| स्यात्syāt | would be, becomes |
| कृतकृत्यःkṛta-kṛtyaḥ | one for whom everything needing to be done is done |
| चca | and |
| भारतbhārata | O Bhārata, descendant of Bharata |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 Verse 20 mean?
Krishna tells Arjuna he has now given the most secret teaching of all, and that grasping it makes a person wise and complete. There is no further task waiting on the other side of it. Understanding is not preparation for the goal — here it is the goal, already arrived.
What is the meaning of iti guhyatamam shastram idam uktam mayanagha?
Thus has this most hidden teaching been spoken by me, O faultless one. Krishna marks the end of the fifteenth chapter by naming what he has just given: guhyatama, the innermost secret. And he addresses Arjuna as anagha — unstained — before Arjuna has done anything to prove it.
What does krita-kritya actually mean here?
It means one whose doing is done — not lazy, not finished with life, but no longer owing anything. The one who sees what Krishna has shown carries no remaining obligation to become something. You may still act, and act fully. But the acting is no longer a payment toward a debt.
Why does Krishna call Arjuna sinless in this verse?
Because the teaching is not a reward for purity — it produces the sight in which the stain was never the real thing. Krishna names Arjuna anagha at the moment of giving, not after testing him. That order matters. You are addressed as capable of hearing this, before you feel capable of it.
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Commentary
Krishna calls Arjuna anagha — flawless — at the very moment he hands over the secret. Not after Arjuna has earned it. The teaching does not make you worthy; it finds you already so. And notice what it promises: not that you will become wise after long labour, but that the understanding is itself the wisdom, and that nothing further remains outstanding. Kṛta-kṛtya — the done-with-doing. Most of your life is spent adding one more task to the list before you are allowed to rest. Krishna closes the chapter by removing the list. Understand, and the debt is settled.