Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 16, Verse 15
आढ्योऽभिजनवानस्मि कोऽन्योऽस्ति सदृशो मया।यक्ष्ये दास्यामि मोदिष्य इत्यज्ञानविमोहिताः।।
āḍhyo 'bhijanavān asmi ko 'nyo 'sti sadṛśo mayā
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ
also searched as "aadhyo abhijanavaan asmi ko anyo asti sadrisho mayaa"
Translation
'I am wealthy and high-born; who else is equal to me? I shall sacrifice, I shall give alms, I shall rejoice.' Thus they think, deluded by ignorance.
Vāṇi's rendering
I am rich, I am well-born — who compares with me? I will give, I will celebrate. So ignorance blinds them.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आढ्यःāḍhyaḥ | rich, wealthy (sandhi: āḍhyo 'bhijanavān) |
| अभिजनवान्abhijanavān | well-born, of distinguished family |
| अस्मिasmi | I am |
| कःkaḥ | who (sandhi: ko 'nyaḥ) |
| अन्यःanyaḥ | other, another |
| अस्तिasti | is, exists |
| सदृशःsadṛśaḥ | equal, comparable |
| मयाmayā | with me, to me |
| यक्ष्येyakṣye | I shall sacrifice, I shall perform the rite |
| दास्यामिdāsyāmi | I shall give, I shall donate |
| मोदिष्येmodiṣye | I shall rejoice, I shall celebrate (sandhi: modiṣya ity) |
| इतिiti | thus, so (they think) |
| अज्ञानajñāna | ignorance, not-knowing |
| विमोहिताःvimohitāḥ | utterly deluded, led astray |
Frequently asked
Is Krishna condemning wealth and good birth in this verse?
No. He is condemning the sentence they are placed inside. Wealth and lineage are facts; "who compares with me" is the delusion. The same rupees given by a quieter hand would carry no fault at all.
Why are sacrifice and charity listed among the demoniac traits here?
Because they appear as boasts, in the future tense, as further proof of standing. Krishna is not attacking the act of giving. He is showing how an act of merit can be swallowed whole by the ego that announces it.
What does ajnana-vimohitah mean in Bhagavad Gita 16.15?
Deluded by not-knowing. Not ignorance of facts — this man knows his ledger precisely. It is ignorance of who he actually is beneath the ledger, and that ignorance is what makes the comparison feel true.
How do I know if this verse describes me?
Notice whether your good actions come with an audience in mind. If a gift feels incomplete until someone has seen it, the counting described here has already begun in you.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Count what he lists: money, family, and then — sacrifice, charity, celebration. Krishna lets the good deeds sit in the same breath as the boasting, because that is where they actually sit. The man is not lying. He probably will give. But every item is evidence in a case he is making for himself, and the verdict he wants is that no one compares. That is what ignorance looks like from inside — not stupidity, but a running comparison you never notice you are making. Watch your own generosity for one week. See how often it wants a witness.