Bhagavad Gita · 15.11 · The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality·11 of 20
यतन्तो योगिनश्चैनं पश्यन्त्यात्मन्यवस्थितम्।यतन्तोऽप्यकृतात्मानो नैनं पश्यन्त्यचेतसः ॥
yatanto yoginaśh chainaṁ paśhyanty ātmany
avasthitam yatanto ‘py akṛitātmāno nainaṁ paśhyanty achetasaḥ
Sanskrit recitation
A spark of the divine in you · 15.7–15.11 · Teaching
Translation
The yogis striving for perfection behold Him dwelling in the Self; but, the unrefined and unintelligent, even though striving, do not see Him.
Meaning
The description of the evolution of the individual soul is now complete.The Yogins who strive with an iron determination, fiery resolve, faith, earnestness and wellbalanced mind, see Him established in their hearts. They behold Him dwelling in their own mind or intellect. They recognise Him -- This I am. But those who are of full intellect and without proper discipline of the mind and the senses, who have not been purified by austerity, selfless service and charity, who have not subdued their senses, who have not practised regular meditation, who have not given up their evil ways, who have not eradicated lust, pride, egoism, anger, greed and hypocrisy, who have not developed true discrimination between the Real and the unreal, however hard they may struggle to know Him by means of the study of the sacred scriptures, do not behold Him. They are not able to attain Selfrealisation. Mere study of scriptues alone cannot help one who has an impure mind to attain Selfrealisation. The aspirant should have a calm and pure mind. He should practise constant, protracted and profound meditation on the Self
After Swami Sivananda
A spark of the divine in you· 15.7–15.11→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 15.7An eternal portion of Myself having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to itself the five senses, with the mind as the sixth, abiding in Nature.
- 15.8When the Lord, as the individual soul, obtains a body and when He leaves it, He takes these with Him, just as the wind takes the scents from their seats (flowers, etc.).
- 15.9Presiding over the ears, eyes, touch, taste, smell, and mind, it enjoys the objects of the senses.
- 15.10The deluded do not see Him who departs, stays, and enjoys; but those who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.
15.11The yogis striving for perfection behold Him dwelling in the Self; but, the unrefined and unintelligent, even though striving, do not see Him.
Word-by-word→
- na
- not
- api
- even though
- cha
- too
- enam
- this
- ātmani
- in the body
- yoginaḥ
- yogis
- avasthitam
- enshrined
- paśhyanti
- cognize
- yatantaḥ
- strive
- achetasaḥ
- unaware
- akṛita-ātmānaḥ
- those whose minds are not purified
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