Bhagavad-gītā 15.20
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयाऽनघ।एतद्बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत।।15.20।।
iti guhyatamaṁ śhāstram idam uktaṁ mayānagha etad buddhvā buddhimān syāt kṛita-kṛityaśh cha bhārata
Thus, O sinless one, has this most profound teaching been imparted by Me. Knowing this one attains the highest intelligence and will have accomplished all one's duties, O descendant of Bharata.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| iti | these |
| guhya-tamam | most secret |
| śhāstram | Vedic scriptures |
| idam | this |
| uktam | spoken |
| mayā | by me |
| anagha | Arjun, the sinless one |
| etat | this |
| buddhvā | understanding |
| buddhi-mān | enlightened |
| syāt | one becomes |
| kṛita-kṛityaḥ | who fulfills all that is to be accomplished |
| cha | and |
| bhārata | Arjun, the son of Bharat |
Keep the verse in view while connecting iti (these), etat (this), and bhārata (Arjun, the son of Bharat). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the world tree and the person beyond it. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 15.20.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the inverted tree image, the distinction of persons, the embodied journey, divine support and Puruṣottama.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Thus, O sinless one, has this most profound teaching been imparted by Me
- 2
Knowing this one attains the highest intelligence and will have accomplished all one's duties, O descendant of Bharata
- 3
iti: these
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the inverted tree.
Link
Use the line starts: iti guhyatamaṁ / etad buddhvā.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 15.20, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 15.20 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 15.20 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 15.20 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 15.20, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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