Sanskrit
स्वयमेवात्मनाऽऽत्मानं वेत्थ त्वं पुरुषोत्तम । भूतभावन भूतेश देवदेव जगत्पते ॥ १५ ॥
svayam evātmanātmānaṃ vettha tvaṃ puruṣottama bhūtabhāvana bhūteśa devadeva jagatpate
Translation
Thyself indeed knowest Thyself by Thyself, O Purushottama; Source of beings, Lord of beings, Shining One of Shining Ones, Ruler of the world!
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A tightly self-referential line — “Thyself indeed knowest Thyself by Thyself” — that denies external knowledge of Krishna is even in principle available, since ordinary knowing requires a knower distinct from the known. It’s the closest this chapter comes to an apophatic move, conceding the limit right before Arjuna asks Krishna to describe himself anyway in verses 16-18.
Concepts