|| 15.15 ||

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च। वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम्।।

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd Veda-vid eva cāham

Word by Word

sarvasya (of everyone) — ca (and) — aham (I) — hṛdi (in the heart) — sanniviṣṭaḥ (situated) — mattaḥ (from Me) — smṛtiḥ (remembrance) — jñānam (knowledge) — apohanam (forgetfulness) — ca (and) — vedaiḥ (by the Vedas) — ca (and) — sarvaiḥ (all) — aham (I) — eva (certainly) — vedyaḥ (to be known) — vedānta-kṛt (the compiler of Vedānta) — Veda-vit (the knower of the Vedas) — eva (certainly) — ca (and) — aham (I).

Translation

I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

Meaning

Kṛṣṇa declares His intimate presence within every living being. He is seated in the heart, and from Him come memory, knowledge, and forgetfulness. He is the ultimate goal of all Vedic study, the author of the Vedānta, and the one who truly understands the Vedas. How does an ant know how to build a hill, or a bird how to migrate? That ‘instinct’ is Kṛṣṇa providing memory and knowledge from within. He also provides ‘Apohanam’—forgetfulness—so that we can move on from the trauma of past lives. He acts as the Super-Computer behind our biological software. This verse places God at the center of our everyday cognitive functions. Every time you remember a fact or have a flash of intuition, it is a gift from the Resident in your heart. Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna: ‘You don’t need to look outside for wisdom; I am already here, helping you process your reality.’
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