And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me come memory, knowledge, and forgetfulness. I am verily That which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of the Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas am I.
In simple words
Krishna reveals his innermost presence: "I am seated in the hearts of all beings. Memory, knowledge, and the ability to reason — all come from Me. Forgetting also comes from Me. I am what all the scriptures are trying to describe. I am the one who composed them. And I am the one who truly knows them."
सर्वस्यof allचandअहम्Iहृदिin the heartसन्निविष्टःseatedमत्तःfrom Meस्मृतिःmemoryज्ञानम्knowledgeअपोहनम्(their) absenceचandवेदैःby the Vedasचandसर्वैः(by) allअहम्I
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
15.15 सर्वस्य of all? च and? अहम् I? हृदि in the heart? सन्निविष्टः seated? मत्तः from Me? स्मृतिः memory? ज्ञानम् knowledge? अपोहनम् (their) absence? च and? वेदैः by the Vedas? च and? सर्वैः (by) all? अहम् I? एव even? वेद्यः to be known? वेदान्तकृत् the author of the Vedanta? वेदवित् the knower of Vedas? एव even? च and? अहम् I.Commentary I am seated in the hearts of all sentient beings as their innermost Self. Therefore from Me? the Self of all beings? are memory? knowledge and their loss. Righteous persons have knowledge and memory as a result of virtuous deeds. Sinful persons have loss of memory and knowledge as a result of vicious deeds. Virtue promotes peace and hence intellectual powers.Apohanam Loss (destruction or absence) of memory and knowledge? as also of the reasoning faculty. The loss of memory and knowledge is due to lust? anger? grief and delusion.Smriti Memory. It is a special modification of the mind (Antahkarana Vritti) born of the Samskaras that causes the revival of the past experiences or enjoyments of sensual objects of this life in a worldy man who has not practised Yoga. A Yogi gets revival of experiences of his past lives and transcendental knowledge that is beyond time? space and causation and visible nature.I am the central topic of the Vedas. To understand the Vedas is to Know Me. I? the Supreme Being? am to be known in all the Vedas. It is I Who know the Vedic teaching or the meaning of the Vedas. I cause the teaching of the Vedanta to be handed down in regular succession. I am the author of what is beyond the Vedas? viz.? the Upanishads that constitute the Vedanta? that deal with the transcendental Supreme Being beyond all names and forms and devoid of all alities.A brief description of the glories of the Lord Narayana as manifested through special vehicles has been given in the above four verses. From the next verse a description of the form of Purushottama Who is free from any limiting adjunct is given. (Cf.X.20)
Swami Chinmayananda
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
# BG 15.15 — English Translation of Meaning
If the Supreme Self expresses itself everywhere in the form of diverse objects, beings, and capacities, how can the seeker experience that presence? Lord Sri Krishna declares that He dwells in the hearts of all beings as pure consciousness. Here, the word "heart" does not refer to the physical organ within the body. Rather, it signifies the mind enriched with noble qualities such as love, forgiveness, generosity, and compassion. In philosophy, the heart represents a tranquil, joyful, alert, and awakened mind—one capable of directly experiencing the highest truth of the Self. When the Supreme is said to dwell in the heart, it means that although He pervades everywhere, the direct experience of that consciousness as one's own Self is possible only within one's own heart.
**From Me arise memory, knowledge, and their negation.** It is an established fact that inert objects and lifeless bodies possess no capacity for memory, knowledge, or forgetting. This proves that when consciousness manifests through the subtle body of mind and intellect, it alone becomes capable of acquiring knowledge, and that consciousness illuminates all mental functions. All experiences we gather in life accumulate as impressions in our mind. As needed in life, we recall them, and thus they aid our present and future actions. All our current learning and wisdom are but the memory of past experiences. If we were not aware of our memories, they would be of no use to us. To respond appropriately to present circumstances and thereby gain new experiences—this is the process of expanding our knowledge. This process is possible only in the light of consciousness.
In the process of acquiring new knowledge, our capacity to abandon false notions of the past becomes evident. This is what is called negation in this verse. Without forgetting or abandoning false knowledge, the acquisition of new knowledge is impossible. Consciousness illuminates these inner mental processes of knowledge, memory, and forgetting.
**I am the object to be known through all the Vedas.** In all the sacred scriptures of the world, the Supreme alone is praised and worshipped. The direct realization of the Supreme is the ultimate goal of life, and in its attainment lies the fulfillment of all purpose. This consciousness dwelling in the hearts of all beings is that one unique, non-dual, supreme truth—the sole foundation of the entire experienced universe.
**I am the author of Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas.** Consciousness is that eternal truth, and all else rests upon it. That consciousness is the essence of all things, including the Vedas themselves. The seeker who, through hearing the teachings of Vedanta, directly experiences the nature of the Self as revealed by the Vedas, is in no way separate from that consciousness. Therefore, the Lord declares: I alone am the knower of the Vedas.
The summary of these four verses is this: Brahman—of the nature of existence, consciousness, and bliss—is the light in the sun, the fertility in the earth, the nourishing light in the moon, the digestive fire in the body, and dwells in the hearts of all beings as the Self.
This Brahman is the truth to be known through the Vedas—that which, manifesting through the diverse powers of nature, makes life possible for all beings in this world. To know this is to experience the infinite reality.
Through these verses thus far, the Lord has described His manifestations—His glory as expressed through various attributes and conditions. Now, in the next section, Lord Sri Krishna reveals His unconditioned, all-pervading, and eternal nature. This supreme infinite reality transcends all the concepts of our intellect—such as finite and infinite, perishable and imperishable.
Describing the relative world of our experiences, the Lord speaks: