यतन्तोऽप्यकृतात्मानो नैनं पश्यन्त्यचेतसः ॥
The striving yogis see this supreme reality abiding in themselves. The unrefined and thoughtless, even while striving, do not see it.
A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Seeing the supreme reality depends on inner purification, not effort alone.”
The striving yogis see this supreme reality abiding in themselves. The unrefined and thoughtless, even while striving, do not see it.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallystriving · yogis · and · this · see · in the self · striving · even · those without a purified inner being · not · this · see · the thoughtless
People who have disciplined and purified themselves can realize the supreme reality within. Effort without inner refinement is not enough.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Purushottama Yoga" (The Yoga of the Supreme Person).
Verse 11 sits in Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita — Purushottama Yoga, "The Yoga of the Supreme Person". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
You sit in silence after a fight, trying to understand why the same pattern keeps repeating. More information does not help until your inner state changes enough to see what was hidden.
Did you like this verse?
Striving yogis see the supreme within themselves; the careless and unrefined miss it, even when they strive.
What this verse means
People who have disciplined and purified themselves can realize the supreme reality within. Effort without inner refinement is not enough.
Context & commentary
Krishna keeps answering Arjuna’s deeper confusion along with his fear of fighting. After describing how the inner being moves through bodies and senses, Krishna says only the disciplined can perceive the supreme reality within themselves.
What it looks like today
You sit in silence after a fight, trying to understand why the same pattern keeps repeating. More information does not help until your inner state changes enough to see what was hidden.
“Real progress feels less like forcing and more like becoming fit to see.”
Explore related themes: purushottama (14 verses)