Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15
Purushottama Yoga — పురుషోత్తమ యోగం
20 verses · The Yoga of the Supreme Person
See full guide at /mantras/bhagavad-gita-chapter-15/. The shortest chapter — Krishna uses the inverted Ashvattha (banyan) tree metaphor: roots above (in Brahman), branches below (in the world), leaves are Vedic chants. He identifies himself as the Purushottama, beyond both the perishable and imperishable. Recited before evening meals in Vaishnava households.
Key Verse
ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् — They speak of an eternal Ashvattha tree with roots above and branches below.
Ūrdhva-mūlam-adhaḥ-śākham-aśvatthaṃ prāhur-avyayam
పైకి వేరులు, క్రిందికి కొమ్మలు గల అశ్వత్థ వృక్షం
Spiritual Lesson
Visit /mantras/bhagavad-gita-chapter-15/ for detailed commentary on this shortest but most metaphysically condensed chapter.
Where Chapter 15 sits in the Bhagavad Gita
Purushottama Yoga is the 15th of the Bhagavad Gita's eighteen chapters and runs to 20 verses. It is the joint shortest of the eighteen alongside Chapter 12; the longest is Chapter 18 at 78 verses. Its name is written పురుషోత్తమ యోగం in Telugu, and in English it is given as the Yoga of the Supreme Person.
It follows Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, the Three Gunas of Material Nature, and runs on into Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga, the Divine and Demonic Qualities. The eighteen chapters are one continuous conversation rather than eighteen separate readings, so a chapter read on its own carries the argument of the one before it. All eighteen chapters are listed here.
Questions about Chapter 15
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15?
Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga, has 20 verses. Chapter lengths across the Gita are uneven, and this page publishes the count for this chapter alone rather than a running total, because editions differ over how one chapter is numbered.
What does Purushottama Yoga mean?
In English it is given as the Yoga of the Supreme Person. The name is written పురుషోత్తమ యోగం in Telugu. Chapter names in the Gita describe what the chapter is about rather than acting as titles a reader has to decode.
Which chapter comes before and after Chapter 15?
Before: Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga — The Three Gunas of Material Nature. After: Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga — The Divine and Demonic Qualities. The Gita is a single conversation, so the chapters are numbered in the order they are spoken and are meant to be read that way.