Chapter 17 · Verse 15 · Sraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 17.15
Sanskrit
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत्।स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते।।17.15।।
Transliteration
anudvega-karaṁ vākyaṁ satyaṁ priya-hitaṁ cha yat svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ chaiva vāṅ-mayaṁ tapa uchyate
In plain words
You're carrying so much right now—anger at someone who hurt you, words you wish you could take back, fear of saying the wrong thing and making it worse. Krishna says: your words are a spiritual practice, and the deepest austerity is speaking what is true *and* kind *and* actually helps the person in front of you. When you speak this way—with truth but without cruelty, with care but without dishonesty—you heal something in both of you.
Word by Word
Sri Krishna reveals that the austerity of speech is not found in harsh silence or empty words, but in truthful utterance that carries both love and genuine benefit to others. The Vedas themselves are sustained through recitation—sacred sound that echoes the Divine order.
When your words emerge from truth, speak what the hearer needs (not merely wants), and create no disturbance in another's heart, you are performing a profound tapasya that purifies both speaker and listener. In our digital age of endless noise, learning to speak with this three-fold integrity—truth, kindness, and benefit—becomes a revolutionary spiritual discipline.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 17.15 — BG 17.15
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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