Bhagavad Gita 15.15

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo

mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca

vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

 

In every heart I reside, in perennial nearness ,

Giving knowledge, remembrance, forgetfulness;

By all the Vedas I am to be known,

Their source and knower am I alone.

 

My dear Lord, when you say that you are the giver of knowledge, remembrance, and forgetfulness, you reveal how you guide my life journey, both across lifetimes and within each lifetime.

Across lifetimes, O untiring Lord, you ensure my smooth transition into each new body. You give knowledge of how to function in the new body, you give remembrance of the past desires that can be fulfilled through that body, and you give forgetfulness of my past life so that this new life can truly be a fresh chapter in my multi-life spiritual evolution.

O unfailing Lord, within each lifetime you reciprocate with my desires. If I desire to enjoy the world’s illusions, you give me knowledge of how to pursue that enjoyment, forgetfulness of the misery that accompanies enjoyment, and remembrance of the pleasures therein—even if they are meager.

O supremely desirable Lord, if I desire you, then you grant me knowledge of how to reach you, remembrance of the joy in a life devoted to you, and forgetfulness of the pleasures that take me away from you.

O Lord of my heart, I beg you: please notice and nurture my desire for you, even if it is feeble or fickle. Please make this desire steady and strong so that it firmly propels me toward you and ultimately unites me with you forever and ever.

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15.15 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 Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.