Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 11 – Viśhwarūpa Sandarśhana Yoga

Main Points of the Discourse:

1. Arjuna’s appeal to the Lord. (1-4)
2. The Lord’s estimate of His Cosmic-Form. (5-8)
3. Sanjaya describes the Viśhwarūpa. (9-14)
4. Arjuna’s vision and prayer to the Lord. (15-31)
5. The Lord reveals His power and inspires Arjuna to fight. (32-34)
6. The terrified Arjuna wishes to see the normal form of the Lord. (35-46)
7. The Lord declares the glory of seeing the Cosmic-Form and assumes His normal form. (47-50)
8. Single-minded devotion alone qualifies a man to see the Cosmic-Form. The excellence of Ananyabhakti. (51-55)

Verses 1 to 55

• Arjuna said: Out of compassion for me You have spoken words of ultimate profundity concerning the Self, and they have dispelled my delusion. (11.1)
• I have learnt from You at length, Ο lotus-eyed Krishna, of the origin and dissolution of beings, and also of Your inexhaustible greatness. (11.2)
• As You have declared Yourself to be, Ο Supreme Lord— even so it is. Yet do I desire to see Your Iśvara-form, Ο Supreme Purusha.. (11.3)
• If, Ο Lord, You think me able to behold it, then, Ο Master of yogis, reveal to me Your immutable Self. (11.4)
• The Lord said: Behold My forms, Ο Pārtha, by the hundreds and the thousands— manifold and divine, various in shape and hue. (11.5)
• Behold the Ādityas and the Vasus and the Rudras and the twin Aświns and the Maruts; behold, O Bhārata, many wonders that no one has ever seen before. (11.6)
• Behold here today, O Guḍākeśha, the whole universe, of the moving and the unmoving, and whatever else you desire to see, all concentrated in My body. (11.7)
• But with these eyes of yours you cannot see Me. I give you a divine eye; behold, now, My sovereign yoga-power. (11.8)
• Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus, Ο King, Hari, the great Lord of Yoga, revealed to Arjuna His supreme form as Iśvara: (11.9)
• With many faces and eyes, presenting many wondrous sights, bedecked with many celestial ornaments, armed with many divine uplifted weapons; wearing celestial garlands and vestments, anointed with divine perfumes, all-wonderful, resplendent, boundless, and with faces on all sides. (11.10-11.11)
• If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that would be like the splendour of the Mighty One. (11.12)
• There, in the person of the God of gods, Arjuna beheld the whole universe, with its manifold divisions, all gathered together in one. (11.13)
• Then, overcome with wonder, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head to the Lord, joined his palms in salutation, and thus addressed Him: (11.14)
• Arjuna said: In Thy body, Ο Lord, I behold all the gods and all the diverse hosts of beings— the Lord Brahmā, seated on the lotus, and all the rishis and the celestial serpents. (11.15)
• I behold Thee with myriads of arms and bellies, with myriads of faces and eyes; I behold Thee, infinite in form, on every side, but I see not Thy end nor Thy middle nor Thy beginning, Ο Lord of the universe, Ο Universal Form! (11.16)
• I behold Thee on all sides glowing like a mass of radiance, with Thy diadem and mace and discus, blazing everywhere like burning fire and the burning sun, hard to look at, and passing all measure. (11.17)
• Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being to be realized; Thou art the Supreme Support of the universe; Thou art the undying Guardian of the Eternal Dharma; Thou art, in my belief, the Primal Being. (11.18)
• I behold Thee as one without beginning, middle, or end; with infinite arms and immeasurable strength; with the sun and moon as Thine eyes; with Thy face shining like a blazing fire; and burning with Thy radiance the whole universe. (11.19)
• By Thee alone are filled all the space between heaven and earth, and all the quarters of the sky. Ο Mighty One, the three worlds behold Thy marvellous and appalling form and tremble with fear. (11.20)
• Into Thee enter these hosts of gods, and some in fear extol Thee with folded hands. And bands of Rishis and Siddhas exclaim, “May there be peace!” and praise Thee with splendid hymns. (11.21)
• The Rudras, Ādityas, Vasus, and Sādhyas; the Viśwas, Aświns, Maruts, and Ushmapās; and the hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas— all behold Thee and are amazed. (11.22)
• Beholding Thy great form, O Mighty Lord, with myriads of mouths and eyes, with myriads of arms and thighs and feet, with myriads of bellies, and with myriads of terrible tusks— the worlds are affrighted, and so am I. (11.23)
• When I look upon Thy blazing form reaching to the skies and shining in many colours, when I see Thee with Thy mouths opened wide and Thy great eyes glowing bright, my inmost soul trembles in fear, and I find neither courage nor peace, Ο Vishnu! (11.24)
• When I behold Thy mouths, striking terror with their tusks, like Time’s all-consuming fire, I am disoriented and find no peace. Be gracious, Ο Lord of the gods, Ο Abode of the universe! (11.25)
• All these sons of Dhritarāshtra, together with the hosts of monarchs, and Bhishma, Drona, and Karna, and the warrior chiefs of our side as well, enter precipitately Thy tusked and terrible mouths, frightful to behold. Some are seen caught between Thy teeth, their heads crushed to powder. (11.26-11.27)
• As the many torrents of the rivers rush toward the ocean, so do the heroes of the mortal world rush into Thy fiercely flaming mouths. (11.28)
• As moths rush swiftly into a blazing fire to perish there, even so do these creatures swiftly rush into Thy mouths to their own destruction. (11.29)
• Thou lickest Thy lips, devouring all the worlds on every side with Thy flaming mouths. Thy fiery rays fill the whole universe with their radiance and scorch it, Ο Vishnu! (11.30)
• Tell me who Thou art that wearest this frightful form. Salutations to Thee, Ο God Supreme! Have mercy. I desire to know Thee, who art the Primal One; for I do not understand Thy purpose. (11.31)
• The Lord said: I am mighty, world-destroying Time, now engaged here in slaying these men. Even without you, all these warriors standing arrayed in the opposing armies shall not live. (11.32)
• Therefore stand up and win glory; conquer your enemies and enjoy an opulent kingdom. By Me and none other have they already been slain; be an instrument only, Ο Arjuna. (11.33)
• Kill Drona and Bhishma and Jayadratha and Karna, and the other great warriors as well, who have already been killed by Me. Be not distressed by fear. Fight, and you shall conquer your foes in the battle. (11.34)
• Sanjaya said: Having heard these words of Krishna, Arjuna trembled, folded his hands in adoration, and bowed down. Overwhelmed with fear, he saluted Krishna and then addressed Him again, with faltering voice. (11.35)
• Arjuna said: It is right, O Hrishikeśa, that the world rejoices and delights in glorifying Thee; the Rākshasas flee on all sides in terror, and the hosts of Siddhas all bow to Thee in adoration. (11.36)
• And why should they not bow down to Thee, O Mighty Being, greater than all, since Thou art the Primal Cause even of Brahmā? O Infinite One, Lord of gods, Abode of the universe, Thou art the Imperishable, Being and non-being, and that which is the Supreme. (11.37)
• Thou art the first of gods, the ancient Soul; Thou art the supreme Resting-place of the universe; Thou art the Knower and That which is to be known and the Ultimate Goal. And by Thee is the world pervaded, Ο Thou of infinite form. (11.38)
• Thou art Wind and Death and Fire and Moon and the Lord of Water. Thou art Prajāpati and the Great-grandsire. Salutations, salutations to Thee a thousand times, and again and yet again salutations, salutations to Thee! (11.39)
• Salutations to Thee before, salutations to Thee behind, salutations to Thee on every side, Ο All! Infinite in might and immeasurable in strength, Thou pervadest all and therefore Thou art all. (11.40)
• Whatever I have rashly said from inadvertence or love, addressing Thee as “O Krishna,” “O Yādava,” or “O Friend,” regarding Thee merely as a friend, unaware of Thy greatness; and in whatever other ways I may have shown disrespect to Thee while playing or resting, while sitting or eating, while alone, Ο Eternal Lord, or in the presence of others— all that I implore Thee, Ο Immeasurable, to forgive. (11.41-11.42)
• Thou art the Father of the world— of all that move and all that do not move. Thou art the object of its worship, its most venerable Teacher. There is no one equal to Thee; how then, in the three worlds, could there be another superior to Thee, Ο Thou of incomparable might? (11.43)
• Therefore I bow down and prostrate my body before Thee, the adorable Lord, and seek Thy grace. Bear with me, Ο Lord, as a father with a son, as a friend with a friend, as a lover with his beloved. (11.44)
• Having seen your universal form that I had never seen before, I feel great joy. And yet, my mind trembles with fear. Please have mercy on me and again show me your pleasing form, O God of gods, O abode of the universe. (11.45)
• O thousand-armed one, though you are the embodiment of all creation, I wish to see you in your four-armed form, carrying the mace and disc, and wearing the crown. (11.46)
• The Lord said: By My grace, through My own yoga-power, Ο Arjuna, I have shown you this supreme form, resplendent, universal, infinite, and primeval, which none but you has ever seen. (11.47)
• Neither by the study of the Vedas and sacrifices, nor by gifts, nor by rituals, nor by severe penances, is this form of Mine to be seen in the world of men by anyone but you, Ο chief of the Kurus. (11.48)
• Be not afraid, be not bewildered, on seeing this terrific form of Mine. Free from fear and glad at heart, behold again My other form. (11.49)
• Sanjaya said: Having thus addressed Arjuna, Vāsudeva revealed to him His own form. The Great One assumed a graceful shape again and comforted the terrified Pāndava. (11.50)
• Arjuna said: Looking at this gentle form of Yours, Ο Janārdana, I now feel composed in mind; I am myself again. (11.51)
• The Lord said: It is very hard to see this form of Mine, which you have seen. Even the gods are ever eager to see this form. (11.52)
• Neither by the Vedas, nor by penances, nor by alms-giving, nor yet by sacrifice, am I to be seen in the form in which you have now beheld Me. (11.53)
• But by devotion to Me alone may I be known in this form, Ο Arjuna, realized truly, and entered into, Ο dreaded prince. (11.54)
• He who does My work and looks on Me as the Supreme Goal, who is devoted to Me, who is without attachment and without hatred for any creature— he comes to Me, Ο Pāndava. (11.55)