BHAGVAD GITA CHAPTER-11

BHAGVAD GITA

Chapter 11: Vision of the Cosmic Form

Arjuna said: My confusion is cleared by Your thoughtful words, that You spoke out of kindness towards me, about the supreme secret of the Self. (11.01)

O Krishna, I have heard from You in detail about the origin and destruction of beings, and Your everlasting glory. (11.02)

O Lord, You are as You have said, yet I wish to see Your divine cosmic form, O Supreme Being. (11.03)

O Lord, if You think it is possible for me to see this, then, O Lord of the yogis, show me Your divine personality. (11.04)

Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, behold My hundreds and thousands of different divine forms of different colors and shapes. (11.05)

See the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Ashvins, and the Maruts. Behold, O Arjuna, many wonders never seen before. (11.06)

O Arjuna, now see the entire creation; living, no-living, and whatever else you like to see; all at one place in My body. (11.07)

But, you will not be able to see Me with your physical eye; therefore, I give you the divine sight to see My majestic power and glory. (11.08)

Sanjaya said: O King, having said this; Lord Krishna, the great Lord of the yogic power, showed His glorious form to Arjuna. (11.09)

Arjuna saw the glorious form of the Lord with many mouths and eyes, and many wonderful faces, with numerous divine ornaments, and holding divine weapons. (11.10)

Wearing divine garlands and clothing, rubbed with celestial perfumes and ointments, full of all wonders, the limitless God with faces on all sides. (11.11)

If thousands of suns were to shine all at once in the sky, even that would not compare with the shine of the Supreme Being. (11.12)

Arjuna saw the entire universe, divided in many ways, but standing as all in One and One in all in the body of Krishna, the God of gods. (11.13)

Then Arjuna, filled with wonder and his hairs standing on end, bowed his head to the Lord and prayed with folded hands. (11.14)

Arjuna said: O Lord, I see in Your body all the gods and multitude of beings, all sages, heavenly serpents, Lord Shiva as well as Lord Brahma seated on the lotus. (11.15)

O Lord of the universe, I see You everywhere with infinite form, with many arms, stomachs, faces, and eyes. Neither do I see the beginning nor the middle nor the end of Your Universal Form. (11.16)

I see You with Your crown, club, discus; and a mass of glow, difficult to see, shining all around with huge brightness of the sun and the burning fire. (11.17)

I believe You are the immortal, the Supreme to be realized. You are the ultimate shelter of the universe. You are the protector of eternal Dharma, and the everlasting spirit. (11.18)

I see You with infinite power, without beginning, middle, or end; with many arms, with the sun and the moon as Your eyes, and Your mouth as a shining fire whose glow is burning the entire universe. (11.19)

The entire space between heaven and earth is filled by You alone in all directions. Seeing Your marvelous and terrible form, the three worlds are shaking with fear, O Lord. (11.20)

These hosts of Devas enter into You. Some with folded hands sing Your names and glories in fear. A multitude of Maharishis and Siddhas hail and adore You with abundant praises. (11.21)

Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvedevas, Ashvins, Maruts, Ushmapas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas; they all amazingly gaze at You. (11.22)

Seeing your infinite form with many mouths, eyes, arms, thighs, feet, stomachs, and many fearful teeth; the worlds are trembling with fear and so do I, O mighty Lord. (11.23)

Seeing Your great bright, multi-colored form touching the sky; Your mouth wide open with large shining eyes; I am upset and find neither peace nor courage, O Krishna. (11.24)

Seeing Your mouths, with fearful teeth, glowing like fires of cosmic destruction, I lose my sense of direction and find no comfort. Have mercy on me! O Lord of the universe. (11.25)

The sons of Dhritarashtra along with the hosts of kings; Bheeshma, Drona, and Karna together with chief warriors on our side are also quickly entering into Your fearful mouths with terrible teeth. Some are seen caught in between the teeth with their heads crushed. (11.26-27)

As many torrents of the rivers rush toward the ocean, similarly, those warriors of the mortal world are entering Your burning mouths. (11.28)

As moths rush with great speed into the burning flame for destruction, similarly all these people are rapidly rushing into Your mouths for destruction. (11.29)

You are licking up all the worlds with Your flaming mouths, swallowing them from all sides. Your powerful radiance is burning the entire universe, and filling it with glory, O Krishna. (11.30)

Tell me who are You in such a fierce form? My salutations to You, O best of gods, be merciful! I wish to understand You, because I do not know Your mission. (11.31)

Lord Krishna said: I am death, the mighty destroyer of the world, out here to destroy. Even without your participation in the war, all the warriors standing in the opposing armies shall cease to exist. (11.32)

Therefore, you get up and attain glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. All these warriors have already been destroyed by Me. You be only My instrument, O Arjuna. (11.33)

Kill Drona, Bheeshma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other great warriors who are already killed by Me. Do not fear. You will certainly conquer the enemies in the battle, therefore, fight! (11.34)

Sanjaya said: Having heard these words of Krishna; Arjuna, trembling with folded hands, bowed down with fear and spoke to Krishna in a choked down voice. (11.35)

Arjuna said: Rightly, O Krishna, the world delights and rejoices in praising You. Fearful demons flee in all directions. The hosts of Siddhas bow to You in adoration. (11.36)

Why should they not bow to You, the original creator who is even greater than Brahma? O God of all gods, O abode of the universe, You are both Sat and Asat, and the everlasting Brahman that is beyond both Sat and Asat. (11.37)

You are the only God, the most ancient Person. You are the final resting place of the entire universe. You are the knower, the object of knowledge, and the supreme abode. The entire universe is filled with You, O Lord of the infinite form. (11.38)

You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, Shashanka, and Brahma as well as the father of Brahma. Salutations to You a thousand times, and again and again salutations to You. (11.39)

My salutations to You from front and from behind. O Lord, my prayers to You from all sides. You have infinite power and the boundless might. You are inside everything, and therefore You are everywhere and in everything. (11.40)

Considering You merely as a friend, not knowing Your greatness, I have addressed You as O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend; merely out of affection or carelessness. (11.41)

In whatever way I may have insulted You in jokes; while playing, resting in bed, sitting, or at meals; when alone, or in front of others; O Krishna, I beg forgiveness. (11.42)

You are the father of both living and non-living world, and the greatest guru to be worshipped. No one is even equal to You in the three worlds; how can there be one greater than You? (11.43)

Therefore, O lovable Lord, I seek Your grace by bowing down my body before You. Bear with me as a father to his son, as a friend to a friend, and as a husband to his wife, O Lord. (11.44)

I am delighted by seeing that which has never been seen before, and yet my mind is distressed with fear. Show me Your four-armed Vishnu form. O God of gods, have mercy on me! (11.45)

I wish to see You with a crown, holding conch, disk, club and lotus in Your hand. O Lord with thousand arms and universal form, appear in the four-armed Vishnu form. (11.46)

Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, being pleased with you I have shown you, through My own yogic powers, this supreme, shining, universal, infinite, and original form of Mine that has never been seen before by anyone other than you. (11.47)

Neither by study of the Vedas, nor by Yajna, nor by charity, nor by rituals, nor by severe fasting, can I be seen in the cosmic form in this human world by anyone other than you, O Arjuna. (11.48)

Do not be disturbed and confused by seeing such a terrible form of Mine. With fearless and cheerful mind, now see My four-armed Vishnu form. (11.49)

Sanjaya said: Lord Krishna, having thus spoken to Arjuna, showed His four-armed form. After that He took His gentle human form and cheered up Arjuna who was quite terrified. (11.50)

Arjuna said: O Krishna, seeing this gentle human form of Yours, I have now become normal again. (11.51)

Lord Krishna said: This four-armed form of Mine that you have seen is very difficult, indeed, to see. Even the gods are ever longing to see this form. (11.52)

Neither by study of the Vedas, nor by sense-control, nor by charity, nor by ritual, can I be seen in this form as you have seen Me. (11.53)

However, through single-minded devotion alone, I can be seen in this form, can be known in essence, and also can be reached, O Arjuna. (11.54)

The one who does all works for Me, and to whom I am the supreme goal, who is my devotee, who has no attachment, and is free from enmity towards all beings attains Me, O Arjuna. (11.55)