Chapter 11

To nurture and intensify Arjun’s devotion, Shree Krishna had described His divine vibhūtis (opulence) in the previous chapter. Towards the end, He had mentioned that all the beauty, glory, and power is just a spark of His immeasurable splendor. Hearing this, Arjun became curious. In this chapter, he requests the Lord to show him His viśhwarūp, or the infinite cosmic form. Shree Krishna grants Arjun divine vision to see His infinite-form that comprises all the universes. Arjun sees the entire creation in the body of the God of gods with unlimited arms, faces, and stomachs. It has no beginning or end and extends immeasurably in all directions. His radiance is similar to a thousand suns blazing together in the sky. The sight dazzles Arjun, and his hair stands on end. He witnesses the three worlds trembling with fear of God’s laws and the celestial gods taking His shelter. He can see several sages offering prayers and singing hymns exalting God. Then Arjun sees the Kauravas, along with their allies, rushing into the mouth of this formidable form, who look like moths rushing with great speed toward the fire to perish. Beholding this universal form, Arjun confesses that his heart and mind are unstable with fear. Although petrified by the appearance, Arjun wants to know the identity of this breath-taking form of God, who has no resemblance to his teacher and friend Shree Krishna. The Lord declares that in the form of Time, He is the destroyer of the three worlds. He has already destroyed the Kaurava warriors, and the Pandavas’ victory is certain. Therefore, Arjun should not be fearful anymore. He should just get up and fight. Overwhelmed, Arjun starts praising the Lord who, in His infinite forms, pervades the entire universe and offers several salutations to His majestic form. He also begs for forgiveness to Shree Krishna for any offenses or acts of disrespect he may have committed in ignorance, considering Him to be a mere human. Arjun then pleads the Lord for His grace and requests Him to take a pleasing form. Shree Krishna then manifests into His four-armed form, carrying a mace, disc, conch shell, and lotus flower in each arm. Soon after, He resumes His gentle and loving two-armed form of the charming Shree Krishna. He then tells Arjun that before Him, no one has ever seen God in this primeval cosmic form. Even those who study the Vedas, do severe penance, charity or fire sacrifices, etc., do not get this opportunity. Only with unalloyed devotion similar to Arjun can one see God, get to know Him, and attain Yog or union with Him.

Verse 1

Arjuna said, By this explanation of the highest secret concerning the Self which Thou hast spoken, for the sake of blessing me, my delusion has been dispelled.

Verse 2

The origin and destruction of beings have been heard in detail from You, O lotus-eyed Lord, and also Your inexhaustible greatness.

Verse 3

Now, O Supreme Lord, as Thou hast thus described Thyself, O Supreme Person, I wish to behold Thy divine form.

Verse 4

If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for me to see it, do Thou, then, O Lord of the Yogis, show me Thy imperishable Self.

Verse 5

The Blessed Lord said, "Behold, O Arjuna, forms of Mine, by the hundreds and thousands, of different sorts, divine, and of various colors and shapes."

Verse 6

Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Asvins, and the Maruts; behold many wonders never before seen, O Arjuna.

Verse 7

Now, behold, O Arjuna, in this My body, the entire universe centered in one, including the moving and the unmoving, and whatever else you desire to see.

Verse 8

But you are not able to behold Me with these your own eyes; I give you the divine eye; behold My lordly Yoga.

Verse 9

Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken, O king, the great Lord of Yoga, Hari (Krishna), showed Arjuna His supreme form as the Lord.

Verse 10-11

With numerous mouths and eyes, with numerous wondrous sights, with numerous divine adornments, with numerous divine weapons uplifted, such a form He showed. Wearing divine garlands and apparel, anointed with divine unguents, the all-wonderful, resplendent Being is endless with faces on all sides.

Verse 12

If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blaze out simultaneously in the sky, that would be the splendour of that mighty being.

Verse 13

There, in the body of the God of gods, Arjuna then saw the entire universe resting in one, with its myriad of divisions.

Verse 14

Then, Arjuna, filled with wonder and his hair standing on end, bowed his head to the God and spoke with palms joined.

Verse 15

Arjuna said, "O God, I see all the gods in Your body, as well as hosts of various classes of beings, Brahma the Lord seated on the lotus, all the sages, and the celestial serpents."

Verse 16

I see You with boundless form on every side, with many arms, stomachs, mouths, and eyes; neither the end nor the middle nor the beginning do I see, O Lord of the Universe, O Cosmic Form.

Verse 17

I see You with the diadem, club, and discus, a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very hard to look at, blazing all around like a burning fire and the sun, and immeasurable.

Verse 18

You are the Imperishable, the Supreme Being, worthy of being known. You are the great treasure-house of this universe; You are the imperishable protector of the eternal Dharma; You are the Primal Person, I believe.

Verse 19

I see You without beginning, middle, or end, infinite in power, with endless arms, the sun and moon as Your eyes, the burning fire Your mouth, heating the entire universe with Your radiance.

Verse 20

This space between the earth and the heavens, and all the quarters, is filled by You alone; having seen this, Your wonderful and terrible form, the three worlds are trembling with fear, O great-souled Being.

Verse 21

Verily, these hosts of gods enter into Thee; some extol Thee with joined palms in fear, saying, 'May it be well!' Bands of great sages and perfected ones praise Thee with complete hymns.

Verse 22

The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Visvedevas, the two Asvins, Maruts, the Manus, and the hosts of celestial singers, Yakshas, demons, and the perfected ones, all look upon Thee with great amazement.

Verse 23

Having seen Your immeasurable form with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed one, with many arms, thighs, and feet, with many stomachs and fearsome with many teeth, the worlds are terrified, and so am I.

Verse 24

On seeing Thee, touching the sky, shining in many colors, with mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart and find neither courage nor peace, O Vishnu.

Verse 25

Having seen Thy mouths fearful with teeth blazing like the fires of cosmic dissolution, I know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace. Have mercy, O Lord of the gods, O abode of the universe.

Verse 26-27

All the sons of Dhritarashtra, along with the hosts of kings of the earth, Bhishma, Drona, and Karna, as well as the chief among our warriors. Some hurry into Your mouths with their terrible teeth, fearful to behold. Some are found stuck in the gaps between the teeth, their heads crushed to powder.

Verse 28-29

Verily, just as many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean, so too these heroes in the world of men enter Thy flaming mouths. As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing fire, leading to their own destruction, so too these creatures hurry into Your mouths, leading to their own destruction.

Verse 30

Thou lickest up, devouring all the worlds on every side with Thy flaming mouths. Thy fierce rays, filling the whole world with radiance, burn, O Vishnu!

Verse 31

Tell me, who you are, so fierce of form. I offer my salutations to you, O God Supreme; have mercy on me. I desire to know you, the original Being. I do not indeed know your workings.

Verse 32

The Blessed Lord said, "I am the full-grown, world-destroying Time, now engaged in destroying the worlds. Even without you, none of the warriors arrayed in the hostile armies will live."

Verse 33

Therefore, stand up and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unparalleled kingdom. Verily, by Me they have already been slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna.

Verse 34

Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other brave warriors have already been slain by Me; do not be distressed with fear; fight and you shall conquer your enemies in battle.

Verse 35

Sanjaya said, Having heard that speech of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, with joined palms, trembling, prostrated himself, again addressing Krishna in a choked voice, bowing down, overwhelmed with fear.

Verse 36

Arjuna said, "It is fitting, O Krishna, that the world delights and rejoices in Your praise; demons fly in fear in all directions and the hosts of the perfected ones bow to You."

Verse 37

And why should they not, O great Soul, bow to Thee Who art greater than all else, the primal cause even of the Creator (Brahma), O Infinite Being, O Lord of the gods, O Abode of the universe; Thou art the imperishable, the Being, the non-being, and That which is supreme—that which is beyond the Being and the non-being.

Verse 38

You are the primal God, the ancient Purusha, the supreme refuge of this universe, the knower, the knowable, and the supreme Abode. Through You, the universe is pervaded, O Being of infinite forms.

Verse 39

You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the Creator, and the great-grandfather. I offer my salutations to You a thousand times, and again I offer my salutations to You.

Verse 40

Salutations to You in front and behind! Salutations to You on every side! O All! You, infinite in power and prowess, pervade all; therefore You are all.

Verse 41-42

Whatever I have presumptuously said from carelessness or love, addressing You as O Krishna! O Yadava! O Friend! regarding You merely as a friend, unknowing of Your greatness. In whatever way I may have insulted You for the sake of fun, while at play, reposing, sitting, or at meals, when alone (with You), O Krishna, or in company, that I implore You, immeasurable one, to forgive.

Verse 43

Thou art the Father of this world, both moving and unmoving. Thou art to be adored by this world; Thou, the greatest Guru; for none exists who is equal to Thee; how then could there be another superior to Thee in the three worlds, O Being of unrivaled power?

Verse 44

Therefore, bowing down and prostrating my body, I crave Thy forgiveness, O adorable Lord. As a father forgives his son, a friend his dear friend, a lover his beloved, even so may Thou forgive me, O God.

Verse 45

I am delighted, having seen something never seen before; yet my mind is distressed with fear. Show me that form only, O God; have mercy, O God of gods, O Abode of the universe.

Verse 46

I desire to see You as before, crowned, bearing a mace, with the discus in hand, in Your former form only, having four arms, O thousand-armed, Cosmic Being.

Verse 47

The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, this Cosmic Form has graciously been shown to you by Me through My own Yogic power. It is full of splendour, primeval, and infinite; this Cosmic Form of Mine has never been seen before by anyone other than you."

Verse 48

Neither by the study of the Vedas, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifices, nor by severe austerities, can I be seen in this form in the world of men by any other than yourself, O great hero of the Kurus (Arjuna).

Verse 49

Do not be afraid, nor be bewildered on seeing such a terrible form of Mine; with your fear dispelled and with a gladdened heart, now behold again this former form of Mine.

Verse 50

Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken to Arjuna, Krishna again showed His own form. The great Soul, assuming His gentle form, then consoled Arjuna, who was terrified.

Verse 51

Arjuna said, "Having seen this Thy gentle human form, O Krishna, now I am composed and have been restored to my own nature."

Verse 52-53

The Blessed Lord said, "It is very hard indeed to see this form of Mine which thou hast seen; even the gods are ever longing to behold it." Neither by the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gift, nor by sacrifice can I be seen in this form as thou hast seen Me so easily.

Verse 54

But by single-minded devotion, I can be known, seen, and entered into in reality, O Arjuna.

Verse 55

He who does all actions for Me, who regards Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears no enmity towards any creature, he comes to Me, O Arjuna.