THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER
Arjuna Uvaach: Arjuna said to Lord Krishna, “O Lord! I am enlightened by the most profound and secret knowledge of Brahmavidya that You have graciously bestowed upon me. O Madhav! I have heard from You in detail about the creation and destruction of the entire world, and also Your immutable greatness. All this I believe to be true, but O Lord! I yearn to see the form You have described; please show it to me. If You deem me worthy, O Lord, reveal to me Your imperishable form.”
Thus humbly implored by Arjuna, Lord Krishna, the ocean of compassion, replied, "O Arjuna! Your reverence and devotion please me greatly. Now behold my form that encompasses hundreds and thousands of diverse manifestations; myriad forms of radiance, color, and shape.
O King! Witness twelve suns, eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, two Ashwini Kumaras, and forty-nine Maruts within me. See all this and more that you have never seen before. However, you cannot perceive this with your mortal eyes; therefore, I grant you divine vision. Now witness my omnipotence with these divine eyes."
Then Sanjay said to Dhritarashtra, "O King! The supreme sage of wisdom, Lord Krishna, thus spoke to Arjuna and revealed His all-encompassing, omnipotent form. Within it are countless forms, eyes, wondrous visions, ornaments, and weapons. This form is resplendent and radiant beyond compare; adorned with garlands and divine garments anointed with exquisite sandalwood. It is an unfathomable marvel without beginning or end,
with faces in every direction.
If a thousand suns were to shine in the sky simultaneously, their brilliance would still pale in comparison to His radiance. At that moment, Arjuna beheld the entire universe within Lord Krishna’s form. Overwhelmed by the sight, he bowed down and said:
"O Lord! Within Your body I see all gods including Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva; countless beings; all sages; and mighty serpents—all realms of existence. O Master of the Universe! In Your body are innumerable arms, eyes, bellies, and faces; everywhere I look there is only Your form; I see neither beginning nor end.
O Lord! You wear a magnificent crown and wield a mace and discus; Your form is surrounded by a blazing aura. Such a luminous form as Yours is not visible to all; only those upon whom You bestow grace can witness this
colossal manifestation.
You are the eternal Godhead, the sanctuary of all realms, embodying attributeless virtue. One who knows the Absolute Brahman knows all; such is my belief. You are without beginning or end; Your arms are countless. Your eyes resemble the moon and sun; Your face shines like a fiery blaze; Your powers are limitless.
O Deliverer of Salvation! You envelop the heavens, earth, and all directions with Your immense form. The three worlds tremble at the sight of this grand vision. Many gods enter into Your being while others sing hymns of praise born from fear; great sages and mystics bless You with folded hands and shower flowers upon You.
I witness Rudra, Vasu, Surya, Sadhyadev, Vishwadeva, Ashwini Kumaras,
Marut Gan, Pitra Gana, Gandharva Yaksha Rakshasaas—and all great Sages
—gazing at You in awe with folded hands.
O Divine One! Everyone trembles in fear at the sight of Your colossal form with its countless eyes, mouths, arms, thighs, feet bellies—and fearsome teeth."
"O Lord! Your form reaches the heavens, radiant with myriad colors like red, yellow, and green, and Your eyes blaze like fire. I am bereft of patience and peace upon witnessing Your fearsome form. O God of gods! Like the fire at the end of time, Your visage has made me lose all sense of direction. At this moment, I am utterly confounded.
O Lord, I see all these sons of Dhritarashtra, along with their kings, Bhishma Pitamah, Dronacharya, Karna, and our army’s valiant warriors, rushing headlong into Your dreadful mouths. Some are caught between Your teeth, their heads crushed; this is the vision before me.
As rivers flow swiftly into the ocean, so do these brave warriors seem to plunge into Your mouths as if drawn by a fiery force. Like moths to a flame, they hasten to their own destruction. O Almighty Lord! You appear to devour the entire world with Your mouths and lick it up with Your tongue as if it were a blazing inferno; Your ferocity engulfs all.
With utmost humility, I implore You: who are You in this fierce and terrifying form? Please reveal Yourself to me. Accept my prayers; be gracious unto me; I bow to You again and again."
Upon hearing Arjuna’s plea, Lord Krishna replied, "O Arjuna! I am Time, the destroyer of worlds. I have come to annihilate these people. For the eradication of sinners like Duryodhana, I have manifested here. All these mighty kings you see will be vanquished; none shall remain but you.
O Arjuna! Now that you understand who I am, arise and conquer your foes.
Enjoy a prosperous kingdom; these enemies have already been slain by me; you need only stand as a symbol of victory. Dronacharya, Bhishma Pitamah, Jayadratha, King Karna—all these valiant warriors have met their end by my hand. Stand firm for all to see; fear not.
You are destined to triumph in this battle."
Sanjay then said to King Dhritarashtra, "O King! Hearing these words from Lord Krishna, Arjuna trembled with awe. He bowed his head at the Lord’s feet and saluted Him repeatedly before saying:
'O Master of the Universe! The whole world sings Your praises and rejoices at Your feet. Demons flee in terror while great sages and hosts of siddhas bow down to You—and rightly so—for You are the creator of all gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva; the sovereign of all. Why should they not extol You?
Why should they not pay homage?
O Lord! You are eternal and transcend all beings. O Supreme Being! You are God, the ancient Purusha, the source of joy for the entire world, the innermost self of all beings, the embodiment of bliss, omnipresent. Only those steeped in attributeless knowledge truly understand You.
The deities of wind, fire, water, moon, creation, and death—all have arisen from Your will. You empower them all. Thus I bow to You a thousand times: before You, behind You, around You.
O Lord of Infinite Might! Even the Vedas cannot fully express Your glory; You are the foundation of everything and God of all gods.
O Lord! In ignorance of Your majesty and out of familiarity or affection, I have addressed You casually as ‘Krishna,’ ‘Yadav,’ ‘Friend.’ For any disrespect shown in jest while playing, sitting together, eating or drinking—whether alone or in company—I beg forgiveness. Now that I recognize Your divinity please be merciful and pardon my transgressions.
O Divine One! You are the father of all creatures, the ultimate teacher and object of worship; there is none in this world who equals You."
"I bow my head and seek to please You, O Lord of the universe, worthy of all praise; have mercy on me. Just as a father pardons his son’s misdeeds, a friend forgives a friend, and a husband forgives his wife, so too I ask for Your forgiveness. I had never beheld Your magnificent universal form before, and while it fills me with joy to see it, my heart trembles with fear at its sight. Therefore, O Lord, I beseech You to reveal Your original form to me—the one with four arms, dark and beautiful, adorned with a crown and holding a conch, discus, mace, and lotus.
O Lord, I implore You repeatedly to show me once again Your first gentle and compassionate form."
Upon hearing Arjuna’s humble plea, Lord Krishna spoke:
“O Arjuna! Out of affection for you, I have revealed this supreme form of Mine through My divine power—a form that no one but you has ever seen. This infinite aspect of Mine cannot be perceived by studying the Vedas, performing Ashvamegha sacrifices, practicing intense yoga, observing Krishchaandrayan Ekadashi fasts, or giving Triguna donations. You are My beloved devotee; thus, I have shown you My universal form (Vishwa Roop). Do not fear this vision; be at peace and behold My previous form once more.”
Sanjay then said to Dhritarashtra:
"O King! Lord Vasudeva comforted the terrified Arjuna by first showing him His four-armed form. Arjuna exclaimed:
‘O Janardan! With the sight of Your serene form, my mind has been set at ease.’
Lord Krishna replied:
'O Arjuna! The form that you have witnessed is not easily seen by others; even the gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva long to behold it. The way in which you have seen Me is not accessible through Vedic study, sacrificial rites, yogic practices, Ekadashi Purnima fasting, or Triguna charity. So who can see Me as you have?
Listen well: those who forsake the Triguna scriptures of the sages and the Triguna worship of the gods—who place their faith in My BrahmVidya and devote themselves solely to Me according to that knowledge—only they can truly know Me, see Me, and reach Me.
O son of Pandu! Those who seek refuge in Me, perform righteous deeds for
My sake as I command, desire nothing else and cause no harm to any being—such souls indeed attain Me.'"
ITI SHRIMADBHAGWADGEETASUPANISHATSHU BRAHMAVIDYAYAM YOGSHASTRE SHRIKRISHNAARJUN SAMVADE VISHWAROOP YOGONAM EKADASHOADHYAYAH ॥11॥
|| SHRI KRISHAN ARPAN MASTU ||
