Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 11 - Vishwaroopa Darshana Yogah - Yoga Of The Vision Of The Universal Form

CONTENTS

•  PREAMBLE
• THE REVELATION OF THE LORD
• SANJAYA DESCRIBES THE FORM
• ARJUNA ADDRESSES THE LORD
• GOD AS THE JUDGE
• ARJUNA'S HYMN OF PRAISE
• THE LORD'S GRACE AND ASSURANCE
• CONCEPTS & ISSUES
• LIVE AS THE GITA TEACHES YOU TO LIVE
• POINTS TO PONDER

Preamble

In  the previous Chapter the Lord explained His presence in all things and beings  in His different manifestations indicating that the Self is the substratum for  the world of multiplicities. In this Chapter He provides Arjuna with a  practical demonstration to show that everything exists in the Self. It is  easier to see the Self in finite objects than to cognize the entire Universe in  one Reality, the Self.

The  concept of space divides the individual objects from one another. If there is  no space in between them all objects will come together so closely that they  become one single entity. In this mass of things there will certainly be  different shapes and forms of all things at one and the same place and time.  This is the picture of the Universal or Cosmic Man, the vision of the world  viewed from a mind wherein there is no concept of time and space.

Sri  Krishna removes the concept of space from Arjuna's mind and assumes Himself the  form of one universal structure to demonstrate that everything in the Universe  is in Him. Having seen this form of The Lord, Arjuna re-visits his faith and  understanding. In this Chapter we see Arjuna full of emotions of wonder, amazement,  fear, reverence, devotion etc. In its concept and description, this  Chapter is considered as one of the highest philosophical poems in all the  sacred books of the world.

A  major part of this Chapter is soleley devoted to a description of the Cosmic  Body and praises offered by Arjuna to the Lord manifested in that form; hence  it has been given the title Vishwaroopa Darshana Yogah: Yoga of the Vision of  the Universal Form.

On  hearing the Lord declaring that the entire universe is held in a mere fraction  of His being, Arjuna is desirous of seeing with his own eyes the form of the  Lord that so sustains the world system. Therefore, extolling the Lord and His  teachings, Arjuna requests Him to grant him a direct vision of His Cosmic Body.

arjuna uvaacha
    madanugrahaaya paramam  guhyamadhyaatmasamjnitam
    yattwayoktam vachastena  moho'yam vigato mama // 11.1 //

Arjuna  said
    Out  of compassion towards me, You have spoken words of ultimate profundity concerning  the Self and they have dispelled my delusion.

Removal  of delusion or misunderstanding is not equivalent to acquiring knowledge of the  Real. The illusion that things of the world exist in themselves and maintain  themselves, that they live and move apart from God and hence he is responsible  for his relatives being killed and that he would be committing sin etc., have  disappeared from Arjuna but he has not yet experienced the Unity in diversity.

bhavaapyayau hi bhootaanaam shrutau  vistarasho mayaa
    twattah kamalapatraaksha maahaatmyamapi  chaa'vyayam // 11.2 //

I  have learnt from You at length, O Lotus-eyed Lord, of the origin and dissolution  of beings, and also Your inexhaustible greatness.

Although  Arjuna says that he has understood that The Lord is immanent in all names and  forms still some doubts linger in his mind which could be removed only through  practical demonstration. This verse is preparing him to demand such a proof. In  this Chapter the Lord out of His sheer kindness shows His Cosmic form to Arjuna  just because he asked for it.

Kamalapatraksha :  Lotus-eyed, having eyes like lotus leaves. It also means knowledge of the Self.  He who can be obtained by the knowledge of the Self is Kamalapatraksha.

evametadyathaattha twamaatmaanam  parameshwara
    drahstumicchaami te roopamaishwaram  purushottama // 11.3 //

(Now)  O Supreme Lord, as You have thus described Yourself, in that way, O Supreme  Purusha, I wish to see actually Your Ishwara Form.

Ishwara Form: As possessed of omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, infinite strength,  infinite virtue and infinite splendor. These are the six qualities which characterize  the God - Principle. Arjuna tells the Lord that he desires to see that Ishwara  or Divine or Cosmic Form of His. 

manyase yadi tacchakyam mayaa drashtumiti  prabho
    yogeshwara tato me twam  darshayaa'tmaanamavyayam // 11.4 //

O  Lord, if you think it possible for me to see it, then You please, O Lord of  Yogis, reveal to me your form of Imperishable Self.

It  is one thing to know that the Eternal Spirit dwells in all things and another  to have the vision of it. Arjuna now wishes to see the Cosmic Form of The Lord,  the visible embodiment of the Unseen Divine, how He is the `birth and passing  away of all beings'. The idea is that the abstract metaphysical truth should be  given a visible reality.
 
  Yogeshwara :  Lord of Yogis - A yogi is one who is endowed with the eight psychic powers. A  Yogeshwara is the Lord of such Yogis. Yoga is the identification of the  individual soul with the Self. He who bestows this realization of identity on  the deserving spiritual aspirant is a Yogeshwara.

 THE REVELATION OF THE LORD

sri bhagavaan uvaacha
    pashya me paartha roopaani shatasho'tha  sahasrashah
    naanaavidhaani divyaani  naanaavarnaakriteeni cha // 11.5 //

Sri  Bhagavan said
    Behold,  O Partha, by hundreds and thousands, My different forms celestial, varied in colors  and shapes.

To  see gold in different types of ornaments is easy because it involves mere  physical perception. But to see different types of ornaments in total gold is  comparatively difficult because it requires the vision of the intellect.  Similarly, Sri Krishna helped Arjuna to gain the necessary insight to enable  him to perceive The Lord, who is already in front of him, in the form he  desired. Sri Krishna did not transform Himself in the cosmic form but only  bestowed His grace on Arjuna to enable him to perceive the Divine form of The  Lord and hence Sri Krishna says `Behold'. The stupendous self-revelation of  Divine power is manifested to Arjuna who understands the true meaning of the  cosmic process and destiny. The vision is not a myth or a legend but spiritual  experience.

pashyaadityaan vasoon rudraan ashwinau  marutas thathaa
    bahoonyadrishtapoorvaani  pashyaa'shcharyaani bhaarata // 11.6 //

Behold  the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the (two) Ashwins and also the Maruts;  behold many wonders never seen before, O Bharata.

The  Lord enumerates the most important and striking factors to be seen in His  Cosmic Form. The various forms mentioned here were already explained in the  previous Chapter except the term Ashwins. There are various interpretations  about the twins, Ashwini Kumars. They are called Dawn and Dusk or Morning and  Evening stars.

ihai'kastham jagatkritsnam pashyaadya  sacharaacharam
    mama dehe gudaakesha yacchaanyad  drashtumicchasi // 11.7 //

Now  behold today, O Gudakesa, the whole universe of the moving and the unmoving and  whatever else you desire to see, all concentrated in My Body.

The  entire universe comprising of both moving and static objects and beings is  being shown by Sri Krishna as compressed within the frame work of His own  physical structure. As explained earlier the concept of space as a divider  between objects is being removed from Arjuna's mind by The Lord leaving in him  the concept of `total space’ which is equivalent to Sri Krishna’s own physical  dimensions. It is the vision of all in the One.

na tu maam shakyase drashtum anenaiva  swachakshushaa
    divyam dadaami te chakshuh pashya me  yogamaishwaram // 11.8 //

But  with these your own eyes you cannot see Me; I give you the divine eye; behold now  My sovereign Yoga power.

It  was already explained under verse 5 that to see many in the one requires right  intellectual power through philosophical understanding. The Lord says that  Arjuna cannot see Him in the Cosmic Form with his own fleshy eyes (Mamsa  Chakshu) and hence gives him the divine eye (Divya Chakshu). Human  eyes can see only the outward forms, the inner soul is perceived by the eye of  the Spirit.

There  is a type of knowledge that we can acquire by our own efforts, knowledge based  on the perceptions by the senses and intellectual activity. Another kind of  knowledge is possible when we are under the influence of grace, a direct  knowledge of spiritual realities. The god-vision is a gift of God. All these  indicate the unity of the cosmic manifold in the Divine nature.

The  vision is not a mental construction but the disclosure of a truth from beyond  the finite mind. The spontaneity and directness of the experience is  highlighted here.

SANJAYA DESCRIBES THE FORM

sanjaya uvaacha
    evam uktwaa tato raajan mahaa yogeshwaro  harih
    darshayaamaasa paarthaaya paramam  roopamaishwaram // 11.9 //

Sanjaya  said
    Having  spoken thus, O King, the great Lord of yoga, Hari revealed to Partha His  supreme and divine form.

King : This verse is addressed to Dhritarashtra by Sanjaya. Hari: The one who  maintains the champions of Truth by destroying the powers of falsehood. Sanjaya  now starts describing the list of things that were visible within the frame  work of The Lord. 

anekavaktra nayanam anekaadbhuta  darshanam
    anekadivyaabharanam  divyaanekodyataayudham // 11.10 //

With  many faces and eyes, with many wonderful sights, with many divine ornaments,  with many divine weapons uplifted (such a form He showed)

divyamaalyaambaradharam  divyagandhaanulepanam
    sarvaashcharyamayam devam anantam  vishwatomukham // 11.11 //

Wearing  divine garlands and apparel anointed with divine perfumes and creams the  all-wonderful, resplendent, endless, with face turned everywhere.

Total  cosmos is not a subject matter that is amenable for easy mental comprehension.  Sanjaya therefore stumbles for words to give its description. He means to say  that Arjuna looked at this Cosmic Form in all its magnificence and saw The Lord  everywhere, at all times and in every thing indicating that He is beyond the  three limitations of place, time and thing. The Self is everywhere as it is all  pervading. It exists in the past, present and future. It dwells in all parts.  It is therefore endless.

divi sooryasahasrasya  bhavedyugapadutthitaa
    yadi bhaah sadrishee saa  syaadbhaasastasya mahaatmanah // 11.12 //

If  the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that  would be like the splendor of that Mighty One. (The Cosmic or the Universal Form).

The  splendor of the Cosmic Form excels all others; it is indeed beyond comparison.

tatraikastham jagatkritsnam  pravibhaktamanekadhaa
    apashyaddevadevasya shareere  paandavastadaa // 11.13 //

There,  in the body of the God of Gods, Arjuna then saw the whole Universe with its  manifold divisions all gathered together in one.

In  the Cosmic Form of The Lord, Arjuna perceived the entire world of multiple  varieties brought together and made to rest at one and the same place. This  does not mean that the Universe has shrunk into the physical structure of Sri Krishna.  It means that Arjuna could intellectually comprehend the sense of oneness in  the world of matter. He could see many in the one and the One in the many. The  vision is a revelation of the potential divinity of all earthly life.

ARJUNA ADDRESSES THE LORD

tatah sa vismayaavishto hrishtaromaa  dhananjayah
    pranamya shirasaa devam  kritaanjalirabhaashata // 11.14 //

Then,  Dhananjaya, overcome with wonder, with his hair standing on end, bowed down his  head to The Lord, joined his hands in salutation and thus addressed Him.

Sanjaya  tells the blind King about the strong emotions and humility passing through  Arjuna on seeing the Cosmic Form of The Lord. Arjuna was struck with wonder  causing his hairs to stand on end. He bent his head low and with folded hands  spoke as under.

arjuna  uvaacha
    pashyaami  devaamstava deva dehe
    sarvaamstathaa  bhootavisheshasangaan
    brahmaanameesham  kamalaasanastham
    risheemshcha  sarvaanuraagaamshcha divyaan // 11.15 //

Arjuna  said
    I  see all the Gods, O Lord, in Your body and hosts of various classes of beings; Lord  Brahma seated on the lotus, all the sages and the celestial serpents.

These  descriptions indicate not only the things of this world but also the Devas are  represented in the Cosmic Form. Even the creator, Brahma, the annihilator, Siva  and the sustainer, Vishnu could be seen by Arjuna. These names belong to  `Samashti' (Macrocosm). The things of microcosm (Vyashti) like serpents and  sages also were seen.

“The  vision of God widens our horizon and takes us beyond the earthly tumults and  sorrows which so easily obsess us. God's creation is not limited to this small  planet, which is only an insignificant part of the cosmos. Arjuna sees the  great and various companies of spirits filling the Universe”. 

anekabaahoodaravaktranetram
    pashyaami twaam sarvato'nantaroopam
    naantam na madhyam na punastavaaadim
    pashyami vishweshwara vishwaroopa // 11.16  //

I  behold you infinite in form on all sides with manifold arms, stomachs, faces and  eyes ; neither your end nor your middle nor also your  beginning do I see, O Lord of the Universe, O  Cosmic Form.

Various  organs of the body mentioned here should not be taken literally. They only  indicate the Truth from which all names and forms emanate, in which they exist  and into which they merge back at the end of their temporary play on the earth.  These verses show the oneness that runs through mortal beings and finite things  of the world making a single entity of them all.

kireetinam gadinam chakrinam cha
    tejoraashim sarvato deeptimantam
    pashyaami twaam durnireekshyam samantaad
    deeptaanalaarka dyutimaprameyam // 11.17  //

I  see you with your crown , mace and discus; a mass of radiance shining  everywhere, very hard to look at, all around blazing like burning fire and sun  and immeasurable.

Arjuna  is giving more and more details of what he is seeing in that Cosmic Form. The  items mentioned here are the symbolic insignia of Lord Vishnu.

The  reference to radiance shining everywhere like blazing sun and fire does not  mean tremendous amount of light in its physical sense but it indicates the  glory of Pure Awareness. Consciousness is the light through which we see our  own thoughts and emotions. It is the light which illumines for us various  objects, sound etc. Hence Sri Krishna who Himself is Infinite Awareness is  described as resplendent light immeasurable. Although the Universal Form is  painted here in an objective manner it is only a subjective experience and is  not an object of even intellect.

twamaksharam paramam veditavyam
    twamasya vishwasya param nidhaanam
    twamavyayah shaashwatadharmagoptaa
    sanaatanastwam prusho mato me // 11.18  //

You  are the Imperishable, the Supreme Being to be realized. You are the Supreme  Support of the Universe; you are the imperishable protector of the eternal Dharma;  in my opinion you are the Primal Person, Purusha.

Imperishable, Supreme Being: Arjuna states that the Supreme is Brahman and Isvara, Absolute  and God. He is the eternal Truth and Supreme worthy to be known because He is  the substratum from which the pluralistic world rises up, exists in and merges  into. He is the sum total of experiences of every one at their physical, mental  and intellectual levels. He is the changeless `knowing principle' through which  all changes are perceived.

Protector of eternal Dharma : For Hindus the protector of Dharma is The Lord Himself and  not any mortal. He is the guardian of the sattvata dharma.

Purusha:  That which dwells in the body is Purusha; the Consciousness principle is the  presiding deity which rules the body and hence it is the Purusha.

anaadimadhyaantamanantaveeryam
    anantabaahum shashisooryanetram
    pashyaami twaam deeptahutaashavaktram
    swatejasaa vishwamidam tapantam // 11.19  //

I  see You as one without beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of endless  arms, the sun and the moon being Your eyes, the burning fire Your face, whose  radiance burns up this Universe.

The  Supreme Self is the one essential strength behind every thing.

  Sun and Moon : sources of entire light energy, the oneness of the individual and the  Cosmic Form.
  Burning fire your face : power of speech and taste.

  Heating  the whole Universe with your radiance: The light of Consciousness not only  illumines but gives warmth to life. The light here is its own light and not  that of any external source.

dyaavaaprithivyoridamantaram hi
    vyaaptam twayaikena dishashcha sarvaah
    drishtwaa'dbhutam roopamugram tavedam
    lokatrayam pravyathitam mahaatman // 11.20  //

The  space between the earth and the heaven and all the quarters are filled by You  alone; having seen this, Your wonderful and terrible form, the three worlds are  trembling with fear, O Exalted One.

As  the Lord is eternal and infinite He fills the whole universe with innumerable  objects, animate and inanimate. The all-pervading, omnipresent Being penetrates  and inter-penetrates the entire creation. As the Cosmic Form is of unusual  nature Arjuna says everybody is wonder-struck and trembling to look at it.

amee hi twaam surasanghaah vishanti
    kechid bheetaah praanjalayo grinanti
    swasteetyuktwaa maharshisiddhasanghaah
    stuvanti twaam stutibhih pushkalaabhih  // 11.21 //

Verily,  into You enter these hosts of Devas; some extol You in fear with joined palms;  `May there be peace’ thus saying, bands of great Rishis and Siddhas praise You  with sublime hymns.

So  far Arjuna described the Cosmic Form in Its static state. Now he describes it  in its active state. He says some are entering and disappearing in His Form,  some are praying with fear and some more praise Him singing hymns of His glory and lost in ecstatic worship.

rudraadityaa vasavo ye cha saadhyaa
    vishwe'shvinau marutashchoshmapaashcha
    gandharvayakshaasura siddhasanghaa
    veekshante twaam vismitaashchaiva sarve  // 11.22 //

The  Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas,Vishwa Devas, the two Ashwins, Maruts, Ushmapas  and hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras and Siddhas - they are all looking at  You, all quite astonished.

The  terms used here were already explained in the previous Chapter. They are all of  the Vedic concepts.
 

roopam mahat te bahuvaktranetram
    mahaabaaho bahubaahoorupaadam
    bahoodaram bahudamshtraakaraalam
    drishtwa lokaah pravyathitaastathaa'ham  // 11.23//

Having  seen Your immeasurable form with many mouths and eyes, O Mighty-armed, with many  arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs and fearful with many tusks, the  worlds are frightened and so am I.

These terms of poetic description bring about the  universality and omnipresence of the Supreme. The Universal form of the Lord  reveals to Arjuna the malevolent and benevolent aspects of the creation both of  which are necessary to complete the picture and understand the whole containing  the pairs of opposites.

nabhahsprisham deeptamanekavarnam
    vyaattaananam deeptavishaalanetram
    drishtwaa hi twaam  pravyathitaantaraaatmaa
    dhritim na vindaami shamam cha vishno //  11.24 //

On seeing You (Your Form) 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 !

The  vision experienced by Arjuna here is not actually a physical appearance but a  wide, all pervading manifestation of the Lord signifying the omnipotence of the  Supreme. Arjuna feels that His Universal Form has a definite shape and color  which is so uncommon and terrifying that he has no courage to face it. 

damshtraakaraalaani cha te mukhaani
    drishtwaiva kaalaanalasannibhaani
    disho na jaane na labhe cha sharma
    praseeda devesha jagannivaasa // 11.25  //

When  I behold your mouths striking terror with their tusks, like Time’s  all-consuming fire, I am disoriented and find no peace; be gracious, O Lord of  the Devas, O Abode of the Universe.

Pralaya  Fires: The fires which consume the worlds during the final dissolution of the  universe. Time (Kala) is the consumer of all that is manifested. The tremendous  experience has in it elements of astonishment, terror and rapture. In this  condition of extreme wonder an individual loses his vanity and stands before  the Cosmic Power with utter humility and self-surrender.

amee cha twaam dhritaraashtrasya putraah
    sarve sahaivaavanipaalasanghaih
    bheeshmo dronah sootaputraastathaa'sau
    sahaasmadeeyairapi yodhamukhyaih // 11.26  //

vaktraani te twaramaanaa vishanti
    damshtraakaraalaani bhayaanakaani
    kechidwilagnaa dashanaanthareshu
    sandhrishyante choornitairuttamaangaih  // 11.27 //

All  the sons of Dhritarashtra with hosts of kings of the earth, Bhishma, Drona and  Karna,  along with the chief warriors on  our side too - enter, hurriedly, your mouths with terrible teeth and fearful to  behold. Some are found sticking in the gaps between the teeth with their heads  crushed to powder.

These  strange descriptions of The Lord or the Cosmic Form are to reassure Arjuna as  to how the forces are entering into the inescapable mouth of time `kala' and disappear.  Destruction always precedes construction. Here the power of destruction of the  Supreme as well as His ugly and bitter forms is given.

The  Multiplicity that has risen from the Totality, after its play upon the surface  of Truth, must necessarily rush back in all hurry into the very whole from  which it had risen up. Arjuna thus observes Bhishma, Karna etc entering into  the mouth of the principle of destruction as represented by the Cosmic Form.  This sight not only frightens Arjuna but generates in him self-confidence to  face the events of future.

In  the Universal Form of The Lord wherein He expresses Himself as the entire world  of phenomena indicating the principle of oneness, the concepts of space and  time disappear. Therefore, when the whole Universe is brought together at the  same time and place Arjuna could see the past, present and the future.

yathaa nadeenaam bahavo'mbuvegaah
    samudramevaabhimukhaah dravanti
    tathaa tawaamee naraloka veeraa
    vishanti vaktraanyabhivijwalanti // 11.28  //

Verily,  as many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean, so these heroes in the world  of men enter your fiercely flaming mouths.

yathaa pradeeptam jwalanam patangaa
    vishanti naashaaya samriddhavegaah
    tathai va naashaaya vishanti lokaas
    tavaapi vaktraani samriddhavegaah // 11.29  //

As  moths hurriedly rush into a blazing fire for their own destruction, so also  these creatures hurriedly rush into your mouths for destruction.

The  essential oneness between the manifest (river) that has come out of the  unmanifest (ocean) and the very unmanifest which is the source of all  manifestation has been illustrated in this verse. It is also to be noted that  the manifest looses its name and form and becomes one with the unmanifest at  the end of its journey. The projection of unmanifest to the manifest-condition  is the process of creation and that the manifest merging back to its own  sanctuary of the unmanifest is destruction or death.

These  two verses vividly illustrate how the assembled warriors rush to destruction,  out of their own uncontrollable nature, with or without discrimination.

As  the rivers flow towards the ocean, as the moths fly into the fire, so too all  names and forms must, that too willingly, rush towards the unmanifest. If  anyone realizes this, he can live without fear of death with the full  understanding that life is nothing but a process of continuous change.

“These  beings blinded by their own ignorance are rushing to their destruction and the  Divine Controller permits it, as they are carrying out the effects of their own  deeds. When we will a deed, we will its consequences also. The free activities  subject us to their results. As the law of cause and consequence is an  expression of the Divine mind, the Divine may be said to execute the law. While  we think consecutively, Divine mind knows all as one. There is no past or  future to It”. 

lelihyase grasamaanah samantaal
    lokaan samagraan vadanair jwaladbhih
    tejobhiraapoorya jagatsamagram
    bhaasastavograah pratapanti vishno // 11.30  //

Swallowing  all the worlds on every side with Your flaming mouths, You are licking (in  enjoyment) Your lips. Your fierce rays, filling the whole world with radiance,  are burning, O Vishnu!

The  principle of destruction is never ending. Hence Arjuna exclaims `You are  swallowing the entire world and licking Your lips in enjoyment'. This verse  gives us an idea about the Trinity viz. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. Death,  birth, sustenance and again death is the continuous process of existence which  is revealed in the Cosmic Form. Arjuna thus notices Its resplendency and  wonders about the fiery radiance of the fierce rays of The Lord.

aakhyaahi  me ko bhavaanugraroopo
    namo'stu te  devavara praseeda
    vijnaatumicchaami  bhavantamaadyam
    na hi  prajaanaami tava pravrittim // 11.31 //

Tell  me who You are so fierce in form. Salutations to You, O God Supreme, have  mercy. I desire to know You, the Primeval One. I know not indeed Your purpose.

The  disciple seeks for deeper knowledge. Arjuna, realizing the sanctity and divinity  of The Lord's power, bows down and humbly requests Him to tell him who He is.  He refers to The Lord as Primeval One (Original Being).He asks Him His purpose  or His mission in taking such a terrible form and presenting Himself before him  exhibiting how the Kaurava forces are going in all hurry towards their  destruction.

GOD AS THE JUDGE

sri bhagavan uvaacha
    kaalo'smi lokakshayakrit pravriddho
    lokaan samaahartumiha pravrittah
    ritepi twaam na bhavishyanti sarve
    ye'wasthitaah pratyaneekeshu yodhaah // 11.32  //

Sri  Bhagavan said
    I  am the mighty world-destroying Time now engaged in subduing the world. Even  without you, none of the warriors arrayed in the opposite armies shall live.

The  power that is behind destruction and construction is that which rules over  things and governs the lives of beings. Sri Krishna declares that this power is  the all destroying ‘Kala’. Kala or Time is the prime mover of the Universe. If  God is thought of as time, then He is perpetually creating and destroying. Time  is the streaming flux which moves unceasingly. Time absorbs in its womb of  oblivion all names and forms.

The  Supreme Being takes up the responsibility for both creation and destruction.  The doctrine that God is responsible for all that is good and Devil is responsible  for all that is evil is a clumsy device. If God is responsible for mortal  existence, then He is responsible for all that it includes - life and creation,  anguish and death, pain and pleasure and so on. The Gita teaches us to see  Reality as a whole. God, the bountiful and prodigal Creator and Preserver is  also the God, the Destroyer and Devourer.

God  has control over time because He is outside of it. As the force behind this, He  sees farther than us, knows how all events are controlled and so tells Arjuna  that causes have been at work for years and are moving towards their natural  effects which we cannot prevent by anything we know of.  The destruction of the enemies is decided  irrevocably by acts committed by themselves long ago. There is an impersonal  fate, a general cosmic necessity, the will of the Sovereign Personality, which  pursues its own unrecognizable agenda. All protestations, abstentions,  non-interventions of the individuals against it are of no avail before the  divine will. On the contrary such complaints  increase confusion.

tasmaat twam uttishtha yasho labhaswa
    jitwaa shatroon bhungkshwa raajyam  samriddham
    mayaivaite nihataah poorvameva
    nimittamaatram bhava savyasaachin // 11.33  //

Therefore,  stand up and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy an opulent kingdom.  Verily, by Me and none other they have been already slain; you be a mere  instrument, O Arjuna!

dronam cha bheeshmam cha jayadratham cha
    karnam tathaa'nyaanapi yodhaveeraan
    mayaa hataamstwam jahi maa vyathishthaa
    yudhyaswa jetaasi rane sapatnaan // 11.34  //

Do  Slay Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and other great warriors as well who  have already been slain by Me ;  be not  distressed with fear ; fight and you shall conquer your enemies in the battle.

Sri  Krishna says whatever be the strength of the negative forces they have already  been destroyed by the all powerful `Time' and Arjuna has only to act as an  instrument in their ruin and claim victory to himself. In fact during all  actions in our lives we are merely the instruments in the hands of The Lord.  The concept of self surrender for serving the world in the constant awareness  of The Lord is the only way for claiming glory in our lives. The God of destiny  decides and ordains all things and Arjuna is to be the instrument, the flute  under the fingers of the Omnipotent One who works out the mighty evolution.  Arjuna is self-deceived if he believes that he should act according to his own  imperfect judgment. No individual soul can encroach on the prerogative of God. In  refusing to take up arms, Arjuna is guilty of such mischievous presumption.

The  doctrine of Divine Predetermination is upheld here that indicates utter  helplessness and insignificance of the individual and the futility of his will  and efforts. The decision is made already and Arjuna can do nothing to change  it. This however does not mean that the cosmic process is a mere unveiling of a  ready made scenario. It only affirms the meaning of eternity in which all  moments of the whole of time, past, present and future, are contemporary to the  Divine Spirit. Each moment of evolution in time has no novelty in it nor does  it project any inconsistency in the Divine Eternity.

The  ideas of God are worked out through human instrumentality. Nothing exists save the  Lord's will. He alone is the doer and we are only the instruments. Judged from  the human standards the consequences of war are abhorrent and hence none should  encourage it. But once the purpose of the Almighty behind the war is revealed  Arjuna acquiesces in it. What he desires or what he gains do not count any  more. Behind this world of space-time, inter-penetrating it, is the creative  purpose of God. We must understand that Supreme Design and be content to serve  it. The consciousness of the divine agency and its constant application in all  works release man from responsibility.

Every  act is a symbol of something beyond itself. Sri Krishna specifically mentioned  the names of the four great warriors because they were considered invincible  and even then they were eliminated by the Principle of Destruction and  therefore He advises Arjuna not to be afraid of incurring sin by killing them  and others though they are venerable to him.

When  Krishna tells Arjuna that he will conquer his enemies in the battle we have to  understand it as the divine will and that Arjuna is not permitted to take  credit for his victory.

sanjaya uvaacha
    etacchrutwaa vachanam keshavasya
    kritaanjalirvepamaanah kireetee
    namaskritwaa bhooya evaaha krishnam
    sagadgadam bheetabheetah pranamya // 11.35  //

Sanjaya  said
    Having  heard these words of Kesava, the crowned-one (Arjuna), with joined palms,  trembling, prostrating himself, again addressed Krishna, in a choked voice,  bowing down, overwhelmed with fear.

Arjuna  was extremely terrified on seeing the Cosmic Form and so he spoke in a choked  and stammering voice. These words of Sanjaya are very significant because he  thought that at this late moment (after knowing fully well the impending  destruction of all in the Kaurava side) King Dhritarashtra would halt the war  and call for peace to save at least his own son from being killed. But the  blind king was obstinate and did not consider Sanjaya's indirect advice worthy.

ARJUNA'S HYMN OF PRAISE

arjuna uvaacha
    sthaane hrisheekesha tava prakeertyaa
    jagat prahrishyatyanurajyate cha
    rakshaamsi bheetaani disho dravanti
    sarve namasyanti cha siddhasanghaah // 11.36  //

O  Hrishikesha! It is proper that the world delights and rejoices in your praise;  rakshsas flee in fear in all directions and all the hosts of Siddhas bow to  you.

In  an ecstasy of adoration and anguish, Arjuna praises The Lord. He sees not only  the destructive power of Time but also the spiritual presence and law governing  the cosmos. While the former produces terror, the latter gives rise to a sense  of peace.

kasmaaccha te na nameran mahaatman
    gareeyase brahmano'pyaadikartre
    ananta devesha jagannivaasa
    twamaksharam sadasattatparam yat // 11.37  //

And  why should they not bow to You, O Mighty Being,  greater than all else, the Primal Cause even  of Brahma, O Infinite Being, O Lord of Lords, O Abode of the Universe, You are  the Imperishable, the Manifest and the Unmanifest, that which is Supreme (that  which is beyond the being and non-being).

Arjuna  clarifies as to why the great men of knowledge bow down before Sri Krishna by enumerating  the majestic and divine qualities of The Lord.

twamaadidevah purushah puraanas
    twamasya vishwasya param nidhaanam
    vettaasi  vedyam cha param cha dhaama
    twayaa  tatam vishwamananta roopa // 11.38 //

You  are the Primal God, the Ancient Purusha, You are the Supreme refuge of this  Universe, You are the Knower, the Knowable and the Supreme Goal.  The Universe is pervaded by You, O Being of  Infinite Forms.

Param  Dhaama : Just as the rope (the substratum for the superimposed snake) pervades  the snake, so also the Self, through its nature of Existence, Knowledge and  Bliss absolute, pervades this entire Universe.

vaayuryamo'gnirvarunah shashaankah
    prajaapatistwam prapitaamahashcha
    namo namaste’stu sahasrakritwah
    punascha  bhooyo'pi namo namaste // 11.39 //

You  are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the Moon, Prajapati, and the Great Grandfather, Salutations!  Salutations! unto You, a thousand times and again salutations, salutations unto  You.

Great  Grandfather : The Creator of even Brahma who is known as the Grandfather.

namah  purastaadatha prishthataste
    namostu te  sarvata eva sarva
    anantaveeryaamitavikramastwam
    sarvam  samaapnoshi tato‘si sarvah // 11.40 //

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

The  Supreme dwells everywhere within, without, above, below and around. There is no  place where He is not. He is the all pervading essence like space in the  Universe and also the source of all potentiality, power and capability. Since  nothing can exist without Him He is Pure Existence. Hence He is the All and He  alone is the All. (Ocean alone is all the waves or mud alone is all the pots).

sakheti matwaa prasabham yaduktam
    he krishna he yaadava he sakheti
    ajaanataa mahimaanam tavedam
    mayaa pramaadaat pranayena vaapi //11.41  //

Whatever  I have rashly said from carelessness or love, addressing You as O Krishna, O  Yadava, O Friend, regarding You merely as a friend, unknowing of this fact of  Your greatness....

yacchaavahaasaartham asatkrit’ si
    vihaarashayyaasanabhojaneshu
    eko’ thavaapyachyuta tatsamaksham
    tat kshaamaye twaamaham aprameyam // 11.42  //

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 Achyuta or in company -  that I pray to You, Immeasurable One, to forgive.

The  vision of God produces a deep sense of unworthiness and sin. Arjuna, beholding  the Cosmic Form of The Lord, seeks forgiveness for his past familiar conduct  with Him. He says he was treating Him with casualness and intimacy not knowing  His greatness and glory. He asks The Lord for forgiveness for his misconception  of His powers. So long, Arjuna was thinking of Sri Krishna as a mere cowherd  boy with whom he, a prince, made patronizing friendship. But when he realized  His true nature, Arjuna bows down before Him in adoration and pleads for His  mercy and forgiveness for whatever impropriety he might have committed either  knowingly or unknowingly.

pitaasi lokasya characharasya
    twamasya poojyashcha gururgareeyaan
    na twatsamostyabhyadhikah kuto'nyo
    lokatraye’pyapratimaprabhaava // 43 //

You  are the father of this world, moving and unmoving; the object of their worship;  You, the greatest Guru, for there exists none who is equal to You; for how can  there be another, superior to You in the three worlds, O Being of incomparable  greatness.

Our  experiences in the three states of existence - waking, dream and deep sleep -  are the interpretations of the same Eternal from the levels of gross, subtle  and the causal bodies. The Truth that illumines these experiences is everywhere  one and the same. Hence there cannot be anything superior to That.

tasmaatpranamya pranidhaaya kaayam
    prasaadaye twaamahameeshameedyam
    piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuh
    priyah priyaayaarhasi deva sodhum // 11.44  //

Therefore,  bowing down, prostrating my body before you, I crave Your forgiveness, adorable  Lord! As a father forgives his son, a friend his friend, a lover his beloved,  even so should You forgive me, O Deva.

God  as a father is a familiar conception in all religions. The Supreme is not to be  regarded as a transcendent mystery but as close to us as a father to the son, a  friend to the friend or as a lover to the beloved. These human relations find  in God their fullest realization.

adrishtapoorvam hrishito'smi drishtwaa
    bhayena cha pravyathitam mano me
    tadeva me darshaya deva roopam
    praseeda devesha jagannivaasa // 11.45  //

I  am delighted having seen what was never seen before; and yet my mind is  distressed with fear. Show me that previous form only, O God; have mercy, O God  of Gods, O Abode of the Universe.

Even  though Arjuna experienced immense joy on seeing the Cosmic Form of The Lord yet  the sudden expansion of consciousness caused in him great fear and distress.  Hence he prays to Sri Krishna to resume His usual form and give up the  terrifying aspects of the transcendent and the universal.

kireetinam gadinam chakrahastam
    icchaami twaam drashtumaham tathaiva
    tenaiva roopena chaturbhujena
    sahasrabaaho bhava vishwamoorte // 11.46  //

I  desire to see You as before, crowned, bearing a mace, with a discus in the  hand, in Your former form only, having four arms, O Thousand Armed Cosmic Being  !

Arjuna  describes the exact form in which he wants Sri Krishna to appear before him.  The four hands of God represent the four facets of the inner instruments in Man  Viz. mind, intellect, chitta and the ego-sense. Blue color represents the  Infinite. Yellow clothes mean the earth. Thus the Infinite clothed in the  finite leading the life through four inner instruments is the symbolism of Lord  Vishnu.  In short Arjuna wants The Lord  to appear before him in a serene form with quiet attitude.

THE LORD'S GRACE AND ASSURANCE

sri bhagavan uvaacha
    mayaa prasannena tavaarjunedam
    roopam param darshitamaatmayogaat
    tejomayam vishwamanantamaadhyam
    yanme twadanyena na drishtapoorvam // 11.47  //

Sri  Bhagavan said
    O  Arjuna, by My grace, through My own Yoga power, I have shown you this Supreme  Form, resplendent, universal, infinite and primeval, which none but you have  ever seen.

The  revelation of the Lord depends upon His grace alone, besides His lordly power  in the Godhead; man cannot force it by his efforts. The Lord has shown His  grace on Arjuna because he is His beloved devotee. 

na vedayajnaadhyayanairna daanair
    na cha kriyaabhirna tapobhirugraih
    evam roopah shakya aham nriloke
    drashtum twadanyena kurupraveera // 11.48  //

Neither  by the study of the Vedas and sacrifices, nor by gifts, nor by rituals, nor by  severe austerities, can I be seen in this form (Universal Form) in the world of  men by any one else but you, O great hero of the Kurus.

By  human endeavor through knowledge, austerities, sacrifices etc., one can see a  particular aspect of Godhead. But Arjuna has seen the Lord in His Universal  Form, reconciling all the aspects of divinity at one and the same time and in  one and the same vision.

In  an indescribable oneness are revealed all the facets of the Godhead - spirit  and matter, being and becoming, creation and destruction, infinite and finite,  space and time, past and future. This vision is granted only to the devotee who  adores the Lord with single-minded, all-consuming, and unswerving love.

maa te  vyathaa maa cha vimoodhabhaavo
    drishtwaa  roopam ghorameedringmamedam
    vyapetabheeh  preetamanaah punastwam
    tadeva me  roopamidam prapashya // 11.49 //

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

The  Lord saw Arjuna in a state of distress and terror. Therefore, He withdrew the  Cosmic Form and assumed once more His usual gentle form. He consoled Arjuna and  spoke to him with kindness. The microcosmic representation of Truth in the form  of gentle and smiling Sri Krishna is macrocosmic Universal Form representing  the essence in all forms and names.

sanjaya uvaacha
    ityarjunam vaasudevastathoktwaa
    swakam roopam darshayaamaasa bhooyah
    aashwaasayaamaasa cha bheetamenam
    bhootwaa punah saumyavapurmahaatmaa // 11.50  //

Sanjaya  said
    Having  thus spoken to Arjuna, Vaasudeva again revealed to him His own form. The  Exalted One (Sri Krishna) having assumed again the form of grace, comforted the  terrified Arjuna.

Sanjaya  confirms to Dhritarashtra that Sri Krishna came back to is usual form i.e. the  very form in which He was born in the house of Vasudeva.

arjuna uvaacha
    drishtwedam maanusham roopam tava  saumyam janaardana
    idaaneemasmi samvrittah sachetaah  prakritim gatah // 11.51 //

Arjuna  said
    Having  seen this Your gentle human form, O Sri Krishna, now I am composed and restored  to my normal nature.

Arjuna  admits that when he sees the normal and gentle form of Sri Krishna he feels relieved  from his inner tensions and agitations.

sri bhagavan uvaacha
    sudurdarshamidam roopam drishtwaanasi  yanmama
    devaaapyasya roopasya nityam  darshanakaangkshinah // 11.52 //

Sri  Bhagavan said
    Very  hard indeed it is to see this form of Mine which you have seen. Even the Gods  are ever eager to see this form.

Sri  Krishna says that even the Gods are eager to see the Universal Form but their  wishes do not materialize even in their dreams. Such is the marvelous vision  seen by Arjuna so easily.

naa ham vedairna tapasaa na daanena na  chejyayaa
    shakya evamvidho drashtum drishtavaanasi  maam yathaa // 11.53 //

Neither  by the Vedas nor by austerity nor by charity nor by sacrifice can I be seen in  this form as you have now seen Me.

bhaktyaa twananyayaa shakyamaham  evamvidho'rjuna
    jnaatum drashtum cha tattwena praveshtum  cha parantapa // 11.54 //

But  by the single-minded devotion, can I, of this form (Cosmic Form) be known and  seen in reality and also entered into, O Arjuna.

The  reason why The Lord has shown the Cosmic Form to Arjuna only and to none else  is given here. Devotion is the sole means to the realization of the Cosmic  Form. In unbroken devotion which seeks none but The Lord alone, nothing other  than The Lord is experienced by the sense organs wherein egoism and dualism  totally vanish. Such experience by means of direct and immediate perception is  what is called seeing in reality. ‘Entered into’ means that the devotee attains  final liberation in the Lord after giving up the body. Thus the fulfilled  seeker becomes the very essence of the sought.

matkarmakrinmatparamo madbhaktah  sangavarjitah
    nirvairah sarvabhooteshu yah sa maameti  paandava // 11.55 //

He  who does all actions for Me, who looks upon Me as the Supreme Goal, who is  devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears enmity towards none, he  comes to Me, O Pandava.

This  verse is the substance of the whole teaching of the Gita. He who practices this  teaching will attain supreme bliss and immortality.

He  who dedicates all works to the Lord, seeking no rewards to himself, who serves  Him with all his heart and soul, who regards Him as his supreme goal, who lives  for Him alone, who works for Him alone, who sees Him in everything, who sees  the whole world as His Cosmic Form, cherishing no feeling of hatred or enmity  towards anyone, who has no attachment to worldly objects, who seeks nothing but  The Lord - such a one realizes Him and becomes completely one with Him. He  enjoys eternal Bliss, peace and immortality. Thus the art of right living  consists of the following five ingredients viz.

•Dedication of  work to The Lord
•Keeping The Lord  as the goal
•Devotion to The  Lord
•Freedom from all  worldly attachments and
•Absence of enmity  towards anyone.

Whatever  be our vacation and character, whether we are creative thinkers or contemplative  poets or humble men and women with no special gifts, if we possess the one  great gift of the love of God, we become God's tools, the channels of His love  and purpose. When this vast world of living spirits becomes attuned to God and  exists only to do His will, the purpose of life is achieved.

“The  Gita does not end after the tremendous experience of the celestial vision. The  great secret of the Transcendental Atman, the source of all that is and yet  itself unmoved for ever is seen. The Supreme is the background for the never  ending procession of finite things. Arjuna has seen this truth but he has to  live in it by transmuting his whole nature into the willing acceptance of the  Divine. A fleeting vision however vivid and permanent its effects may be,  is not complete attainment. The search for abiding reality, the quest of final  truth cannot end, in emotional satisfaction or experience”.

Hence  the Lord continues his advice to Arjuna in the following chapters of the Gita  till Arjuna exclaims that all his delusions and confusions are cleared.

Omtatsatiti  srimadbhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre

    sri krishnaarjuna  samvaade vishwaroopa darshanayogo naama ekaadasho'dhyaayah

Thus  in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,  the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the  eleventh discourse entitled: The Yoga of the  Vision of the Universal Form

 

Concepts and Issues

  After  hearing the secret of divine manifestation and its glory Arjuna says his  delusion has gone and expresses his eagerness to see the Lord's Cosmic Form. As  the Cosmic Form cannot be seen by the ordinary physical eyes Sri Krishna  bestows Arjuna with Divine Vision to enable him to see such form.

Sanjaya  who was witnessing everything happening in the battlefield describes to  Dhritarashtra the Cosmic Form of the Lord as seen by Arjuna.

It  is an extraordinary form with myriads of faces, ornaments and weapons.  Decorated with divine garlands and garments, the wondrous cosmic form is more  brilliant than a million suns. The whole world of variegated forms constitutes  only a small part of his being.

Excited  by wonder and joy, Arjuna starts praying to that Divinity. This beautiful hymn  of 17 verses gives nice description of the Cosmic Form. All beings- divine,  human and subhuman- are being seen in Him. He has several arms, stomachs and  faces. He is extraordinarily brilliant. He has pervaded the whole space. All  beings like gods and sages, are praising Him with folded hands. The various  heroes arrayed on the battlefield are entering into Him and getting destroyed  like moths in the fire. Gripped with fear and wonder, Arjuna prays to Him to  reveal who He is.

The  Lord replies that He is Time, the eternal destroyer. He has come to annihilate  the warriors in the enemy armies. Since this task will be achieved by Him even  without Arjuna's involvement, the Lord advises Arjuna to fight merely as an  instrument and get victory, fame and kingdom.

The  underlying concept behind this Chapter is that Brahman is the substratum behind  the phenomenal universe and that every thing therein moves according to the  Divine Law irrespective of what man thinks or does.

Arjuna once again prays to The Lord praising Him and asking for forgiveness for having  treated Him lightly during the moments of their intimate friendship. He then requests Him to withdraw His Cosmic Form and reappear in His usual four-armed  form with the crown, mace and discus. After doing so, Sri Krishna tells him  that His Cosmic Form cannot be seen by the study of the scriptures or  performance of sacrifices or even austerity, but only by single-minded  devotion. The Lord adds that those who are free from attachment and hatred and  who dedicate all their actions to Him with unswerving faith, knowing Him to be  the supreme goal surely reach Him.

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live

The advice is surrender to the Allmighty and to do our duty as His chosen instruments without any egoism.

This  Chapter reveals that the Cosmic Form of The Lord is not perceivable by study of  scriptures, performing penance, giving gifts etc. It can be known only by  single-minded devotion. For this one should be free from attachment, have deep  faith and engage in constant meditation.

The principles of right living laid down  in this Chapter are:

•Dedication of work to The Lord
•Keeping The Lord as the goal
•Devotion to The Lord
•Freedom from all worldly attachments and
•Absence of enmity towards anyone.

Points to Ponder

  1.  What is the significance of the Cosmic Form?
  2.  Elucidate the contrast between this Chapter and the previous one.
  3.  What is meant by acting as an instrument?
  4.  What is the requirement for seeing the Cosmic Form?

  5.  What are the ingredients for right living and attaining the Supreme?

  6.  Why The Lord continues His discourses to Arjuna even after granting the Cosmic Vision?

Harih Om