BHAGAVAD-GITA 11:45

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 11:45

 

adrsta-purvam hrsito 'smi drstva

bhayena ca pravyathitam mano me

tad eva me darsaya deva rupam

prasida devesa jagan-nivasa

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

adrsta-purvam--never seen before; hrsitah--gladdened; asmi--I am;

drstva--by seeing; bhayena--out of fear; ca--also;

pravyathitam--perturbed; manah--mind; me--my; tat--that;

eva--certainly; me--unto me; darsaya--show; deva--O Lord; rupam--the

form; prasida- just be gracious; deva-isa--O Lord of lords;

jagat-nivasa--O refuge of the universe.

 

TRANSLATION

 

After seeing this universal form, which I have never seen before, I am

gladdened, but at the same time my mind is disturbed with fear.

Therefore please bestow Your grace upon me and reveal again Your form

as the Personality of Godhead, O Lord of lords, O abode of the

universe.

 

PURPORT

 

Arjuna is always in confidence with Krsna because he is a very dear

friend, and as a dear friend is gladdened by his friend's opulence,

Arjuna is very joyful to see that his friend Krsna is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and can show such a wonderful universal form.

But at the same time, after seeing that universal form, he is afraid

that he has committed so many offenses to Krsna out of his unalloyed

friendship. Thus his mind is disturbed out of fear, although he had no

reason to fear. Arjuna therefore is asking Krsna to show His Narayana

form, because He can assume any form. This universal form is material

and temporary, as the material world is temporary. But in the

Vaikuntha planets He has His transcendental form with four hands as

Narayana. There are innumerable planets in the spiritual sky, and in

each of them Krsna is present by His plenary manifestations of

different names. Thus Arjuna desired to see one of the forms manifest

in the Vaikuntha planets. Of course in each Vaikuntha planet the form

of Narayana is four-handed, but the four hands hold different

arrangements of symbols--the conchshell, mace, lotus and disc.

According to the different hands these four things are held in, the

Narayanas are variously named. All of these forms are one with Krsna;

therefore Arjuna requests to see His four-handed feature.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.