The Universal Form

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Bhagavad Gita

 

XI. THE UNIVERSAL FORM (Visvarupa-sandarsana Yoga)

 

ARJUNA SAID:

 

1. By that speech which has been delivered by Thee for my benefit -

that highest secret which is called Adhyatma - this, my delusion, is

gone.

 

2. The origin and the dissolution of beings, verily, have been heard

by me in detail from thee, O Lotus-eyed, as also Thy inexhaustible

greatness.

 

3. So it is, as Thou, Supreme Lord, hast declared Thyself to be.

(Still) I desire to see Thy form as Isvara, O Purusha Supreme.

 

4. If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for me to see it, do Thou,

then, O Lord of Yogins, show me Thy Eternal Self.

 

THE BLESSED LORD SAID:

 

5. See, O son of Pritha, My heavenly forms, by hundreds and

thousands, of different sorts and of various colours and shapes.

 

6. Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Asvins and also the

Maruts; behold many marvels never seen before, O Bharata.

 

7. Now behold here in My body, Gudakesa, the whole world established

in one - including the moving and the unmoving - and whatever else

thou desirest to see.

 

8. Thou art not indeed able to see Me with this thy eye alone; I give

thee a divine eye; behold My lordly Yoga.

 

SANJAYA SAID:

 

9. Having thus spoken, O King, then, hari, the great Lord of Yogins,

showed to the son of Pritha the Supreme Form as Isvara.

 

10. Containing many mouths and eyes, possessed of many wondrous

sights, of many heavenly ornaments, of many heavenly weapons held up.

Such a form He showed.

 

11. Wearing heavenly garlands and vestures, anointed with heavenly

unguents, all-wonderful, resplendent, boundless, with faces on all

sides.

 

12. If the splendour of a thousand suns were ever to present itself

at once in the sky, that would be like the splendour of that Mighty

Being.

 

13. There, in the body of the God of Gods, the son of Pandu then

beheld the whole world established in one and separated into many

groups.

 

14. Then he, Dhananjaya, filled with amazement, with his hair

standing on end; bowed down with his head and with joined palms, thus

addressed the God.

 

ARJUNA SAID:

 

15. I see all the gods, O God, in thy body, as also hosts of various

classes of beings; Brahma, the Lord, seated on the lotus-seat and all

Rishis and heavenly serpents.

 

16. I see Thee of boundless form on every side with multitudinous

arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; neither Thy end nor the middle nor

the beginning do I see, O Lord of the Universe, O Universal Form.

 

17. I see Thee with diadem, club and discus; a mass of splendour

shining everywhere, very hard to look at, all around blazing like

burning fire and sun and immeasurable.

 

18. Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being worthy to be known.

Thou art the great Abode of this Universe; Thou art the undying

Guardian of the Eternal Dharma, Thou art the ancient Purusha, I deem.

 

19. I see Thee without beginning, middle or end, infinite power, of

manifold arms; the sun and the moon being Thy eyes, the burning fire

Thy face; heating the whole Universe with Thy radiance.

 

20. This space betwixt heaven and earth and all the quarters are

filled by Thee alone. Having seen This, Thy marvellous and awful

form, the three worlds are trembling, O High-souled Being.

 

21. Into Thee, indeed, enter these hosts of Suras; some extol Thee in

fear with joined palms; " May it be well! " thus saying, bands of great

Rishis and Siddhas praise Thee with hymns complete.

 

22. The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus and Sadhyas, Visvas and Asvins, Maruts

and Ushmapas, hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras and Siddhas - they

are all looking at Thee, all quite astonished.

 

23. Having seen Thy immeasurable Form, possessed, O Mighty-armed, of

many mouths and eyes, of many arms and thighs and feet, and of many

stomachs and fearful with many tusks, the worlds are terrified and I

also.

 

24. On seeing Thee (Thy Form) touching the sky, blazing in many

colours, with mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified

at heart and find no courage nor peace, O Vishnu.

 

25. Having seen Thy mouths which are fearful with tusks and resemble

Time's Fires, I know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace; do

Thou gracious, O Lord of Gods and Abode of the Universe!

 

26-27. And all the sons of Dhritarashtra, with hosts of princess,

Bhisma, Drona and that son (Karna) of a charioteer, with the warrior

chiefs of ours, enter hurrying into Thy mouth, terrible with tusks

and fearful to behold. Some are found sticking in the gaps betwixt

the teeth with their heads crushed to powder.

 

28. As many torrents of rivers flow direct towards the sea, so do

these heroes in the world of men enter Thy flaming mouths.

 

29. As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing fire for destruction, just

so do these creatures also hurriedly rush into Thy mouths for

destruction.

 

30. Thou lickest up devouring all worlds on every side with Thy

flaming mouths, filling the whole world with flames. Thy fierce rays

are blazing forth, O Vishnu.

 

31. Tell me who thou art, so fierce in form. I bow to Thee, O God

Supreme; have mercy. O desire to know Thee, the original Being. I

know not indeed Thy doing.

 

THE BLESSED LORD SAID:

 

32. I am the mighty world-destroying Time, now engaged in destroying

the worlds. Even without thee, none of the warriors arrayed in

hostile armies shalt live.

 

33. Therefore do thou arise and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and

enjoy the unrivalled dominion. By Myself have they been already

slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Savyasachin.

 

34. Drona and Bhisma, Jayadratha, Karna and other brave warriors -

these, killed by Me, do thou kill; fear not, fight, thou shalt

conquer the enemies.

 

SANJAYA SAID:

 

35. Having heard that speech of Kesava, the crowned one (Arjuna),

with joined palms, trembling, prostrating himself, again addressed

Krishna, stammering, bowing down, overwhelmed with fear.

 

ARJUNA SAID:

 

36. It is meet, O Hrishikesa, that the world is delighted and

rejoices by Thy praise; Rakshasas fly in fear to all quarters and all

hosts of Siddhas bow to Thee.

 

37. And how should they not, O Mighty Being, bow to Thee, Greater

(than all else), the Primal Cause even of Brahma, O Infinite Being, O

Lord of Gods, O Abode of the Universe; Thou art the Imperishable, the

Being and the non-Being, That which is the Supreme.

 

38. Thou art the Primal God, the Ancient Purusha; Thou art the

Supreme Abode of all this, Thou art the Knower and the Knowable and

the Supreme Abode. By Thee is all pervaded, O Being of infinite forms.

 

39. Thou art Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the Moon, Prajapati and the

Great Grand-Father. Hail! Hail to Thee! a thousand times and again

and again hail! Hail to Thee!

 

40. Hail to thee before and behind! Hail to Thee on every side! O

All! Thou, infinite in power and infinite in daring, pervadest all,

wherefore Thou art All.

 

41-42. Whatever was rashly said by me from carelessness or love,

addressing Thee as " O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend " , looking on Thee

merely as a friend, ignorant of this Thy greatness - in whatever way

I may have insulted Thee for fun while at play, on bed, in an

assembly, or at meals, when alone, O Achyuta, or in company - that I

implore Thee, Immeasureable, to forgive.

 

43. Thou art the Father of this world, moving and unmoving. Thou art

to be adored by this (world), Thou the Greatest Guru; (for) Thy equal

exists not; whence another, superior to Thee, in the three worlds, O

Being of un-equaled greatness ?

 

44. Therefore, bowing down, prostrating my body, I implore Thee,

adorable Lord, to forgive. It is meet Thou shouldst bear with me as

the father with the son, as friend with friend, as the lover with the

beloved.

 

45. I am delighted, having seen what was unseen before; and (yet) my

mind is confounded with fear. Show me that form only, O God; have

mercy, O God of Gods, O Abode of the Universe.

 

46. I wish to see Thee as before, crowned, possessed of the club,

with the discuss in the hand, in Thy former form only, having four

arms, O Thousand-armed, O Universal Form.

 

THE BLESSED LORD SAID:

 

47. By Me, gracious to thee, O Arjuna, this Supreme Form has been

shown - by my sovereign power - full of splendour, the all, the

Boundless, the Original Form of Mine, never before seen by any other

than thyself.

 

48. Not by study of the Vedas and of the sacrifices, nor by gifts,

nor by rituals, nor by severe austerities, can I be seen in this Form

in the world of man by any other than thyself, O hero of the Kurus.

 

49. Be not afraid nor bewildered on seeing such a terrible form of

Mine as this; free from fear and cheerful at heart, do thou again see

this My former form.

 

SANJAYA SAID:

 

50. Having thus spoken to Arjuna, Vasudeva again showed His own form;

and the Mighty Being, becoming gentle in form, consoled him who was

terrified.

 

ARJUNA SAID:

 

51. Having seen Thy gentle human form, O Janardana, now I have grown

serene and returned to my nature.

 

THE BLESSED LORD SAID:

 

52. Very hard to see is this Form of Mine which thou hast seen; even

the Devas ever long to behold this Form.

 

53. Not by Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice,

can I be seen in this Form as thou hast seen Me.

 

54. But by un-distracted devotion can I, of this Form, be known and

seen in reality and entered into, O harasser of thy foes.

 

55. He who does works for Me, who looks on Me as the supreme, who is

devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who is without hatred for

any being, he comes to Me, O Pandava.