Gita Satsangh Chapter 11 Verses 13 to 14

[Guest guest]

Swami Dayananda Saraswati's Comments

==============================

Arjuna saw the entire world remaining in a single form (but) Then,

there in the body of the Lord of all gods, Arjuna saw the entire

world remaining in distinctly divided in a manifold way be equal to

the effulgence of that great Lord.

 

There in that visvarupa this entire world remaining within the

boundaries of one form retained the distinction of each form

therein. It was divided in many ways into celestials, devah,

humans, manvsyah, the manes, etc., Sankara says. Included are the

animals, yaksah. raksasah, gandharvah, all in one form. Arjuna saw

all this in that particular form, the body of the Lord of all the

gods. Then what?

 

Then, overwhelmed with awe, with his hairs standing on end, Arjuna

saluting the Lord with his head, hands folded together, said, Arjuna

is actually seeing this. What would be his lot? He does not know

whether to laugh or to cry. Sometimes emotions are not very distinct.

If it is one form of emotion you can cry, if it is another, you can

laugh. But in seeing the cosmic form, Arjuna is overwhelmed with

wonder and also fear, as he is going to say later. Everything is all

mixed up. The impact is so great that his hair even stands on end,

hrstaroma. Arjuna, bowing his head, with folded hands says the

following in praise of the Lord.

 

 

Some Additional Comments for verses 13 and 14

 

The word `Tada' (then) refers to the time when the Lord blessed

Arjuna with the divine eye, and invited him to behold His Cosmic Body

together with His wonderful power of Yoga (XI.8).

The use of the qualifications 'Anekadha Pravibhaktam' and `Krtsnam'

with the word `Jagat' is intended to convey that Arjuna beheld, in

the person of the supreme Deity, the entire universe with its

manifold divisions in the shape of enjoyers like the gods, human

beings, beasts, birds, moths, insects and trees etc, places of

enjoyment (of pleasure and pain) like the earth, the intermediate

region, heaven and the lower or subterranean regions and the

innumerable objects of their enjoyment. In other words, it was not

that he saw only a particular part of the universe, or that he saw

all these divisions jumbled together in a confused mass, but he saw

the universe extended as it is, with all its details clearly defined.

 

Arjuna actually saw with his divine eye what he was told by the Lord

at the end of Chapter X, viz., that He stood holding the entire

universe in a part of His being. 'This is what is sought to be

conveyed by the use of the word `Ekastham' (concentrated at one

place) in the present verse.

The indeclinable `Tatra' connects the verse with the description

contained in the foregoing verses and qualifies the person of the

supreme Deity, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, who is the best of all persons,

and the object of worship even of the highest gods like Brahma.

 

The use of the word `Tatah' (thereafter) in this verse is intended

to show how the sight of that wonderful and glorious form of the Lord

reacted on Arjuna's mind and body.

Arjuna had accumulated untold riches by conquering a number of

princes. This earned him the title of `Dhananjaya.' Again, the use of

the adjectives `Vismayavistah' and `Hrstaroma' with `Dhananjayah' is

intended to show that Arjuna was overwhelmed with joy and wonder at

the sight of that divine form. Arjuna had never seen such a glorious

form of the Lord before; hence the sight of that form impressed his

mind to a certain extent with the infinite glory of the Lord. In

other words, he now appreciated the divine glory even though

partially. Hence his joy and wonder knew no bounds.

 

The word `Devam' in the present verse refers to the all-effulgent

Cosmic Body of the Lord. The sight of that majestic Form of the Lord,

full of innumerable wonderful sights, supremely effulgent and

invested with infinite glory, created such a deep impression on

Arjuna's mind that the sentiment the friendship he had cherished for

the Lord from his early days vanished all of a sudden as it were from

his heart, and he looked very small in his own eyes in comparison

with the infinite glory of the Lord. He was inspired with a feeling

of deep reverence for the Lord, and the intensity of that feeling

reacting on his frame like an electric current bent down his head

that very moment and laid it at the feet of the Lord. Thereafter with

joined palms he began to offer his praises to the Lord with utmost

humility and reverence.

 

Harih Om!

 

Ram Chandran