Gita Satsangh Chapter 11 Verses 15 to 16

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Gita Satsangh Chapter 11 Verses 15 to 16

 

(Verse Translation by Swami Gambirananda, Gita Bhasya and commentary

by Swami Chinmayanandaji)

 

Arjuna Uvaacha: (Arjuna saidļ

Pashyaami devaamstava deva dehe Sarvaamstathaa

bhootavisheshasanghaan;

Brahmaanameesham kamalaasanastha- Mrisheemshcha sarvaanuragaamshcha

divyaan. Verse 15

 

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

classes of beings

Brahma the ruler, sitting on a lotus seat, and all the heavely sages

and serpents.

 

Deva, O God

pasyami, I see, perceive

tava dehe, in Your body

sarvan, all

the devan, gods

tatha, as also

bhuta-visesa-sanghan, hosts of (various) classes of beings, groups of

moving and non-moving living things having different shapes

and besides, brahmanam, Brahma, with four faces

isam, the Ruler of creatures

kamalasana-stham, sitting on a lotus seat, i.e. sitting on Mount

Meru which forms the pericarp of the lotus that is the earth

and sarvan, all

the divyan, heavenly

rsin, sages-Vasistha and others

and (the heavenly) uragan, serpents-Vasuki and others.

 

When the Prince addressed Krishna as the Resplendent (Deva), he is

endorsing the comparison of the Lord to the light of thousand-Suns

which was used earlier by Sanjaya. Enumerating the features

recognised by him on the body of Krishna, Arjuna says, " IN THY BODY I

SEE ALL THE DEVAS AND HOSTS OF ALL GRADES OF BEINGS. " This was

already indicated by Sanjaya when he described the Universal Form

as 'WEARING NUMEROUS ROBES,' 'ADORNING ITSELF WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF

DIVINE ORNAMENTS,' 'WEARING GARLANDS OF CELESTIAL BEAUTY,' and

bearing 'AN ARSENAL OF WEAPONS IN ITS INNUMERABLE HANDS.'

These descriptions show that in Krishna one could recognise not only

the things of the world, but in the Virata-form of the Lord even the

Devas are represented. The same adhidaiva-idea is very directly

insisted upon by Arjuna in this stanza when he describes among the

things that he saw in Krishna, the Creator, Brahmaji (Brahmaanam),

the Annihilator, Shiva (Isham), and the Sustainer, Vishnu (Kamal-

asana-stham); along with a host of ancient Seers!

AND CELESTIAL SERPENTS poetry, it is a technique, often very

effective, employed by great poets wherein they suddenly step down

from the sublime to the ridiculous or the grotesque, only to shock

the readers and thereby tap out of

them the degree of special attention which the theme demands. It is

indicated here that from Brahmaji in the heavens, to the serpents in

the holes of the earth, all are represented in the Lord's Cosmic-

Form. The microcosm (Vyashti) is the macrocosm (Samashti). And this

is explained and realised by all great thinkers of the world. But

nobody has ever

before tried to express this philosophical idea in the form of a

vivid objective representation. Vyasa was the pioneer in this art and

none has yet dared to follow him in this arduous task.

THE GRIPPING DETAILS THAT CAN UNNERVE EVEN THE MOST COURAGEOUS ARE

GIVEN OUT NOW BY ARJUNA

 

Anekabaahoodaravaktranetram Pashyaami twaam sarvato¡¦nantaroopam;

Naantam na madhyam na punastavaadim Pashyaami vishweshwara

vishwaroopa. Verse 16

 

16. I see You as possessed of numerous arms, bellies, mouths and eyes

as having infinite forms all around. O Lord of the Universe, O

Cosmic Person, I see not Your limit nor the middle, nor again the

beginning!

 

Pasyami, I see

tvam, You

aneka-bahu-udara-vaktra-netram, as possessed of numerous arms,

bellies, mouths and eyes

ananta-rupam, having infinite forms

sarvatah, all around. Visveswara, O Lord of the Universe

visva-rupa, O Cosmic Person

na pasyami, I see not

['I do not see-because of Your all-pervasiveness.'] tava, Your

antam, end

na madhyam, nor the middle-what lies between two extremities

na punah, nor again

the adim, beginning-I see not the limit (end) nor the middle, nor

again the beginning, of You who are God!

A limited human intellect is not the instrument with which one can

perceive in one sweep the Infinite majesty of the Universal-Form. It

must necessarily stand staggered at the vastness of the concept and

the significances of Its sheer dimensions. That the Lord is the ONE

dynamic Truth behind every organ of activity and in every existent

thing is indicated here when Arjuna says " I SEE THEE OF BOUNDLESS

FORM ON EVERY SIDE, WITH MANIFOLD ARMS, STOMACHS, MOUTHS AND EYES. "

This is not to be construed as a caricature of Truth. This warning is

necessary for all hasty artists, who, inspired by the theme,

generally rush to this field of thought, to represent this Cosmic

Form with their brushes and colours. And they all but fail miserably!

The Universal Oneness is not an object of perception; it is only a

fact to be realised or apprehended. This is endorsed by the the very

words of Arjuna that immediately follow in the stanza, " NEITHER THE

END, NOR THE BEGINNING, NOR THE MIDDLE OF THEE DO I SEE. " The

description of the Truth --- from which all names and forms arise, in

which they exist, and into which they all merge back at the end of

their temporary play --- cannot be better done in any other way and

those who, with sympathetic understanding, get at the real import of

these stanzas can appreciate their rich beauties and luxurious

warmth.

The above stanzas express the oneness that threads through the mortal

beings and finite things of the world, making a single garland of

them all!

IT MAY BE DOUBTED WHETHER THE DEIFIED DENIZENS OF THE DIVINE

HIERARCHY ARE ALSO REPRESENTED UPON THIS WONDER-FORM. THIS IS

ANSWERED IN THE FOLLOWING:

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Swami Dayananda's Commentary

 

Here, Sankara tells us, Arjuna is reporting his own experience.

 

In your body, 0 Lord I see all the celestials as well as hosts of

different types of beings, the Lord Brahmaji residing in Brahmaloka,

and all the rsis and celestial snakes. Arjuna says, " This cosmic form

that you have shown, I am seeing. " Within the scope of your body, I

see all the celestials, sarvan devan paSyami. I see hosts of various

beings enjoying different types of bodies, bhuta-visesa-sanghan. "

Some of them, Sankara says, are stationary, sthavara, like trees and

plants, and some are mobile, jangama, like the animals, human beings

and so on. " Assembled in countless different ways, I see varieties of

beings in you. "

 

Arjuna saw Brahmaji, 'brahmanam Ham, the four-faced Lord who is the

creator of everything. This is not Brahman here because Arjuna is not

seeing himself as Brahman. What he sees is all within aparavidya,

though not separate from Paramesvara. This Brahmaji is the one who

sits in Brahmaloka, kamalasanasthah* So Arjuna is saying that he is

seeing Brahmaloka. " And, " he says, " I see the rsis like Vasistha. "

These are the eternal rsis existing here as devatas. And all the

celestial snakes, uragas, like Vasuki. Uras means chest and ga means

goes, so the one which moves on its body, urasa gacchati iti uragah,

is the snake. Vasuki is the most famous of them all, a celestial

snake which Arjuna is seeing now. Of course earthly snakes are also

included but when he is seeing Vasuki and other celestial snakes,

they do not count.

 

Further,

 

I see you having countless arms, stomachs, mouths, and eyes, from

every quarter (you have) endless forms. I see you have no end, no

middle, and again no beginning, 0 Lord of creation, Lord of the

cosmic form.

 

Arjuna continues. " I see you having countless arms, stomachs,

mouths and eyes. " Aneka literally means not one. It can simply mean

two but here it is countless. " I see that you have endless forms,

anantarupam. " Whatever Arjuna has heard of or studied in the puranas,

including all the devas, yaksas and other celestials he is

able to see now because it is all Bhagavan's maya.

 

Bhagavan presents Arjuna with a form that includes everything he

knows of either directly or indirectly. He must see everything he

knows because only then will he have graddha. Whether there is a

yaksa or not, Lord Krishna presents a yaksa because Arjuna believes

in yaksas, raksasas, asuras, in siddhas and rsis. All of them are

talked about in the puranas so Arjuna has an idea of what exists in

the universe and when he asks to see the cosmic form, naturally he

expects all these. And he is seeing them all. In the universe as we

know it, there are satellites, blackholes etc. If Lord Krishna were

to present us with a cosmic form, he would include the blackholes

etc. so that we would know that everything is included,

 

" I don't see an end, nantam. " There is neither a top nor a bottom.

Everywhere he looks it is endless. This is a relative apeksika end

here. " And I do not see any middle, na madhyam, nor any beginning, na

adi. " Adi can also be taken as the head and anta as the feet. In any

form, however big it is, you are generally able to see its limit. But

not in the visvarupa. When there is no beginning or end there is not

going to be anything in between, madhyam. In fact, everything seems

to be in the middle, madhya. This is the form that Arjuna sees,

addressing Krishna as VisVesvara, Lord of the world and Visvarupa,

the very cosmic form.

 

Note: The situation is similar to a student of mathematics to

understand and grasp what is infinity! It has no beginning, no

middle and no end! Vedas has no beginning, no middle and no end and

so is true with TRUTH!!