Vishva-rupa Darshana Yoga
The Yoga of Beholding the Universal Form

11:1: Arjuna said: Because You have looked kindly upon me and revealed this supreme and discreet knowledge of the Self, my delusion has been removed.

11:2-4: O Lotus-eyed One, I have heard from You in detail of the origin and dissolution of the living beings. I have also heard about Your inexhaustible glories.
As You have described this Yourself, O Supreme God, I wish to see your sovereign form, O Ultimate Person.
If you, O God, determine that I am able to see this, then please, O Master of Yoga, show me Your imperishable Self.

11:5-7: The Blessed One said: O child of Partha, behold my hundreds and thousands of forms, each of various divine types and colors.
Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the twin Ashvins, the Maruts and many other wonders never seen before, O best of the Bharatas.
Behold now the entire universe in this one abode - complete with the moving and unmoving - existing within My Body, O Arjuna. Here you will see everything you desire.

11: 8: With your material eyes you are not able to see Me [in My Universal Form], I therefore give you divine eyes to see My omnipresent yogic ability.

11:9: Sanjaya said: O king, having thus spoken Hari, the supreme Master of yogic wonders, showed that highest and most sovereign Form to the descendent of Partha (Arjuna).

11:10, 11: [In that Form were] numerous mouths and eyes, multifarious wonderful sights, sundry divine ornaments and a myriad of divine uplifted weapons.
[God was] wearing divine garlands, celestial raiments and was anointed with transcendental fragrances. The Divine One was all marvelous, radiant, unlimited and omniscient.

11:12: In the sky thousands of suns instantly arose as if radiating the splendor of the great Soul.

11:13: There in that one place, Arjuna saw the entire universe, which is divided into many subsections, in the body of the God of gods.

11:14: Then filled with wonder, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed before God with folded hands and spoke thus:

11:15-31: Arjuna said: O God, I see all the gods within Your body, as well as the diverse classes of living beings. There is Lord Brahma, seated on the lotus flower, Lord Shiva, as well as the holy seers and divine serpents.
I behold innumerable arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; I see You all around me manifesting limitless forms, devoid of end, middle or beginning, O God of the universe, O Universal Form!
I see You with diadems, maces and discs. Your massive effulgence is blazing all around and is difficult to behold, like blazing fire, like the immeasurable radiance of the sun.
In my opinion, You are imperishable, supreme and worthy of being known. You are the highest reservoir of this inexhaustible universe, guardian of Truth and the eternal Person.
I behold You as being without beginning, middle or end, of infinite glory, with limitless arms. The moon and sun are Your eyes; Your mouth is blazing like fire and by Your brilliance this universe is being heated.
The heavens, the earth, and everything in between is pervaded by You alone. By seeing this wonderful and terrible Form of Yours the three worlds are shaking with fear, O Great Soul.
The community of devas are entering into You. Some, due to fear, offer praise to You with folded hands saying: "All glories to You!" The great seers as well as the community of perfected beings are singing hymns unto You with copious prayers.
The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvadevas, Ashvins, Maruts, Usmapas, Gandharvas, Yaksas, Asuras and Siddhas are all beholding You in amazement.
O mighty armed, this magnificent Form of Yours has innumerable faces and eyes, limitless arms, thighs and feet, as well as myriad stomachs and countless terrible teeth. Beholding it the planets are shaking with fear, even as am I!
Beholding You touching the sky, with myriad colors, mouths agape and with vast glowing eyes, I am disturbed at heart and can find no inner peace, O Supreme Vishnu!
Beholding Your terrible teeth and mouths blazing like the apocalyptic fires in all directions, I obtain no happiness. O Lord of lords, show mercy unto me, O refuge of the universes!
All these sons of Dhritarastra, along with the community of guardian kings, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, plus our own chief warriors,
They are hurriedly entering into Your fearful mouths, some are clinging between Your terrible teeth, their heads thoroughly crushed.
As river water flows into the ocean, so too these heroes of the mortal world are entering into Your blazing mouths.
As moths rush into a blazing fire to their destruction, so too do the world's inhabitants plunge into Your mouths to their destruction.
With Your mouths You are licking up and devouring the inhabitants of the world on all sides. You are blazing with brilliance, illuminating the entire universe with Your awesome rays, O Lord Vishnu!
O fierce of form, please tell me who You are. Kindly accept my humble obeisances, O best among the gods. Be gracious unto me. I wish to know You, the Primeval One, and Your engagements.

11:32: The Blessed One said: I am time, the destroyer of the world, when it has grown mature. I am now engaged in destroying the world's inhabitants. Even without your participation, those warriors who are arrayed here in opposing armies, without exception,will be destroyed.
11:33: Therefore arise! Having conquered your enemies, acquire fame and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. As these warriors are already killed by Me, you will merely be My instrument, O Savyasaci.

11:34: Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and the other mighty warriors are actually killed by Me, so slay them and don't be perturbed. Fight and you will conquer your enemies in battle.

11:35: Sanjaya said: Having heard Keshava's words, Arjuna, trembling, prostrated himself and again offered obeisances with joined palms. In a faltering voice, overcome with fear, he said unto Shri Krishna:

11:36: Arjuna said: O Hrishikesha it is appropriate that the universe is rejoicing and delighted, that the demons are fearful on all sides and are therefore fleeing, and that the community of perfected beings are offering You their obeisances.

11:37, 38: And why wouldn't they offer obeisances unto You? You are the Great Universal Soul, greater than even Lord Brahma the original creator; You are the Infinite Being, the God of gods, the sole refuge of the universes; as both being and non-being You are imperishable; You are Supreme!
You are the original, primeval Personality of Godhead! You are the ancient and highest refuge of this universe! You are the knower and the object of knowledge! You are the supreme Abode! By You the universes are pervaded, O God of infinite forms!

11:39, 40: You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, Prajapati and the great-grandfather. I offer my obeisances unto You again and again, a thousand times and more I offer my obeisances; I offer my obeisances unto You!
Please accept my respectful obeisances unto You from the front, behind and from all sides. You possess unlimited courage and power; You pervade everything and therefore You are everything!

11:41, 42: Thinking of You as a friend, I have brashly said: "O Krishna!" "O Yadava!" "O my friend!" Due to my oversight, not knowing Your majesty, due to my love for You, I have thus spoken.
If I have treated You disrespectfully, whether out of a sense of jest, while roaming about, while reclining, while sitting, while eating, whether alone or in the company of others, I beg Your immeasurable forgiveness, O Acyuta!

11:43: You are the Parent of the entire world, both the moving and the non moving. You are the most worshipable and revered preceptor. No one is equal to You in all the three worlds; who could be greater, O thou of unequaled splendor?

11:44: Therefore, O God, prostrating my body before You and offering obeisances I ask for Your grace and tolerance, O praiseworthy God, like a parent to a child, like a friend to a friend or a lover to the beloved.

11:45: I am delighted to behold what has never before been seen, yet my mind is perturbed with fear. O God, bestow Your mercy on me and show me Your [four-armed Narayana] form, O God of gods, O Refuge of the universe.

11:46: O thousand-armed, I desire to see You as before in Your four-armed form, crowned, with a club and disc in Your hands, O universal form.

11:47: The Blessed One said: I am delighted, O Arjuna, to show you this supreme form. By My mystic yogic powers you are seeing the universe filled with My infinite primeval radiance. Such has never before been seen by anyone other than you!

11:48, 49: Neither through Vedic sacrifice, study, charity, rituals or severe austerities can that form be seen in the material world, but I show it you alone, O hero of the Kurus.
Do not be disquieted nor bewildered due to seeing this awesome Form as it truly is. Be free from fear and with a joyous mind again behold My [four-armed Narayana] form.

11:50: Sanjaya said: Having thus spoken unto Arjuna, Vasudeva revealed that [four-armed] form. Then the great souled One allayed Arjuna's fear by again accepting the handsome [two-armed] body.

11:51: Arjuna said: Seeing Your handsome human form again, O Janardana, my consciousness is now steady and I am restored to my own nature.

11:52-54: The Blessed One said: It is very difficult to see this form which you have seen. Even the devas are always desirous to behold this Form of Mine.
I am not [understood] by Vedic knowledge, austerity, charity, nor by rituals in the form you have seen Me.
Only by one-pointed devotion is it possible, O Arjuna, to know, see, and enter into the truth of Me, O mighty-armed one.
One whose actions are dedicated to Me, who deems Me to be supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from all fruitive attachments, and is devoid of enmity towards all living beings, only such a person comes to Me, O son of Pandu.

Here Ends Chapter Eleven.

Go to: Chapter Twelve

Go to: Setting the Stage: My Introduction.

Go to: Notes and References.