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CHAPTER ELEVEN The Universal FormTEXT 1: Arjuna said: By my hearing the instructions You have
kindly given me about these most confidential spiritual subjects, my illusion
has now been dispelled. TEXT 2: O lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about
the appearance and disappearance of every living entity and have realized
Your inexhaustible glories. TEXT 3: O greatest of all personalities, O supreme form, though I
see You here before me in Your actual position, as You have described
Yourself, I wish to see how You have entered into this cosmic manifestation.
I want to see that form of Yours. TEXT 4: If You think that I am able to behold Your cosmic form, O
my Lord, O master of all mystic power, then kindly show me that unlimited
universal Self. TEXT 5: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, O
son of Pṛthā, see
now My opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine and multicolored
forms. TEXT 6: O best of the Bhāratas, see here the different
manifestations of Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Aśvinī-kumāras and all the other
demigods. Behold the many wonderful things which no one has ever seen or
heard of before. TEXT 7: O Arjuna, whatever you wish to see, behold at once in this
body of Mine! This universal form can show you whatever you now desire to see
and whatever you may want to see in the future. Everything – moving and
nonmoving – is here completely, in one place. TEXT 8: But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I
give you divine eyes. Behold My mystic opulence! TEXT 9: Sañjaya said: O King, having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord
of all mystic power, the Personality of Godhead, displayed His universal form
to Arjuna. TEXTS 10-11: Arjuna saw in that universal form unlimited mouths,
unlimited eyes, unlimited wonderful visions. The form was decorated with many
celestial ornaments and bore many divine upraised weapons. He wore celestial
garlands and garments, and many divine scents were smeared over His body. All
was wondrous, brilliant, unlimited, all-expanding. TEXT 12: If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once
into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme
Person in that universal form. TEXT 13: At that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of
the Lord the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place
although divided into many, many thousands. TEXT 14: Then, bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on
end, Arjuna bowed his head to offer obeisances and with folded hands began to
pray to the Supreme Lord. TEXT 15: Arjuna said: My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I see assembled in Your body all the demigods and various other
living entities. I see Brahmā sitting on the lotus flower, as well as Lord
Śiva and all the sages and divine serpents. TEXT 16: O Lord of the universe, O universal form, I see in Your
body many, many arms, bellies, mouths and eyes, expanded everywhere, without
limit. I see in You no end, no middle and no beginning. TEXT 17: Your form is difficult to see because of its glaring
effulgence, spreading on all sides, like blazing fire or the immeasurable
radiance of the sun. Yet I see this glowing form everywhere, adorned with
various crowns, clubs and discs. TEXT 18: You are the supreme primal objective. You are the
ultimate resting place of all this universe. You are inexhaustible, and You
are the oldest. You are the maintainer of the eternal religion, the
Personality of Godhead. This is my opinion. TEXT 19: You are without origin, middle or end. Your glory is
unlimited. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are Your eyes. I
see You with blazing fire coming forth from Your mouth, burning this entire
universe by Your own radiance. TEXT 20: Although You are one, You spread throughout the sky and
the planets and all space between. O great one, seeing this wondrous and
terrible form, all the planetary systems are perturbed. TEXT 21: All the hosts of demigods are surrendering before You and
entering into You. Some of them, very much afraid, are offering prayers with
folded hands. Hosts of great sages and perfected beings, crying “All peace!”
are praying to You by singing the Vedic hymns. TEXT 22: All the various manifestations of Lord Śiva, the Ādityas,
the Vasus, the Sādhyas, the Viśvedevas, the two Aśvīs, the Maruts, the
forefathers, the Gandharvas, the Yakṣas, the Asuras and the perfected demigods are beholding You in
wonder. TEXT 23: O mighty-armed one, all the planets with their demigods
are disturbed at seeing Your great form, with its many faces, eyes, arms,
thighs, legs and bellies and Your many terrible teeth; and as they are
disturbed, so am I. TEXT 24: O all-pervading Viṣṇu, seeing You with Your many radiant colors touching the sky, Your
gaping mouths, and Your great glowing eyes, my mind is perturbed by fear. I
can no longer maintain my steadiness or equilibrium of mind. TEXT 25: O Lord of lords, O refuge of the worlds, please be
gracious to me. I cannot keep my balance seeing thus Your blazing deathlike
faces and awful teeth. In all directions I am bewildered. TEXTS 26-27: All the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
along with their allied kings, and Bhīṣma, Droṇa,
Karṇa – and our chief soldiers also – are
rushing into Your fearful mouths. And some I see trapped with heads smashed
between Your teeth. TEXT 28: As the many waves of the rivers flow into the ocean, so
do all these great warriors enter blazing into Your mouths. TEXT 29: I see all people rushing full speed into Your mouths, as
moths dash to destruction in a blazing fire. TEXT 30: O Viṣṇu, I see You devouring all people from all sides with Your flaming
mouths. Covering all the universe with Your effulgence, You are manifest with
terrible, scorching rays. TEXT 31: O Lord of lords, so fierce of form, please tell me who
You are. I offer my obeisances unto You; please be gracious to me. You are
the primal Lord. I want to know about You, for I do not know what Your
mission is. TEXT 32: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Time I am, the
great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people.
With the exception of you [the Pāṇḍavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain. TEXT 33: Therefore get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer
your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death
by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the
fight. TEXT 34: Droṇa,
Bhīṣma, Jayadratha, Karṇa and the other great warriors have
already been destroyed by Me. Therefore, kill them and do not be disturbed. Simply
fight, and you will vanquish your enemies in battle. TEXT 35: Sañjaya said to Dhṛtarāṣṭra:
O King, after hearing these words from the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the trembling Arjuna offered obeisances with folded hands again and again. He
fearfully spoke to Lord Kṛṣṇa in a faltering voice, as follows. TEXT 36: Arjuna said: O master of the senses, the world becomes
joyful upon hearing Your name, and thus everyone becomes attached to You.
Although the perfected beings offer You their respectful homage, the demons
are afraid, and they flee here and there. All this is rightly done. TEXT 37: O great one, greater even than Brahmā, You are the
original creator. Why then should they not offer their respectful obeisances
unto You? O limitless one, God of gods, refuge of the universe! You are the
invincible source, the cause of all causes, transcendental to this material
manifestation. TEXT 38: You are the original Personality of Godhead, the oldest,
the ultimate sanctuary of this manifested cosmic world. You are the knower of
everything, and You are all that is knowable. You are the supreme refuge,
above the material modes. O limitless form! This whole cosmic manifestation
is pervaded by You! TEXT 39: You are air, and You are the supreme controller! You are fire,
You are water, and You are the moon! You are Brahmā, the first living
creature, and You are the great-grandfather. I therefore offer my respectful
obeisances unto You a thousand times, and again and yet again! TEXT 40: Obeisances to You from the front, from behind and from
all sides! O unbounded power, You are the master of limitless might! You are
all-pervading, and thus You are everything! TEXTS 41-42: Thinking of You as my friend, I have rashly addressed
You “O Kṛṣṇa,” “O
Yādava,” “O my friend,” not knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I
may have done in madness or in love. I have dishonored You many times,
jesting as we relaxed, lay on the same bed, or sat or ate together, sometimes
alone and sometimes in front of many friends. O infallible one, please excuse
me for all those offenses. TEXT 43: You are the father of this complete cosmic manifestation,
of the moving and the nonmoving. You are its worshipable chief, the supreme
spiritual master. No one is greater than You, nor can anyone be one with You.
How then could there be anyone greater than You within the three worlds, O
Lord of immeasurable power? TEXT 44: You are the Supreme Lord, to be worshiped by every living
being. Thus I fall down to offer You my respectful obeisances and ask Your
mercy. As a father tolerates the impudence of his son, a friend the
impertinence of a friend, or a husband the familiarity of his wife, please
tolerate the wrongs I may have done You. TEXT 45: 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. TEXT 46: O universal form, O thousand-armed Lord, I wish to see
You in Your four-armed form, with helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch
and lotus flower in Your hands. I long to see You in that form. TEXT 47: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna,
happily have I shown you, by My internal potency, this supreme universal form
within the material world. No one before you has ever seen this primal form,
unlimited and full of glaring effulgence. TEXT 48: O best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever
seen this universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by
performing sacrifices, nor by charity, nor by pious activities, nor by severe
penances can I be seen in this form in the material world. TEXT 49: You have been perturbed and bewildered by seeing this
horrible feature of Mine. Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free again
from all disturbances. With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you
desire. TEXT 50: Sañjaya said to Dhṛtarāṣṭra:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, having spoken thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed
form and at last showed His two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful Arjuna. TEXT 51: When Arjuna thus saw Kṛṣṇa in His original form, he said: O Janārdana, seeing this
humanlike form, so very beautiful, I am now composed in mind, and I am
restored to my original nature. TEXT 52: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna,
this form of Mine you are now seeing is very difficult to behold. Even the
demigods are ever seeking the opportunity to see this form, which is so dear. TEXT 53: The form you are seeing with your transcendental eyes
cannot be understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious
penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means that one
can see Me as I am. TEXT 54: My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can
I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly.
Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding. TEXT 55: My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me. |