Chapter 11 : Vishvaroop Darshan Yog
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.
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.
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.
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.
5
The Supreme
Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, O son of Prtha, see now My
opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine and multicolored forms.
6
O best of
the Bharatas, see here the different manifestations of Adityas, Vasus,
Rudras, Asvini-kumaras and all the other demigods. Behold the many wonderful
things which no one has ever seen or heard of before.
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.
8
But you cannot
see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give you divine eyes. Behold
My mystic opulence!
9
Sanjaya said:
O King, having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord of all mystic power, the Personality
of Godhead, displayed His universal form to Arjuna.
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.
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.
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.
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.
15
Arjuna said:
My dear Lord Krishna, I see assembled in Your body all the demigods and
various other living entities. I see Brahma sitting on the lotus flower,
as well as Lord Shiva and all the sages and divine serpents.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
22
All the various
manifestations of Lord Shiva, the Adityas, the Vasus, the Sadhyas, the
Visvedevas, the two Asvis, the Maruts, the forefathers, the Gandharvas,
the Yaksas, the Asuras and the perfected demigods are beholding You in
wonder.
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.
24
O all-pervading
Vishnu, 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.
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.
26-27
All the sons
of Dhrtarastra, along with their allied kings, and Bhisma, Drona, Karna
-- and our chief soldiers also -- are rushing into Your fearful mouths.
And some I see trapped with heads smashed between Your teeth.
28
As the many
waves of the rivers flow into the ocean, so do all these great warriors
enter blazing into Your mouths.
29
I see all
people rushing full speed into Your mouths, as moths dash to destruction
in a blazing fire.
30
O Vishnu,
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.
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.
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
Pandavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain.
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 Savyasaci, can be but an instrument in the fight.
34
Drona, Bhisma,
Jayadratha, Karna 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.
35
Sanjaya said
to Dhrtarastra: 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 Krishna in a faltering voice, as
follows.
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.
37
O great one,
greater even than Brahma, 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.
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!
39
You are air,
and You are the supreme controller! You are fire, You are water, and You
are the moon! You are Brahma, 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!
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!
41-42
Thinking of
You as my friend, I have rashly addressed You "O Krishna," "O Yadava,"
"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.
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
equal to 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?
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, or a friend tolerates the impertinence of a friend,
or a wife tolerates the familiarity of her partner, please tolerate the
wrongs I may have done You.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
50
Sanjaya said
to Dhrtarastra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, having spoken
thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed form and at last showed His
two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful Arjuna.
51
When Arjuna
thus saw Krishna in His original form, he said: O Janardana, seeing this
humanlike form, so very beautiful, I am now composed in mind, and I am
restored to my original nature.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Vishvaroop Darshan Yog |