Chapter Eleven

                 The Vision of the Universal Form

                       Visva-rupa-darsana-yoga

1) Arjuna said: Only by Your mercy has Your hidden treasure
been revealed to me. My ignorance of Your supreme nature has
now been completely dispelled.

2) O beautiful lotus-eyed Lord, now I have heard Your elaborate
and conclusive description of the Truth concerning the creation
and dissolution of the living beings, and I have also heard of Your
eternal, inexhaustible glories.

3) O Lord, the manner in which You have described to me Your
absolute supremacy is certainly as it is. Yet I long to actually see,
O Purusottama, that almighty form of Yours.

4) O Lord of all mystic power, I implore Thee, please exhibit Your
almighty, imperishable form, if You think that I shall be able to
behold it.

5) The Supreme Lord said: O Partha, you will behold My
hundreds of thousands of variegated, multi-colored, and
multiform divine expansions.

6) O Bharata, you will see all the forms of Aditya, Vasu, Rudra,
the Asvini-kumara twins, the forty-nine forms of Vayu, and many
others. You will also see all the many wondrous forms which are
hitherto unseen.

7) O vigilant Arjuna, the whole universe of moving and stationary
beings, your future prospect of victory or defeat, or whatever you
desire to see you will behold simultaneously in this singular form
of Mine.

8) You will not be able to see Me through your present eyes, and
therefore I give you supernatural vision by which to behold My
almighty, supreme absolute power

9) Sanjaya said: O King Dhrtarastra, thus speaking to Arjuna, the
Almighty Omnipotent Lord Sri Hari exhibited His form of
supreme universal Lordship.

10-11) The Supreme Lord exhibited His universal form of
unlimited faces and eyes, and endless miraculous revelations.
Many dassling ornaments adorned His body, and He was armed
with many gleaming weapons. Superbly dressed in fine garments,
resplendently garlanded, and anointed with celestial fragrant
substances, His astounding effulgence and presence pervaded all
around.

12) The radiance of a thousand rising sun might resemble
something of the effulgence of that universal form of the Supreme
Lord.

13) At that moment, there on the battlefield, Arjuna could see the
whole universe reposed in a single place, yet divided into many
facets, all within the form of Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme God of
gods.

14) Seeing that amazing form, wonderstruck Arjuna, his whole
body tingling in ecstasy, bowed his head in obeisance to Lord
Krsna, the Supreme God of all gods. His hands folded in prayer,
Arjuna began to speak.

15) Arjuna said: O Lord of magnificent form, in Your body I can
see the demigods, all species of life, transcendental sages and
serpents, as well as Mahadeva, and Lord Brahma who is seated on
the lotus flower.

16) O Lord of the universe! O universal form! In all directions I
see Your unlimited body of many arms, bellies, eyes and faces yet
I cannot catch a glimpse of Your beginning, middle, or end.

17) Resplendent with crowns, wielding clubs and disc weapons
everywhere! do I see Your all-illuminating, effulgent image,
radiant as blazing fire and sun, therefore very difficult to behold
and completely beyond imagination.

18) You are the personification of the Supreme Absolute Truth
which is knowable by the Vedas, You are the exclusive reservoir
of this universe, and You are the imperishable preserver of the
eternal religion mentioned in the Vedas. You are certainly the
eternal Supreme Personality, and this is my firm conviction.

19) Without beginning, middle, and end, unlimitedly powerful and
possessing countless arms, with eyes like the sun and moon, and a
countenance like blazing fire I see You searing the universe by
Your intense radiance.

20) You alone pervade all directions and all space between heaven
and Earth. O universal form, seeing this astonishing an ghastly
form of Yours, all the residents of the three worlds are greatly
fearful.

21) All these demigods are entering into You, some fearfully
offering You prayers with cupped palms. The great sages and
perfected beings are offering choice, worshipful prayers unto You,
saying, "Let all auspiciousness be upon the universe."

22) The demigods known as Rudra, Aditya, Vasu, Sadhya,
Visvadeva, the Asvini-kumara twins, deities of the air, deities of
the forefathers, the Gandharva, Yaksa, Asura, and Siddha races
indeed, they all behold You in amazement.

23) O Almighty One, seeing Your colossal form of many faces,
eyes, arms, legs, feet, and bellies, ghastly with its many teeth all
beings, including myself, are terrified.

24) O universal form! Seeing Your sky-touching, glowing form of
myriad colors, of gaping mouth and gigantic glaring eyes, my
heart is overwhelmed with fear and I cannot in any way remain
composed or calm.

25) Just seeing Your faces resembling the fire of universal
annihilation, ghastly with all their terrible teeth, I can no longer
distinguish one direction from another, nor can I find peace of
mind. O Supreme Lord of all the gods, O shelter of the universe,
please be merciful to me.

26-27) The sons of Dhrtarastra along with their kings, and
Bhisma, Drona, that Karna together with our chief warriors all
are rushing forward to enter into Your dreadful mouths which
are ghastly with their teeth. And some are seen with crushed
heads trapped between Your teeth.

28) As the many currents of rivers flow towards the ocean and
finally enter into it, so these heroes of the world are entering the
blazing cavity of Your mouths.

29) As moths irresistibly rush to their death into a blazing fire,
similarly, all these persons are madly rushing to certain death,
entering into Your mouths.

30) O Almighty Personality, poised to swallow all these victims,
You are voraciously devouring everything with Your flaming
mouths. The entire universe is being seared by Your all-
pervading, personal glaring effulgence.

31) O fearsome one, pleae tell me who You are. O Lord of lords, I
offer my obeisances unto You; please be merciful upon me. I wish
to know more about You, the Original Person, since it is difficult
for me to comprehend the underlying intention of Your actions.

32) The Supreme Lord said: I am time, the mighty force that
vanquishes everyone, and My mission is to devour all who reside
in this world. Of all fighters in the enemy party, even if not slain
by you, not one will be spared.

33) Therefore take your stand for battle, take the glory, conquer
all the enemies, and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. Actually, all
these warriors have long before been killed by Me. O Savyasacin,
you simply take all the credit.

34) Slay (again) Dronacarya, Bhisma, Jayadratha, Kara, and the
many warriors, all of who have been already killed by Me. Do not
hesitate fight! Without any doubt, you will be able to conquer the
enemies.

35) Sanjaya said: After hearing all these things spoken by Lord
Kesava, Arjuna, his body trembling, offered Him respects with
folded hands. With a fearful heart, again bowing down to the
Lord, he began to speak with faltering words.

36) Arjuna said: O Hrsikesa, the entire universe feels great
ecstasy in singing Your glories, and all achieve love for You. Being
afraid, the demons flee in all directions, but the perfected beings
offer respectful obeisances unto You. Certainly this is the proper
order of things.

37) O mighty personality, O limitless one, O God of gods, O abode
of the universe! Why, indeed, should all not offer respects unto
You, who are the worshipable father of even Lord Brahma? You
are also superior to Your impersonal aspect, which is the (general)
cause and effect of everything (in the mundane plane).

38) You are the eternal origin of all the demigods, and the only
refuge of this universe. You alone are the knower and the
knowable, and the embodiment of transcendence. O unlimited
one, this whole universe is pervaded by You.

39) You are the presiding demigods of the air, death, fire, the
ocean, and the moon. You are Brahma, who is the grand-father of
all beings, and You are his father as well. Obeisances unto You
thousands and thousands of times, again and yet again.
40) O embodiment of all, my obeisances unto You from the front,
from behind, and from all sides. O endless almighty, Your are
everything, because by unlimited potency You are pervading the
entire universe.

41-42) Due to delusion and affection I have rashly addressed You
as 'Krsna', 'Yadava', or 'friend', not knowing Your glories and
this mighty universal form of Yours. O infallible one, I have also
disrespected You in jest while sporting, resting, sitting or eating
and so on, either alone with You or before other companions.
Therefore, I am begging You, who are inconceivable powerful, to
kindly forgive me for all these offenses.

43) O almighty without a second, You are the father of the whole
world of moving and stationary beings, the object of worship, the
preceptor and You are superior to all these as well. Therefore
within these three worlds no one can be Your equal, not to speak
of Your superior.

44) O Lord, like a stick fallen on the ground I prostrate my body
before You, praying for Your mercy, since You are my
worshipable master. As a father, friend, or lover forgives the
offenses of his son, companion, or beloved, please be merciful and
similarly forgive my offenses to You.

45) O Lord, although I have become gladdened to behold this
universal form of Yours which I have never seen before, my mind
is distraught with fear. Therefore, O God of gods, please reveal
Your previous four-armed form. O Jagannivasa! May You be
gracious upon me.

46) I wish to see You as I have seen you before, with a crown on
Your head, Your hands bearing a club and disc. O Lord of a
thousand arms, O universal form, may You graciously appear in
that four-armed form.

47) The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, being pleased with you, I
have today revealed this effulgent, all-pervading, unlimited, and
primeval form, by My divine potency. This foremost universal
form has never been seen by anyone else before.

48) O Arjuna, best of the Kauravas, in this world no one but you
can see this universal form of Mine, which cannot be perceived
either by the performance of Vedic sacrifice, charity, study,
rituals, or severe austerities.

49) Let not your fear and bewilderment remain, which has arisen
from the vision of My ghastly universal form. With a peaceful,
contented heart, perfectly see My four-armed form once again.

50) Sanjaya said: Having thus spoken to Arjuna, Krsna exhibited
His form (of four-armed feature, in order to fulfil Arjuna's
prayer). Thereafter, the Lord once again revealed His sweet
personality the most merciful Lord, Sri Krsna (of charming
human features, wearing yellow cloth and recognizable by His
feature of divine beauty), thus reassuring the fearful Arjuna.

51) Arjuna said: O Janardana, my heart is fulfilled upon seeing
Your charming form of human features. My fear is dispelled, and
my inner peace has returned.

52) The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, the chance to see Me as
you are now seeing Me before you, is very, very rarely attained.
Even the gods constantly aspire for a glimpse of this humanlike
form of truth, consciousness, and beauty.

53) Neither by study of the Vedas, nor by austerity, charity, or
sacrifice, can anyone behold My eternal humanlike form of
Supreme Absolute Truth (Para-brahman) which you are now
seeing before you.

54) Arjuna, conqueror of the enemy, although in this form of
Mine I am practically impossible to be seen by all other methods,
the pure devotees, by their exclusive devotion unto Me, are
capable of actually knowing Me, seeing Me, and entering into My
divine pastimes.

55) O Arjuna, one who performs duties only for My service,
accepts Me as the supreme shelter, engages in the devotional
practices, remains detached from the mundane plane and free
from enmity toward all beings such a person surely reaches Me.

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