CHAPTER
11: THE YOGA OF THE UNIVERSAL FORM
On the confrontation with
the complete of His reality
(1) Arjuna said:
'The words that You spoke in Your favoring me concerning the
confidential subject of the spiritual supreme - through them this
illusion of mine is removed. (2) I heard from You in detail about the
appearance and disappearance of all living entities, o lotus eyed one,
and also about Your inexhaustible glories. (3) Even when You have spoken about this of
Yours as it is, o Supreme Lord, I wish to see Your divine form, o
Highest Personality. (4)
If You think that it as such can be seen by me o master, Lord of Yoga,
then You show me Your universal Self.'
(5) The Supreme
Lord said: 'O son of Prithâ, behold the hundreds and thousands of
the variegated divine of My diverse forms and colors. (6) Just see the Âditiyas, Vasus, Rudra's,
Asvins , Maruts as also the many of all the wonders you did not see
before, o best of the Bhârata's. (7) See here and now the universe completely,
all at the same time, with all that moves and not moves, in this body
of Mine, o conqueror of sleep, and also whatever else you wish to see. (8) But surely you will never be able to see Me
with your normal eyes; divine eyes I give you to perceive My Divine
Union.'
(9) Sanjaya said:
"O King, after having spoken thus, the Great Lord of Yoga, the Supreme
Personality, showed Arjuna the beyond of the Universal Form. (10-11) Many mouths, eyes and many diverse wonderful
sights, many divine ornaments, and a variety of uplifted weapons,
heavenly garlands and the wear of dresses with divine fragrances and
ointments, were all wonderful and shining, extending to all sides. (12) If there were the light of the simultaneous
presence of many thousands of suns in the sky, such might resemble the
effulgence of Him, the Greatness of the Soul. (13) There Arjuna then could, in the universal
form of the God of Gods, see in one the complete universe divided in
many. (14) Thereafter,
being overwhelmed with wonder and his hair standing on end, the
conqueror of wealth offered the God with folded hands his obeisances,
bowing his head and began to speak.
(15) Arjuna said: 'I see all the gods and all
living entities assembled in Your body, o Lord; Lord Brahmâ
seated on the lotus and Lord Shiva, and also the great sages and all
serpents. (16)
Many arms, trunks, mouths and eyes I see, on all sides I see an
unlimited form with no end, no middle nor again Your beginning, o Lord
of the Universe, o Universal Form. (17) With crowns, maces and discs and an
effulgence on all sides I have difficulty seeing You glowing everywhere
as the immeasurable blazing fire of the radiating sun. (18) You are to be understood as the Infallible
Supreme of this universe, You are the basis of the beyond, You are the
inexhaustible maintainer of all religion and the eternal Original
Personality You are - that is what I think. (19) Without a beginning, middle or end, of
unlimited glories, with countless arms and with the sun and moon for
eyes, I see that by Your radiance out of Your mouth a blazing fire
comes that heats this universe. (20) For sure all that is between heaven and
earth is pervaded by You alone and by seeing all this of Your wonderful
form in all directions, the three worlds are trembling, o Great Soul. (21) The host of theists for certain enter You
while some of them out of fear are offering prayers with folded hands.
The great sages in that exclaim 'all Hail' and the perfected groupwise
pray to You by singing hymns. (22) The terrifying ones, the godly, the rulers
of the elements, all those and the refined, the virtuous, the elderly,
the flashing ones, the forefathers and the celestial beings; the
spirits, atheists and the whole gathering of perfected devotees are
certainly beholding You all in awe and wonder. (23) Seeing this unimaginably great form of You
with its many faces and eyes, o mighty armed one; its many arms, thighs
and legs; its many bellies and many dreadful teeth, are all the worlds
perturbed just as I am. (24)
Seeing this way You touching the sky glowing with many colors, open
mouths and wide open shining eyes, I am unsettled within and unable to
keep my composure and peace of mind, o Vishnu. (25) Seeing thus Your terrifying teeth and faces
like the fire of the end of time, I lose my sense of direction and find
myself nailed to the ground; o Lord of Lords, refuge of the worlds,
have mercy! (26-27) In this of You I also see Dhritarâstra with all his
sons and the scores of warrior kings and Bhismadeva,
Dronâcârya and Karna together with also our chief warriors
rushing into Your mouth where some of them I see with crushed skulls
caught between the frightening, dreadful teeth. (28) As the multitude of streams that inevitably
glide towards the waves of the sea, similarly all these human hero's of
this world enter into the mouths fiery. (29) As moths heading full speed for destruction
into a blazing fire, the same way all people also full speed enter your
mouths to find destruction. (30) Licking, You devour the people from all
directions with Your flaming mouths covering the universe with all the
terribly scorching rays of Your effulgence, o Vishnu. (31) Please explain me who You, in this fearsome
form, are. I offer You, o great God, my obeisances, be so good to me; I
wish to know the original of You as I surely do not comprehend Your
mission.
(32) The Supreme Lord said: "Time I am the great destroyer of the worlds
engaged here in destroying all people, except for you [brothers] only,
will all the soldiers who are situated on both sides, find their end.
(33) Therefore you must get
up and gain fame conquering the enemies and enjoy the kingdom
flourishing by Me; for sure all these were destined to be killed, be
merely the instrument of that, o left-handed one. (34)
Drona, Bhîsma
and Jayadratha, Karna and others - these great warriors surely have
been killed by Me already; destroy and do not worry, just fight and so
doing you will conquer your enemies."
(35) Sanjaya said:
"Thus hearing the speech of Kesava, with folded hands and trembling,
the crowned one offered prayers again and spoke to Krishna with a
faltering voice bowing before Him. (36) Arjuna said: ' Rightly, o master of the
senses, by Your glories the entire world rejoices and gets attached:
the demoniac out of fear flee in all directions, while the chores of
the perfected offer their respects. (37) And why should they not respect You, o great
Soul better than Brahmâ, isn't it because as the Original
Creator, o unlimited God of gods and refuge of the universe, You are
imperishable and transcendental to cause and effect? (38) You are the original God and person, the
oldest of this universe, the transcendental refuge and the knower; You
are the knowable, the beyond and the abode, by You the universe is
pervaded o infinite form! (39)
You are the controller of the air, the fire, the water and the moon,
You are the Brahmâ and the great grandfather, again and again I
offer You my respects; a thousand times over and over I offer You My
obeisances. (40)
Heil to the front and to the back of You, unto You I offer my respects
indeed from all sides because You are everything, the infinite power
and the boundless might; everything is covered by You and therefore You
are everything. (41-42) Presumptuously thinking as a friend I said: "O Krishna, o
Yâdava, o dear friend" and so; nor of my foolishness nor of my
love, did I know of these glories of You. For whatever I also said
joking dishonoring You, relaxing, lying down and sitting, while eating
together and being alone with You, o Infallible One, as also in the
company of others, I ask forgiveness, o Immeasurable One. (43) The father You are of all the worlds moving
and nonmoving, of all this You are the venerable one and the teacher,
never is there anyone equally glorious to You; how can others be
greater than You in the three worlds, o Incomparable Power? (44) Therefore prostrating my body, I pay You who
I know as the venerable Supreme One my respect to beg Your mercy and
tolerate me like a father should with his son, like a friend should
with a friend and a lover should with his dearmost, my Lord. (45) I am glad to have seen what was never seen
before, but my mind is also unsettled; be so gracious to show me Your
form again o God, Lord of Lords and refuge of the universe. (46) I wish to see You in the position with
helmet, club and disc in Your hand; just take the four-handed form, o
thousand-handed One, o Universal Form.
(47) The Supreme
Lord said: 'From My grace for you Arjuna, this transcendental form of
the oneness of My Self was shown; besides you no one saw this unlimited
original form of Me, of the full effulgence of the entire universe,
before. (48)
O best of the Kuru-warriors, in this material world in this form no
other than you could see this nor by Vedic sacrifice or study nor by
charity and pious deeds or severe penances. (49) Don't be troubled, don't be bewildered
seeing this horrible form, just see My form without fear and thus with
a happy mind again as It is'."
(50) Sanjaya said:
"Vâsudeva speaking that way of His own form showed Himself once
more and became the great soul of His own beautiful form again
reassuring thus the fearful Arjuna. (51) Arjuna said: 'Seeing this very beautiful
human form of You, o chastiser of the enemies, I am now composed in
mind and myself again.'
(52) The Supreme
Lord said: 'This form of mine as you have seen it is very difficult to
see, even the demigods eternally aspire to see this form. (53) Never can I be seen by studying the Veda's,
penances, by charity or worship, the way you saw Me. (54) Only through devotional service free from
ulterior motives it is possible to know and see Me like this Arjuna,
and factually get access, o mighty armed one. (55) The one who is engaged in working for Me,
with Me as the Supreme, in my devotional service free from
materialistic association and enmity among the living beings, reaches
Me, o son of Pându.
Spoken by Anand Aadhar Prabhu
to the text offered below