1/XI. Arjuna said, “Thanks to the most profound words of spiritual wisdom that You have spoken out of kindness to me, this delusion of mine has entirely disappeared.”
2/XI. “For, Krishna, I have heard from You in detail an account of the evolution and dissolution of beings, and also Your immortal glory.”
3/XI. “Your divine form possessed of wisdom, glory, energy, strength, valour and effulgence, O best of persons!.”
4/XI. “Krishna, if You think that it can be seen by me, then, O Lord of Yoga, reveal to me Your imperishable form.”
5/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “Arjuna, behold presently in hundreds and thousands, My multifarious divine forms, of various colours and shapes.”
6/XI. “Behold in Me, Arjuna, the twelve sons of Aditi, the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras (gods of destruction), the two Asvinikumaras (the twin-born physicians of gods) and the forty-nine Maruts (winds-gods), and witness many more wonderful forms never seen before.”
7/XI. “Arjuna, behold as concentrated within this body of Mine the entire creation consisting of both animate and inanimate beings, and whatever else you desire to see.”
8/XI. “But surely you cannot see Me with these human eyes of yours; therefore; I vouchsafe to you the divine eye. With this you behold My divine power of Yoga.”
9/XI. Sanjaya said, “My lord! Having spoken thus, Sri Krishna, the supreme Master of Yoga, forthwith revealed to Arjuna His supremely glorious divine Form.”
10,11/XI. “Arjuna saw the supreme Deity possessing many mouths and eyes, presenting many a wonderful sight, decked with many divine ornaments, wielding many uplifted divine weapons, wearing divine garlands and clothes, besmeared all over with divine sandal-pastes, full of all wonders, infinite and having faces on all sides.”
12/XL. “If there be the effulgence of a thousand suns bursting forth all at once in the heavens, even that would hardly approach the splendour of the mighty Lord.”
13/XI. “Concentrated at one place in the person of that supreme Deity, Arjuna then beheld the whole universe with its manifold divisions.”
14/XI. “Then Arjuna, full of wonder and with the hair standing on end, reverentially bowed his head to the divine Lord, and with joined palms addressed Him thus.”
15/XI. Arjuna said, “Lord, I behold within Your body all gods and hosts of different beings, Brahma thrones on his lotus-seat, Siva and all Rsis and celestial serpents.”
16/XI. “O lord of the universe !!, I see You endowed with numerous arms, bellies, mouths, and eyes and having innumerable forms extended on all sides. I see neither Your beginning nor middle, nor even Your end, manifested as You are in the form of the universe.”
17/XI. “I see You endowed with diadems, clubs and discuses, a mass of splendour flaming all round, having the brilliance of a blazing fire and the sun, hard to gaze at and immeasurable on all sides.”
18/XI. “You are the supreme indestructible worthy of being known; You are the ultimate refuge of this universe. You are, again, the protector of the ageless Dharma; I consider You to be the eternal imperishable Being.”
19/XI. “I see You without beginning, middle or end, possessing unlimited prowess and endowed with numberless arms, having the moon and the son for Your eyes, and blazing fire for Your mouth, and scorching this universe by Your radiance.”
20/XI. “Yonder space between heaven and earth and all the quarters are entirely filled by You alone. Seeing this transcendent, dreadful form of Yours, O Soul of the universe, all the three worlds feel greatly alarmed.”
21/XI. “Yonder hosts of gods are entering You; some with palms joined out of fear are uttering Your names and glories. Multitudes of Maharsis and Siddhas, saying ‘ Let there be peace’ , are extolling You by means of excellent hymns.”
22/XI. “The eleven Rudras (gods of destruction),the twelve sons of Aditi, the eight Vasus, Sathyars, Viswa Devas, the two Asvinikumaras (the twin-born physicians of gods) and the forty-nine Maruts (winds-gods),Groups of Pithru (Dead relatives), Kandarvas,Yakshas (People living in heaven) and Siddhas are seeing You with Exciting feeling.”
23/XI. “Lord !!, seeing this stupendous and dreadful Form of Yours possessing numerous mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs and feet, many bellies and many teeth, the worlds are terror-struck; so am I.”
24/XI. “Lord !!, seeing Your Form reaching the heavens, effulgent, multi-coloured, having its mouth wide open and possessing large flaming eyes, I, with my inmost self frightened, have lost self-control and find no peace.”
25/XI. “Seeing Your faces frightful on account of their teeth, and flaring like the fire at the time of universal destruction, I am utterly bewildered and find no happiness; therefore, be kind to me, O Lord of celestials and Resting-place of the universe.”
26,27/XI. “All those sons of Dhrtarastra with hosts of kings are entering You. Bhisma, Drona and yonder Karna, with the principal warriors on our side as well, are rushing headlong into Your fearful mouths looking all the more terrible on account of their teeth; some are seen stuck up in the gaps between Your teeth with their heads crushed.”
28/XI. “As the myriad streams of rivers rush towards the sea alone, so do those warriors of the mortal world enter Your flaming mouths.”
29/XI. “As moths rush with great speed into the blazing fire for extinction out of their folly, even so all these people are with great rapidity entering Your mouths to meet their doom.”
30/XI. “Swallowing through Your blazing mouths; You are licking all those people on all sides. Lord, Your terrible splendours are burning the entire universe, filling it with radiance.”
31/XI. “Tell me who You are with a form so terrible. My obeisance to You, O best of gods; be kind to me, I wish to know You, the Primal Being, in particular; for I know not Your purpose.?”
32/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “I am inflamed Kala (the eternal Time-Spirit), the destroyer of the worlds. I am out to exterminate these people. Even without you all those warriors arrayed in the enemy’s camp must die.”
33/XI. “There fore, do you arise and win glory; conquering foes, enjoy the affluent kingdom. These warriors stand already slain by Me; be you only an instrument, Arjuna.”
34/XI. “Do you kill Drona and Bhisma and Jayadratha and Karna and even other brave warriors; who stand already killed by Me; fear not. You will surely conquer the enemies in this war; therefore, fight.”
35/XI. Sanjaya said, “Hearing these words of Bhagavan Kesava, Arjuna tremblingly bowed to Him with joined palms, and bowing again in extreme terror spoke to Sri Krishna in faltering accents.”
36/XI. Arjuna said, “Lord, well it is the universe exults and is filled with love by chanting Your names, virtues and glory; terrified Raksasas are fleeing in all directions, and all the hosts of Siddhas are bowing to You.”
37/XI. “O great soul, why should they not bow to You, who are the progenitor of Brahma himself and the greatest of the great? O infinite Lord of celestials, Abode of the universe, You are that which is existent (Sat), that which is non-existent (Asat) and also that which is beyond both, viz., the indestructible Brahma.”
38/XI. “You are the primal Deity, the most ancient Person; You are the ultimate resort of this universe. You are both the knower and the knowable, and the highest abode. It is You who pervade the universe, assuming endless forms.”
39/XI. “You are Vayu (the wind-god), Yama (the god of death), Agni (the god of fire), the moon-god, Brahma (the Lord of Creation), nay, the father of Brahma Himself. Hail, hail to You a thousand times; salutations, repeated salutations O You once again.”
40/XI. “O Lord of infinite prowess, my salutations to You from before and from behind. O soul of all, my obeisance to You from all sides indeed. You, who possess limitless might, pervade all; therefore, You are all.”
41,42/XI. “The way in which I have importunately called out, either through intimacy or even through want of thought, ‘ Ho Krishna! Ho Yadava! Ho Comrade!’ and so on, suspecting not this greatness of Yours, and thinking You only to be a friend, and the way in which You have been slighted by me in jest, O sinless one while at play, reposing, sitting or at meals, either alone or even in the presence of other for all that I crave forgiveness from You, who are infinite.”
43/XI. “You are the Father, nay the greatest teacher of this moving and unmoving creation, and worthy of adoration. O Lord of incomparable might, in all the three worlds there is none else even equal to You; how, then, any better?”
44/XI. “Therefore, Lord !!, prostrating my body at Your feet and bowing low I seek to propitiate You, the ruler of all and worthy of all praise. It behoves You to bear with me even as father bears with his son, a friend with his friend and a husband with his beloved spouse.”
45/XI. “Having Seen Your wondrous form, which was never seen before, I feel transported with joy; at the same time my mind is tormented by fear. Pray reveal to me that divine form; the form of Visnu with four arms; O Lord of celestials Abode of the universe, be gracious.”
46/XI. “I wish to see You adorned in the same way with a diadem on the head, and holding a mace and a discus in tow of Your hands. O Lord with a thousand arms, O Universal Being, appear again in the same four-armed Form.”
47/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “Arjuna! Pleased with you I have shown you, through My own power of Yoga, this supreme, effulgent, primal and infinite Cosmic Body, which was never seen before by any else than you.”
48/XI. “Arjuna, in this mortal world I cannot be seen in this Form by anyone else than you, either through study of the Vedas or of rituals or a gain through gifts, actions or austere penance.”
49/XI. “Seeing such a dreadful Form of Mine as this, be not perturbed or perplexed; with a fearless and complacent mind, behold once again the same four-armed Form of Mine (bearing the conch, discus, mace and lotus).”
50/XI. Sanjaya said, “Having spoken thus to Arjuna, Bhagavan Vasudeva again showed to him in the same way His own four-armed form; and then, assuming a gentle form, the high-souled Sri Krishna consoled the frightened Arjuna.”
51/XI. Arjuna said, “ Krishna, seeing this gentle human form of Yours I have regained my composure and am myself again.”
52/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “This form of Mine ( with four arms ) which you have just seen is exceedingly difficult to perceive. Even the gods are always eager to behold this form.”
53/XI. “Neither by study of the Vedas nor by penance, nor again by charity, nor even by ritual can I be seen in this form ( with four arms ) as you have seen Me.”
54/XI. “Through single-minded devotion, however, I can be seen in this form ( with four arms ); nay, known in essence and even entered into, O valiant Arjuna.”
55/XI. “Arjuna, he who performs all his duties for My sake, depends on Me, is devoted to Me; has no attachment, and is free from malice towards all beings, reaches Me.”
2/XI. “For, Krishna, I have heard from You in detail an account of the evolution and dissolution of beings, and also Your immortal glory.”
3/XI. “Your divine form possessed of wisdom, glory, energy, strength, valour and effulgence, O best of persons!.”
4/XI. “Krishna, if You think that it can be seen by me, then, O Lord of Yoga, reveal to me Your imperishable form.”
5/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “Arjuna, behold presently in hundreds and thousands, My multifarious divine forms, of various colours and shapes.”
6/XI. “Behold in Me, Arjuna, the twelve sons of Aditi, the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras (gods of destruction), the two Asvinikumaras (the twin-born physicians of gods) and the forty-nine Maruts (winds-gods), and witness many more wonderful forms never seen before.”
7/XI. “Arjuna, behold as concentrated within this body of Mine the entire creation consisting of both animate and inanimate beings, and whatever else you desire to see.”
8/XI. “But surely you cannot see Me with these human eyes of yours; therefore; I vouchsafe to you the divine eye. With this you behold My divine power of Yoga.”
9/XI. Sanjaya said, “My lord! Having spoken thus, Sri Krishna, the supreme Master of Yoga, forthwith revealed to Arjuna His supremely glorious divine Form.”
10,11/XI. “Arjuna saw the supreme Deity possessing many mouths and eyes, presenting many a wonderful sight, decked with many divine ornaments, wielding many uplifted divine weapons, wearing divine garlands and clothes, besmeared all over with divine sandal-pastes, full of all wonders, infinite and having faces on all sides.”
12/XL. “If there be the effulgence of a thousand suns bursting forth all at once in the heavens, even that would hardly approach the splendour of the mighty Lord.”
13/XI. “Concentrated at one place in the person of that supreme Deity, Arjuna then beheld the whole universe with its manifold divisions.”
14/XI. “Then Arjuna, full of wonder and with the hair standing on end, reverentially bowed his head to the divine Lord, and with joined palms addressed Him thus.”
15/XI. Arjuna said, “Lord, I behold within Your body all gods and hosts of different beings, Brahma thrones on his lotus-seat, Siva and all Rsis and celestial serpents.”
16/XI. “O lord of the universe !!, I see You endowed with numerous arms, bellies, mouths, and eyes and having innumerable forms extended on all sides. I see neither Your beginning nor middle, nor even Your end, manifested as You are in the form of the universe.”
17/XI. “I see You endowed with diadems, clubs and discuses, a mass of splendour flaming all round, having the brilliance of a blazing fire and the sun, hard to gaze at and immeasurable on all sides.”
18/XI. “You are the supreme indestructible worthy of being known; You are the ultimate refuge of this universe. You are, again, the protector of the ageless Dharma; I consider You to be the eternal imperishable Being.”
19/XI. “I see You without beginning, middle or end, possessing unlimited prowess and endowed with numberless arms, having the moon and the son for Your eyes, and blazing fire for Your mouth, and scorching this universe by Your radiance.”
20/XI. “Yonder space between heaven and earth and all the quarters are entirely filled by You alone. Seeing this transcendent, dreadful form of Yours, O Soul of the universe, all the three worlds feel greatly alarmed.”
21/XI. “Yonder hosts of gods are entering You; some with palms joined out of fear are uttering Your names and glories. Multitudes of Maharsis and Siddhas, saying ‘ Let there be peace’ , are extolling You by means of excellent hymns.”
22/XI. “The eleven Rudras (gods of destruction),the twelve sons of Aditi, the eight Vasus, Sathyars, Viswa Devas, the two Asvinikumaras (the twin-born physicians of gods) and the forty-nine Maruts (winds-gods),Groups of Pithru (Dead relatives), Kandarvas,Yakshas (People living in heaven) and Siddhas are seeing You with Exciting feeling.”
23/XI. “Lord !!, seeing this stupendous and dreadful Form of Yours possessing numerous mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs and feet, many bellies and many teeth, the worlds are terror-struck; so am I.”
24/XI. “Lord !!, seeing Your Form reaching the heavens, effulgent, multi-coloured, having its mouth wide open and possessing large flaming eyes, I, with my inmost self frightened, have lost self-control and find no peace.”
25/XI. “Seeing Your faces frightful on account of their teeth, and flaring like the fire at the time of universal destruction, I am utterly bewildered and find no happiness; therefore, be kind to me, O Lord of celestials and Resting-place of the universe.”
26,27/XI. “All those sons of Dhrtarastra with hosts of kings are entering You. Bhisma, Drona and yonder Karna, with the principal warriors on our side as well, are rushing headlong into Your fearful mouths looking all the more terrible on account of their teeth; some are seen stuck up in the gaps between Your teeth with their heads crushed.”
28/XI. “As the myriad streams of rivers rush towards the sea alone, so do those warriors of the mortal world enter Your flaming mouths.”
29/XI. “As moths rush with great speed into the blazing fire for extinction out of their folly, even so all these people are with great rapidity entering Your mouths to meet their doom.”
30/XI. “Swallowing through Your blazing mouths; You are licking all those people on all sides. Lord, Your terrible splendours are burning the entire universe, filling it with radiance.”
31/XI. “Tell me who You are with a form so terrible. My obeisance to You, O best of gods; be kind to me, I wish to know You, the Primal Being, in particular; for I know not Your purpose.?”
32/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “I am inflamed Kala (the eternal Time-Spirit), the destroyer of the worlds. I am out to exterminate these people. Even without you all those warriors arrayed in the enemy’s camp must die.”
33/XI. “There fore, do you arise and win glory; conquering foes, enjoy the affluent kingdom. These warriors stand already slain by Me; be you only an instrument, Arjuna.”
34/XI. “Do you kill Drona and Bhisma and Jayadratha and Karna and even other brave warriors; who stand already killed by Me; fear not. You will surely conquer the enemies in this war; therefore, fight.”
35/XI. Sanjaya said, “Hearing these words of Bhagavan Kesava, Arjuna tremblingly bowed to Him with joined palms, and bowing again in extreme terror spoke to Sri Krishna in faltering accents.”
36/XI. Arjuna said, “Lord, well it is the universe exults and is filled with love by chanting Your names, virtues and glory; terrified Raksasas are fleeing in all directions, and all the hosts of Siddhas are bowing to You.”
37/XI. “O great soul, why should they not bow to You, who are the progenitor of Brahma himself and the greatest of the great? O infinite Lord of celestials, Abode of the universe, You are that which is existent (Sat), that which is non-existent (Asat) and also that which is beyond both, viz., the indestructible Brahma.”
38/XI. “You are the primal Deity, the most ancient Person; You are the ultimate resort of this universe. You are both the knower and the knowable, and the highest abode. It is You who pervade the universe, assuming endless forms.”
39/XI. “You are Vayu (the wind-god), Yama (the god of death), Agni (the god of fire), the moon-god, Brahma (the Lord of Creation), nay, the father of Brahma Himself. Hail, hail to You a thousand times; salutations, repeated salutations O You once again.”
40/XI. “O Lord of infinite prowess, my salutations to You from before and from behind. O soul of all, my obeisance to You from all sides indeed. You, who possess limitless might, pervade all; therefore, You are all.”
41,42/XI. “The way in which I have importunately called out, either through intimacy or even through want of thought, ‘ Ho Krishna! Ho Yadava! Ho Comrade!’ and so on, suspecting not this greatness of Yours, and thinking You only to be a friend, and the way in which You have been slighted by me in jest, O sinless one while at play, reposing, sitting or at meals, either alone or even in the presence of other for all that I crave forgiveness from You, who are infinite.”
43/XI. “You are the Father, nay the greatest teacher of this moving and unmoving creation, and worthy of adoration. O Lord of incomparable might, in all the three worlds there is none else even equal to You; how, then, any better?”
44/XI. “Therefore, Lord !!, prostrating my body at Your feet and bowing low I seek to propitiate You, the ruler of all and worthy of all praise. It behoves You to bear with me even as father bears with his son, a friend with his friend and a husband with his beloved spouse.”
45/XI. “Having Seen Your wondrous form, which was never seen before, I feel transported with joy; at the same time my mind is tormented by fear. Pray reveal to me that divine form; the form of Visnu with four arms; O Lord of celestials Abode of the universe, be gracious.”
46/XI. “I wish to see You adorned in the same way with a diadem on the head, and holding a mace and a discus in tow of Your hands. O Lord with a thousand arms, O Universal Being, appear again in the same four-armed Form.”
47/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “Arjuna! Pleased with you I have shown you, through My own power of Yoga, this supreme, effulgent, primal and infinite Cosmic Body, which was never seen before by any else than you.”
48/XI. “Arjuna, in this mortal world I cannot be seen in this Form by anyone else than you, either through study of the Vedas or of rituals or a gain through gifts, actions or austere penance.”
49/XI. “Seeing such a dreadful Form of Mine as this, be not perturbed or perplexed; with a fearless and complacent mind, behold once again the same four-armed Form of Mine (bearing the conch, discus, mace and lotus).”
50/XI. Sanjaya said, “Having spoken thus to Arjuna, Bhagavan Vasudeva again showed to him in the same way His own four-armed form; and then, assuming a gentle form, the high-souled Sri Krishna consoled the frightened Arjuna.”
51/XI. Arjuna said, “ Krishna, seeing this gentle human form of Yours I have regained my composure and am myself again.”
52/XI. Sri Bhagavan said, “This form of Mine ( with four arms ) which you have just seen is exceedingly difficult to perceive. Even the gods are always eager to behold this form.”
53/XI. “Neither by study of the Vedas nor by penance, nor again by charity, nor even by ritual can I be seen in this form ( with four arms ) as you have seen Me.”
54/XI. “Through single-minded devotion, however, I can be seen in this form ( with four arms ); nay, known in essence and even entered into, O valiant Arjuna.”
55/XI. “Arjuna, he who performs all his duties for My sake, depends on Me, is devoted to Me; has no attachment, and is free from malice towards all beings, reaches Me.”
--- END OF CHAPTER - XI ---
-- OM THATH SATH --
