Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (82 page)

PURPORT

The Lord said that because He entered into the material universe by His personal representation, the cosmic manifestation has been made possible and is going on. Now as far as Arjuna is concerned, he is inspired by the statements of Kṛṣṇa, but in order to convince others in the future who may think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary person, he desires to see Him actually in His universal form, to see how He is acting from within the universe, although He is apart from it. Arjuna's asking the Lord's permission is also significant. Since the Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is present within Arjuna himself; therefore He knows the desire of Arjuna, and He can understand that Arjuna has no special desire to see Him in His universal form, for he is completely satisfied to see Him in His personal form of Kṛṣṇa. But He can understand also that Arjuna wants to see the universal form to convince others. He did not have any personal desire for confirmation. Kṛṣṇa also understands that Arjuna wants to see the universal form to set a criterion, for in the future there would be so many imposters who would pose themselves as incarnations of God. The people, therefore, should be careful; one who claims to be Kṛṣṇa should be prepared to show his universal form to confirm his claim to the people.

Bg 11.4

TEXT 4

TEXT

manyase yadi tac chakyaṁ

mayā draṣṭum iti prabho

yogeśvara tato me tvaṁ

darśayātmānam avyayam

SYNONYMS

manyase-
if You think;
yadi-
if;
tat-
that;
śakyam-
able to see;
mayā-
by me;
draṣṭum-
to see;
iti-
thus;
prabho
-O Lord;
yogeśvara-
the Lord of all mystic power;
tataḥ-
then;
me-
unto me;
tvam-
You;
darśaya-
show;
ātmānam-
Yourself;
avyayam-
eternal.

TRANSLATION

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 universal self.

PURPORT

It is said that one can neither see, hear, understand nor perceive the Supreme
Lord, Kṛṣṇa, by the material senses. But if one is engaged in loving transcendental service to the Lord from the beginning, then one can see the Lord by revelation. Every living entity is only a spiritual spark; therefore it is not possible to see or to understand the Supreme Lord. Arjuna, as a devotee, does not depend on his speculative strength; rather, he admits his limitations as a living entity and acknowledges Kṛṣṇa's inestimable position. Arjuna could understand that for a living entity it is not possible to understand the unlimited infinite. If the infinite reveals Himself, then it is possible to understand the nature of the infinite by the grace of the infinite. The word
yogeśvara
is
also very significant here because the
Lord has inconceivable power. If He likes, He can reveal Himself by His grace, although He is unlimited. Therefore Arjuna pleads for the inconceivable grace of Kṛṣṇa. He does not give Kṛṣṇa orders. Kṛṣṇa is not
obliged to reveal Himself to anyone unless one surrenders fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages in devotional service. Thus it is not possible for persons who depend on the strength of their mental speculations to see Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 11.5

TEXT 5

TEXT

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

paśya me pārtha rūpāṇi

śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ

nānā-vidhāni divyāni

nānā-varṇākṛtīni ca

SYNONYMS

śrī bhagavān
uvāca-
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;
paśya
-just see;
me-
Mine;
pārtha-
O son of Pṛthā;
rūpāṇi-
forms;
śataśaḥ-
hundreds;
atha
-also;
sahasraśaḥ
-thousands;
nānā-vidhāni
-variegated;
divyāni-
divine;
nānā
-variegated;
varṇa
-colored;
akṛtīni
-forms;
ca
-also.

TRANSLATION

The Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, O son of Pṛthā, behold now My opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine forms, multicolored like the sea.

PURPORT

Arjuna wanted to see Kṛṣṇa in His universal form, which, although a transcendental form, is just manifested for the cosmic manifestation and is therefore subject to the temporary time of this material nature. As the material nature is manifested and not manifested, similarly this universal form of Kṛṣṇa is manifested and unmanifested. It is not eternally situated in the spiritual sky like Kṛṣṇa's other forms. As far as a devotee is concerned, he is not eager to see the universal form, but because Arjuna wanted to see Kṛṣṇa in this way, Kṛṣṇa reveals this form. This universal form is not possible to be seen by any ordinary man. Kṛṣṇa must give one the power to see it.

Bg 11.6

TEXT 6

TEXT

paśyādityān vasūn rudrān

aśvinau marutas tathā

bahūny adṛṣṭa-pūrvāṇi

paśyāścaryāṇi bhārata

SYNONYMS

paśya-
see;
ādityān-
the twelve sons of Aditi;
vasūn-
the eight Vasus;
rudrān
-the eleven forms of Rudra;
aśvinau
-the two Asvins;
marutaḥ-
the forty-nine Maruts (demigods of the wind);
tathā
-also;
bahūni-
many;
adṛṣṭa
-that you have not heard or seen;
pūrvāṇi
-before;
paśya
-there see;
āścaryāṇi
-all the wonderful;
bhārata-
O best of the Bhāratas.

TRANSLATION

O best of the Bhāratas, see here the different manifestations of Ādityas, Rudras, and all the demigods. Behold the many things which no one has ever seen or heard before.

PURPORT

Even though Arjuna was a personal friend of Kṛṣṇa and the most advanced of learned men, it was still not possible for him to know everything about Kṛṣṇa. Here it is stated that humans have neither heard nor known of all these forms and manifestations. Now Kṛṣṇa reveals these wonderful forms.

Bg 11.7

TEXT 7

TEXT

ihaika-sthaṁ jagat kṛtsnaṁ

paśyādya sa-carācaram

mama dehe guḍākeśa

yac cānyad draṣṭum icchasi

SYNONYMS

iha-
in this;
ekastham-
in one;
jagat-
the universe;
kṛtsnam-
completely;
paśya-
see;
adya-
immediately;
sa-
with;
cara-
moving;
acaram-
not moving;
mama-
My;
dehe-
in this body;
guḍākeśa
-O Arjuna;
yat-
that;
ca-
also;
anyat-
other;
draṣṭum-
to see;
icchasi-
you like.

TRANSLATION

Whatever you wish to see can be seen all at once in this body. This universal form can show you all that you now desire, as well as whatever you may desire in the future. Everything is here completely.

PURPORT

No one can see the entire universe sitting in one place. Even the most advanced scientist cannot see what is going on in other parts of the universe. Kṛṣṇa gives him the power to see anything he wants to see, past, present and future. Thus by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is able to see everything.

Bg 11.8

TEXT 8

TEXT

na tu māṁ śakyase draṣṭum

anenaiva sva-cakṣuṣā

divyaṁ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ

paśya me yogam aiśvaram

SYNONYMS

na-
never;
tu-
but;
mām-
Me;
śakyase-
able;
draṣṭum-
to see;
anena-
by this;
eva-
certainly;
sva-cakṣuṣā-
with your own eyes;
divyam-
divine;
dadāmi-
I give;
te-
you;
cakṣuḥ-
eyes;
paśya-
see;
me-
My;
yogam aiśvaram-
inconceivable mystic power.

TRANSLATION

But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give to you divine eyes by which you can behold My mystic opulence.

PURPORT

A pure devotee does not like to see Kṛṣṇa in any form except His form with two hands; a devotee must see His universal form by His grace, not with the mind but with spiritual eyes. To see the universal form of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is told not to change his mind but his vision. The universal form of Kṛṣṇa is not very important; that will be clear in the verses. Yet because Arjuna wanted to see it, the Lord gives him the particular vision required to see that universal form.

Devotees who are correctly situated in a transcendental relationship with Kṛṣṇa are attracted by loving features, not by a godless display of opulences. The playmates of Kṛṣṇa, the friends of Kṛṣṇa and the parents of Kṛṣṇa never want Kṛṣṇa to show His opulences. They are so immersed in pure love that they do not even know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In their loving exchange they forget that Kṛṣṇa is the
Supreme Lord. In the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
it is stated that the boys who play with Kṛṣṇa are all highly pious souls, and after many, many births they are able to play with Kṛṣṇa. Such boys do not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They take Him as a personal friend. The Supreme Person is considered as the impersonal Brahman by great sages, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the devotees, and as a product of this material nature by ordinary men. The fact is that the devotee is not concerned to see the
viśva-rūpa,
the universal form, but Arjuna wanted to see it to substantiate Kṛṣṇa's statement so that in the future people could understand that Kṛṣṇa not only theoretically or philosophically presented Himself as the Supreme but actually presented Himself as such to Arjuna. Arjuna must confirm this because Arjuna is the beginning of the
paramparā
system. Those who are actually interested to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and who follow in the footsteps of Arjuna should understand that Kṛṣṇa not only theoretically presented Himself as the Supreme, but actually revealed Himself as the Supreme.

The Lord gave Arjuna the necessary power to see His universal form because He knew that Arjuna did not particularly want to see it, as we have already explained.

Bg 11.9

TEXT 9

TEXT

sañjaya uvāca

evam uktvā tato rājan

mahā-yogeśvaro hariḥ

darśayām āsa pārthāya

paramaṁ rūpam aiśvaram

SYNONYMS

sañjayaḥ uvāca-
Sanjaya said;
evam-
thus;
uktvā
-saying;
tataḥ
-thereafter;
rājan
-O King;
mahā-yogeśvaraḥ-
the most powerful mystic;
hariḥ
-the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa;
darśayāmāsa-
showed;
pārthāya-
unto Arjuna;
paramam
-divine;
rūpam
-universal form;
aiśvaram
-opulences.

TRANSLATION

Sañjaya said: O King, speaking thus, the Supreme, the Lord of all mystic power, the Personality of Godhead, displayed His universal form to Arjuna.

Bg 11.10, Bg 11.11, Bg 11.10-11

TEXTS 10-11

TEXT

aneka-vaktra-nayanam

anekādbhuta-darśanam

aneka-divyābharaṇaṁ

divyānekodyatāyudham

divya-gandhānulepanam

sarvāścarya-mayaṁ devam

anantaṁ viśvato-mukham

SYNONYMS

aneka-
various;
vaktra-
mouths;
nayanam-
eyes;
aneka-
various;
adbhuta-
wonderful;
darśanam-
sight;
aneka-
many;
divya-
divine;
ābharaṇam-
ornaments;
divya-
divine;
aneka-
various;
udyata-
uplifted;
āyudham
weapons;
divya-
divine;
mālya
-garlands;
ambara-dharam
-covered with the dresses;
divya
-divine;
gandha-
fragrance;
anulepanam
-smeared;
sarva
-all;
aścaryamayam
-wonderful;
devam
-shining;
anantam
-unlimited;
viśvataḥ-mukham
-all-pervading.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna saw in that universal form unlimited mouths and unlimited eyes. It was all wondrous. The form was decorated with divine, dazzling ornaments and arrayed in many garbs. He was garlanded gloriously, and there were many scents smeared over His body. All was magnificent, all-expanding, unlimited. This was seen by Arjuna.

PURPORT

These two verses indicate that there is no limit to the hands, mouths, legs, etc., of the Lord. These manifestations are distributed throughout the universe and are unlimited. By the grace of the Lord, Arjuna could see them while sitting in one place. That is due to the inconceivable potency of Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 11.12

TEXT 12

TEXT

divi sūrya-sahasrasya

bhaved yugapad utthitā

yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād

bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ