A Song of Fortune - A Classical Gita: Chapter 11

(1) Arjuna said: 'By the words of what you said with the purpose of favoring me concerning the confidentiality of the spiritual supreme, my illusion has been removed. (2) I heard from you in detail about the appearance and disappearance of the living beings, oh lotus-eyed one, and you also spoke about your inexhaustible glories. (3) After all your words concerning yourself, oh best of all persons, I cherish the wish to see your divine form the way it is, oh controller in the beyond. (4) So if you deem it possible for me to have that vision, oh master and controller of the unification within, then show me your imperishable self!'

(5) The fortunate one said: 'Behold, oh son of Prithâ, the hundreds and thousands of my different, divine forms in all shapes and colors. (6) See the personalities of wisdom, the personalities of wealth, the destroyers in the service of God, the healthcare agents, the gods and much more of the wonders you've never seen before, oh best one of the Kuru dynasty. (7) See here and now the completeness of the universe, with all that moves and not moves, rolled in one, within this one body of mine, oh conqueror of sleep, as also whatever more you wish to see. (8) But of course you will not be able to see me as such with your own eyes, so I'll grant you the divine vision. Now witness the supreme union of my control!' "

(9) Sañjaya said: "Oh King, having spoken thus, the great lord of the unification of consciousness showed Prithâ's son the beyond of his form of control. (10-11) Many mouths, eyes and many diverse wonderful sights, many divine ornaments and a variety of weapons ready for battle; heavenly flowers worn, all kinds of dresses and suits, and even divine, fragrant ointments, all wonderful and splendrous, could be seen extending to all sides. (12) The effulgence that He, the greatness of the soul, had, resembled the light of thousands of suns, all at the same time present in the sky. (13) Right there Arjuna could see, in the one universal form of the God of gods, all the diversity of the complete universe in one. (14) Thereupon, with his hair standing on end, the conqueror of wealth began, overwhelmed by wonder, to pray, meanwhile with folded hands offering the godhead his respect.

(15) Arjuna said: 'I see, oh God, all the gods assembled in Your body, as also all other living entities; I see Lord Brahmâ with the many faces and Lord S'iva sitting in the lotus position, as also all the seers and the serpent egos of divinity. (16) In Your universal form, oh Lord of the creation, I see a multitude of faces, trunks, mouths and eyes on all sides, as part of an unlimited form which, indeed, has no beginning, no end nor a middle. (17) I see headdresses, weapons and jewelry, and find it difficult to keep that vision in check which is glowing on all sides with an effulgence as immeasurable as the blazing fire of the radiating sun. (18) You must be understood as the infallible supreme of this universe, the transcendental foundation, You are the inexhaustible maintainer of the path of righteousness, of dharma; You are the eternal original personality, that is what You are in my opinion! (19) With You being of an unlimited glory, sourceless, endless and with no middle; with countless arms and with the sun and moon for Your eyes, I see, emanating from Your mouth, a blazing fire which torments the universe. (20) Sure enough everything between heaven and earth is pervaded by You, only You; and all the three worlds¹⁸ are perturbed at the sight of this wonderful and terrible form! (21) Rows of believers enter You, to which some of them with folded hands are offering prayers to ward off the fear. The great sages exclaim 'All hail!' to this and the ones who attained perfection pray and sing many a hymn to Your honor. (22) The intimidating Rudras, the god-conscious Âdityas, the Vasus ruling the material sphere, all those, as also the refined Sâdhyas, the all-divine Vis'vadevas and the healing As'vins; the famous Maruts, the forefathers and the Gandharva angels; the Yaksha spirits, the godless Asuras, and the whole Siddha gathering of accomplished devotees, have all turned their faces to You in awe and wonder. (23) With the sight of this unimaginably great form of Yours with all its faces and eyes, oh man of the mightiest grip; its many arms, thighs and feet; its many bellies and its many dreadful teeth, I am as upset as all the worlds. (24) Seeing You this way touching the sky with all Your colors, open mouths and wide open, shining eyes, I am, in a state of shock, unable to keep myself together and have a peaceful mind, oh God and maintainer. (25) With before my eyes these terrifying teeth and faces of Yours, which appear like the fire at the end of time, I have, nailed to the ground, lost my sense of direction; please have mercy, oh Lord of the lords and refuge of the worlds!

(26-27) In the middle of this I see uncle Dhritarâshthra with all his sons and the ranks of rulers ready for the battle, as also grandpa Bhîshma, Drona and our half brother Karna, who together with also our commanders hurry into Your mouth, where I see how some of them by their head are caught between the frightening, dreadful teeth. (28) Like the streams of water which in waves, inevitably, flow into the ocean, similarly all these human authorities are full of fire entering Your mouths. (29) Like moths that head in full full speed for their destruction into a blazing fire, all people entering Your mouths find themselves destroyed the same way. (30) Covering the entire universe with Your flaming mouths, You, licking on all sides, devour the people You scorch with Your terrible radiation, oh all-pervading Lordship. (31) Please tell me who You, in this frightening form, are, oh Godhead, I offer You my obeisances; please be good to me, I would like to know Your original nature, for I'm missing the point of Your mission.'

(32) The Fortunate One said: 'I am Time, the great destroyer of the world, who puts an end to the lives of all the people here; except for you and your brothers, everybody who gathered on both sides, will come to naught. (33) For that reason you must rise to your feet and go for the glory by defeating your opponents, so that you, flourishing by my grace, may enjoy the kingdom; the fact that all these would perish was written in the stars, just be the instrument of that providence, oh left-handed one. (34) Drona, Bhîshma and Jayadratha, Karna and the other great warlords, you may reckon, are destroyed by me already, so put an end to their existence without a blink of an eye, just fight and in the battle you'll be the victor over your opponents.' "

(35) Sañjaya said: "The next ruler in line who, with folded hands and trembling, thus heard the man of beauty speak, again offered prayers and addressed full of awe Krishna with a faltering voice.

(36) Arjuna said: 'Right so, oh master of the senses, the entire world rejoices by, and is attached to, Your glories; while the ones of perfection gather to offer their respects, the evil ones frightened flee in all directions. (37) And why shouldn't they, oh greatest soul better than Brahmâ, isn't it because You as the original doer, oh infinite one, oh God of the gods and refuge of the universe, can't perish in the beyond of all the true and untrue? (38) You are the original godhead, the oldest person, You are the transcendental refuge of this universe, You are the knower and the known, the beyond and the abode; You who in Your unlimited form pervades the entire cosmos. (39) You, the rein, are the air, the fire and the water, the moon, the founding father and the great-grandfather. Again and again I offer You my respects, a thousand times over and over I offer You my obeisance. (40) From the front and from behind, I offer You my respects; indeed from all sides I do so because You are everything, the infinite power and the boundless might; by You everything is covered and therefore You are everything. (41-42) Taking You for my friend, I importunely said things like 'hi Krishna', 'hi Yadu nephew', 'hi friend'. But I had no idea of Your glories, with all I did out of foolishness or out of love. For whatever I said in making fun of You, or ridiculing You, when we relaxed sitting together, laid down or when we were taking meals; or for whatever I've said being alone or in the company of others oh infallible one, I beg Your immeasurable pardon! (43) The father of all the moving and non-moving, the father of all the worlds You are; You are the venerable one and the teacher of this, and so glorious that no one compares to You; how, oh immeasurable power, can there be anyone greater than You in the three worlds? (44) I therefore, offering my humble respect, prostrate my body before You oh Lord, to beg Your mercy, oh venerable one; to pray, oh God, that You may tolerate me like a father tolerating his son, like a friend good to his friend and like a lover with his sweetheart. (45) I'm glad to have seen what no one saw before, but afraid of what I saw, I am also upset; therefore, please oh God, show me Your personal form, oh Lord of lords and refuge of the living being. (46) The one with the helmet, holding the club of His power of rule, the discus of His vital order, the conch of His mission and the lotus flower of His opulence, that is the form of You I'd like to see; please, oh thousand-handed universal form, show me the form of You with these four hands!'

(47) The fortunate said: 'From my grace for you Arjuna, I showed this transcendental form of the oneness of my self; besides You there is no one who saw this unlimited, original form to the full of its radiating glory in the universe before. (48) Oh best of the Kuru warriors, nor by Vedic sacrifice, by study, by charity, pious deeds or by severe penances anyone in the material world managed to have this vision. Only you did. (49) Don't be troubled by it, let your mind not be overtaken by the sight of this terrible form of mine as it is, just see, free from fear and with a happy mind, this personal form of me again.' "

(50) Sañjaya said: "The god of all opulence and well-being talking like this to Arjuna, showed him again his own four-handed form and assumed thereafter, to reassure the fearful Arjuna, again his beautiful, normal physique as the great one.

(51) Arjuna said: 'Seeing this beautiful, human form of yours, oh chastiser of the enemy, my mind has calmed down and I am myself again.'

(52) The man of the opulence said: 'The vision of this form of mine as you saw it and which even by the gods is constantly aspired, is most difficult to acquire. (53) Nor by the books of prayer, by penances, by charity, or by worship it is possible to see me the way you did. (54) Only by devotional service free from ulterior motives it is possible Arjuna, to know and see me like this, to access the reality from within, oh man of grip. (55) He who, with my devotion and with me as the transcendence, does my type of work, and free from enmity with all living beings has forsaken his attachments, is the one, oh son of Pându, who reaches me.'