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 fourhanded form, o
thousandhanded 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 trough 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