11:1: Arjuna said: Because You have looked kindly upon me andrevealed this supreme and discreet knowledge of the Self, my delusionhas been removed.
11:2-4: O Lotus-eyed One, I have heard from You in detail of the origin anddissolution of the living beings. I have also heard about Yourinexhaustible glories.
As You have described this Yourself, O Supreme God, I wish to see your sovereign form, O Ultimate Person.
If you, O God, determine that I am able to see this, then please, O Master of Yoga, show me Your imperishable Self.
11:5-7: The Blessed One said: O child of Partha, behold myhundreds and thousands of forms, each of various divine types andcolors.
Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the twin Ashvins, the Marutsand many other wonders never seen before, O best of the Bharatas.
Behold now the entire universe in this one abode - complete with themoving and unmoving - existing within My Body, O Arjuna. Here you willsee everything you desire.
11: 8: With your material eyes you are not able to see Me [in MyUniversal Form], I therefore give you divine eyes to see My omnipresentyogic ability.
11:9: Sanjaya said: O king, having thus spoken Hari, the supremeMaster of yogic wonders, showed that highest and most sovereign Form tothe descendent of Partha (Arjuna).
11:10, 11: [In that Form were] numerous mouths and eyes,multifarious wonderful sights, sundry divine ornaments and a myriad ofdivine uplifted weapons.
[God was] wearing divine garlands, celestial raiments and was anointedwith transcendental fragrances. The Divine One was all marvelous,radiant, unlimited and omniscient.
11:12: In the sky thousands of suns instantly arose as if radiating the splendor of the great Soul.
11:13: There in that one place, Arjuna saw the entire universe,which is divided into many subsections, in the body of the God of gods.
11:14: Then filled with wonder, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed before God with folded hands and spoke thus:
11:15-31: Arjuna said: O God, I see all the gods within Yourbody, as well as the diverse classes of living beings. There is LordBrahma, seated on the lotus flower, Lord Shiva, as well as the holyseers and divine serpents.
I behold innumerable arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; I see You allaround me manifesting limitless forms, devoid of end, middle orbeginning, O God of the universe, O Universal Form!
I see You with diadems, maces and discs. Your massive effulgence isblazing all around and is difficult to behold, like blazing fire, likethe immeasurable radiance of the sun.
In my opinion, You are imperishable, supreme and worthy of being known.You are the highest reservoir of this inexhaustible universe, guardianof Truth and the eternal Person.
I behold You as being without beginning, middle or end, of infiniteglory, with limitless arms. The moon and sun are Your eyes; Your mouthis blazing like fire and by Your brilliance this universe is beingheated.
The heavens, the earth, and everything in between is pervaded by Youalone. By seeing this wonderful and terrible Form of Yours the threeworlds are shaking with fear, O Great Soul.
The community of devas are entering into You. Some, due to fear, offerpraise to You with folded hands saying: "All glories to You!" The greatseers as well as the community of perfected beings are singing hymnsunto You with copious prayers.
The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvadevas, Ashvins, Maruts,Usmapas, Gandharvas, Yaksas, Asuras and Siddhas are all beholding You inamazement.
O mighty armed, this magnificent Form of Yours has innumerable facesand eyes, limitless arms, thighs and feet, as well as myriad stomachsand countless terrible teeth. Beholding it the planets are shaking withfear, even as am I!
Beholding You touching the sky, with myriad colors, mouths agape andwith vast glowing eyes, I am disturbed at heart and can find no innerpeace, O Supreme Vishnu!
Beholding Your terrible teeth and mouths blazing like the apocalypticfires in all directions, I obtain no happiness. O Lord of lords, showmercy unto me, O refuge of the universes!
All these sons of Dhritarastra, along with the community of guardian kings, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, plus our own chief warriors,
They are hurriedly entering into Your fearful mouths, some are clingingbetween Your terrible teeth, their heads thoroughly crushed.
As river water flows into the ocean, so too these heroes of the mortal world are entering into Your blazing mouths.
As moths rush into a blazing fire to their destruction, so too do theworld's inhabitants plunge into Your mouths to their destruction.
With Your mouths You are licking up and devouring the inhabitants ofthe world on all sides. You are blazing with brilliance, illuminatingthe entire universe with Your awesome rays, O Lord Vishnu!
O fierce of form, please tell me who You are. Kindly accept my humbleobeisances, O best among the gods. Be gracious unto me. I wish to knowYou, the Primeval One, and Your engagements.
11:32: The Blessed One said: I am time, the destroyer of theworld, when it has grown mature. I am now engaged in destroying theworld's inhabitants. Even without your participation, those warriors whoare arrayed here in opposing armies, without exception,will bedestroyed.
11:33: Therefore arise! Having conquered your enemies, acquire fameand enjoy a flourishing kingdom. As these warriors are already killed byMe, you will merely be My instrument, O Savyasaci.
11:34: Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and the other mightywarriors are actually killed by Me, so slay them and don't be perturbed.Fight and you will conquer your enemies in battle.
11:35: Sanjaya said: Having heard Keshava's words, Arjuna,trembling, prostrated himself and again offered obeisances with joinedpalms. In a faltering voice, overcome with fear, he said unto ShriKrishna:
11:36: Arjuna said: O Hrishikesha it is appropriate that theuniverse is rejoicing and delighted, that the demons are fearful on allsides and are therefore fleeing, and that the community of perfectedbeings are offering You their obeisances.
11:37, 38: And why wouldn't they offer obeisances unto You? Youare the Great Universal Soul, greater than even Lord Brahma the originalcreator; You are the Infinite Being, the God of gods, the sole refugeof the universes; as both being and non-being You are imperishable; Youare Supreme!
You are the original, primeval Personality of Godhead! You are theancient and highest refuge of this universe! You are the knower and theobject of knowledge! You are the supreme Abode! By You the universes arepervaded, O God of infinite forms!
11:39, 40: You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, Prajapatiand the great-grandfather. I offer my obeisances unto You again andagain, a thousand times and more I offer my obeisances; I offer myobeisances unto You!
Please accept my respectful obeisances unto You from the front, behindand from all sides. You possess unlimited courage and power; You pervadeeverything and therefore You are everything!
11:41, 42: Thinking of You as a friend, I have brashly said: "OKrishna!" "O Yadava!" "O my friend!" Due to my oversight, not knowingYour majesty, due to my love for You, I have thus spoken.
If I have treated You disrespectfully, whether out of a sense of jest,while roaming about, while reclining, while sitting, while eating,whether alone or in the company of others, I beg Your immeasurableforgiveness, O Acyuta!
11:43: You are the Parent of the entire world, both the movingand the non moving. You are the most worshipable and revered preceptor.No one is equal to You in all the three worlds; who could be greater, Othou of unequaled splendor?
11:44: Therefore, O God, prostrating my body before You andoffering obeisances I ask for Your grace and tolerance, O praiseworthyGod, like a parent to a child, like a friend to a friend or a lover tothe beloved.
11:45: I am delighted to behold what has never before been seen,yet my mind is perturbed with fear. O God, bestow Your mercy on me andshow me Your [four-armed Narayana] form, O God of gods, O Refuge of theuniverse.
11:46: O thousand-armed, I desire to see You as before in Yourfour-armed form, crowned, with a club and disc in Your hands, Ouniversal form.
11:47: The Blessed One said: I am delighted, O Arjuna, to showyou this supreme form. By My mystic yogic powers you are seeing theuniverse filled with My infinite primeval radiance. Such has neverbefore been seen by anyone other than you!
11:48, 49: Neither through Vedic sacrifice, study, charity,rituals or severe austerities can that form be seen in the materialworld, but I show it you alone, O hero of the Kurus.
Do not be disquieted nor bewildered due to seeing this awesome Form asit truly is. Be free from fear and with a joyous mind again behold My[four-armed Narayana] form.
11:50: Sanjaya said: Having thus spoken untoArjuna, Vasudevarevealed that [four-armed] form. Then the great souled One allayedArjuna's fear by again accepting the handsome [two-armed] body.
11:51: Arjuna said: Seeing Your handsome human form again, OJanardana, my consciousness is now steady and I am restored to my ownnature.
11:52-54: The Blessed One said: It is very difficult to see thisform which you have seen. Even the devas are always desirous to beholdthis Form of Mine.
I am not [understood] by Vedic knowledge, austerity, charity, nor by rituals in the form you have seen Me.
Only by one-pointed devotion is it possible, O Arjuna, to know, see, and enter into the truth of Me, O mighty-armed one.
One whose actions are dedicated to Me, who deems Me to be supreme, whois devoted to Me, who is free from all fruitive attachments, and isdevoid of enmity towards all living beings, only such a person comes toMe, O son of Pandu.
Here Ends Chapter Eleven