:: Chapter 11 ::  The Universal Form

Text 10-11

aneka-vaktra-nayanam
anekadbhuta-darsanam
aneka-divyabharanam
divyanekodyatayudham

divya-malyambara-dharam
divya-gandhanulepanam
sarvascarya-mayam devam
anantam visvato-mukham

Synonyms

aneka--various; vaktra--mouths; nayanam--eyes; aneka--various; adbhuta--wonderful; darsanam--sights; aneka--many; divya--divine; abharanam--ornaments; divya--divine; aneka--various; udyata--uplifted; ayudham--weapons; divya--divine; maiya--garlands; ambara--dresses; dharam--wearing; divya--divine; gandha--fragrances; anulepanam--smeared with; sarva--all; ascarya-mayam--wonderful; devam--shining; anantam--unlimited; visvatah-mukham--all-pervading.

Translation

Arjuna saw in that universal form unlimited mouths, unlimited eyes, unlimited wonderful visions. The form was decorated with many celestial ornaments and bore many divine upraised weapons. He wore celestial garlands and garments, and many divine scents were smeared over His body. All was wondrous, brilliant, unlimited, all-expanding.

Purport

In these two verses the repeated use of the word many indicates that there was no limit to the number of hands, mouths, legs and other manifestations Arjuna was seeing. These manifestations were distributed throughout the universe, but by the grace of the Lord, Arjuna could see them while sitting in one place. That was due to the inconceivable potency of Krisna.

Text 12

divi surya-sahasrasya
bhaved yugapad utthita
yadi bhah sadrsi sa syad
bhasas tasya mahatmanah

Synonyms

divi--in the sky; surya--of suns; sahasrasya--of many thousands; bhavet--there were; yugapat--simultaneously; utthita--present; yadi--if; bhah--light; sadrsi--like that; sa--that; syat--might be; bhasah--effulgence; tasya--of Him; maha-atmanah--the great Lord.

Translation

If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal form.

Purport

What Arjuna saw was indescribable, yet Sanjaya is trying to give a mental picture of that great revelation to Dhrtarastra. Neither Sanjaya nor Dhrtarastra was present, but Sanjaya, by the grace of Vyasa, could see whatever happened. Thus he now compares the situation, as far as it can be understood, to an imaginable phenomenon (i.e., thousands of suns).

Text 13

tatraika-stham jagat krtsnam
pravibhaktam anekadha
apasyad deva-devasya
sarire pandavas tada

Synonyms

tatra--there; eka-stham--in one place; jagat--the universe; krtsnam--complete; pravibhaktam--divided; anekadha--into many; apasyat--could see; deva-devasya--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarire--in the universal form; pandavah--Arjuna; tada--at that time.

Translation

At that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of the Lord the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place although divided into many, many thousands.

Purport

The word tatra ("there") is very significant. It indicates that both Arjuna and Krisna were sitting on the chariot when Arjuna saw the universal form. Others on the battlefield could not see this form, because Krisna gave the vision only to Arjuna. Arjuna could see in the body of Krisna many thousands of planets. As we learn from Vedic scriptures, there are many universes and many planets. Some of them are made of earth, some are made of gold, some are made of jewels, some are very great, some are not so great, etc. Sitting on his chariot, Arjuna could see all these. But no one could understand what was going on between Arjuna and Krisna.