:: Chapter 11 :: The Universal Form
Text 5
sri-bhagavan uvaca
pasya me partha rupani
sataso 'tha sahasrasah
nana-vidhani divyani
nana-varnakrtini ca
Synonyms
sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; pasya- just see; me--My; partha--O son of Prtha; rupani--forms; satasah--hundreds; atha--also; sahasrasah--thousands; nana-vidhani--variegated; divyani--divine; nana--variegated; varna--colors; akrtini--forms; ca--also.
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, O son of Prtha, see now My opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine and multicolored forms.
Purport
Arjuna wanted to see Krisna 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 Krisna is manifested and no manifested. It is not eternally situated in the spiritual sky like Krisna’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 Krisna in this way, Krisna reveals this form. This universal form is not possible to be seen by any ordinary man. Krisna must give one the power to see it.
Text 6
pasyadityan vasun rudran
asvinau marutas tatha
bahuny adrsta-purvani
pasyascaryani bharata
Synonyms
pasya--see; adityan--the twelve sons of Aditi; vasun--the eight Vasus; rudran--the eleven forms of Rudra; asvinau--the two Asvinis; marutah--the forty-nine Maruts (demigods of the wind); tatha--also; bahuni--many; adrsta--that you have not seen; purvani--before; pasya--see; ascaryani--all the wonders; bharata--O best of the Bharatas.
Translation
O best of the Bharatas, see here the different manifestations of Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Asvini-kumaras and all the other demigods. Behold the many wonderful things which no one has ever seen or heard of before.
Purport
Even though Arjuna was a personal friend of Krisna and the most advanced of learned men, it was still not possible for him to know everything about Krisna. Here it is stated that humans have neither heard nor known of all these forms and manifestations. Now Krisna reveals these wonderful forms.
Text 7
ihaika-stham jagat krtsnam
pasyadya sa-caracaram
mama dehe gudakesa
yac canyad drastum icchasi
Synonyms
iha--in this; eka-stham--in one place; jagat--the universe; krtsnam--completely; pasya--see; adya--immediately; sa--with; cara--the moving; acaram--and not moving; mama--My; dehe--in this body; gudakesa--O Arjuna; yat--that which; ca--also; anyat--other; drastum--to see; icchasi--you wish.
Translation
O Arjuna, whatever you wish to see, behold at once in this body of mine! This universal form can show you whatever you now desire to see and whatever you may want to see in the future. Everything--moving and nonmoving--is here completely, in one place.
Purport
No one can see the entire universe while sitting in one place. Even the most advanced scientist cannot see what is going on in other parts of the universe. But a devotee like Arjuna can see everything that exists in any part of the universe. Krisna gives him the power to see anything he wants to see, past, present and future. Thus by the mercy of Krisna, Arjuna is able to see everything.
Text 8
na tu mam sakyase drastum
anenaiva sva-caksusa
divyam dadami te caksuh
pasya me yogam aisvaram
Synonyms
na--never; tu--but; mam--Me; sakyase--are able; drastum--to see; anena--with these; eva--certainly; sva-caksusa--your own eyes; divyam--divine; dadami--I give; te--to you; caksuh--eyes; pasya--see; me--My; yogam aisvaram--inconceivable mystic power.
Translation
But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give you divine eyes. Behold My mystic opulence!
Purport
A pure devotee does not like to see Krisna 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 Krisna, Arjuna is told not to change his mind but his vision. The universal form of Krisna is not very important; that will be clear in subsequent 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 Krisna are attracted by loving features, not by a godless display of opulences. The playmates of Krisna, the friends of Krisna and the parents of Krisna never want Krisna to show His opulences. They are so immersed in pure love that they do not even know that Krisna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In their loving exchange they forget that Krisna is the Supreme Lord. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that the boys who play with Krisna are all highly pious souls and after many, many births they are able to play with Krisna. Such boys do not know that Krisna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They take Him as a personal friend. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami recites this verse:
ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya
dasyam gatanam para-daivatena
mayasritanam nara-darakena
sakam vijahruh krta-punya-punjah
"Here is the Supreme Person, who is considered the impersonal Brahman by great sages, the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotees, and a product of material nature by ordinary men. Now these boys, who have performed many, many pious activities in their past lives, are playing with that Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.12.11)
The fact is that the devotee is not concerned with seeing the visva-rupa, the universal form, but Arjuna wanted to see it to substantiate Krisna’s statements so that in the future people could understand that Krisna 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 parampara system. Those who are actually interested in understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krisna, and who follow in the footsteps of Arjuna should understand that Krisna 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.
Text 9
sanjaya uvaca
evam uktva tato rajan
maha-yogesvaro harih
darsayam asa parthaya
paramam rupam aisvaram
Synonyms
sanjayah uvaca--Sanjaya said; evam--thus; uktva--saying; tatah--thereafter; rajan--O King; maha-yoga-isvarah--the most powerful mystic; harih--the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krisna; darsayam asa--showed; parthaya--unto Arjuna; paramam--the divine; rupam aisvaram--universal form.
Translation
Sanjaya said: O King, having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord of all mystic power, the Personality of Godhead, displayed His universal form to Arjuna.
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