CHAPTER11- VISVAROOPADARSANYOGA
THE COSMIC FORM
ARJUNA UVAACHA—ARJUA SAID
1.madhanugrayahaaya paramam guhyam aDhyaathmasamjnitham
yathvayaa uktham vachaH thena moho ayam vigatho mama
By what has been said so far by you about the most profound knowledge of the self out of mercy for me, my delusion is gone.
From this point onwards Arjuna is transformed from a friend of Krishna to a great devotee. He realizes the magnificence of the Lord who stood before him as Vasudevakrishna and becomes awestruck with the profundity of what has been said so far. The delusion of Arjuna ,which he says is gone, is not that due to ignorance of reality which goes only when the brahmajnana is acquired. But it is the wrong conception he has had so far of the self by identifying himself with the body, mind and intellect.
2. bhavaapayayou hi bhoothaanaam Sruthou vistharaSo mayaa
thvatthaH kamalapathraaksha maahaathmyam api chaavyayam
The origin and dissolution of all beings, and the imperishable glory of the divine was heard by me in detail from you., Oh lotus-eyed one.
Arjuna now knows that the origin , sustenance and dissolution of all beings is by the Lord only. He also understood that the Lord is in everything by the narration of the divine manifestations.
Here Krishna is addressed by Arjuna as Kamalapathraaksha, one with eyes like the petals of Lotus. Kam means to wish or to love. Kamala is also the word for water because it is desired by all. The eyes of the Lord is loved by all and also it is full of love. This agrees with the statement in the previous sloka madhanugrahaaya , "out of mercy or love for me " of Arjuna.
3.evam ethath yaThaa aaTha thvam aathmaanam parameSvara
dhrashtum icChaami the roopam aiSvaram purushotthama
This being so, as you have said yourself, I wish to see your cosmic form, Oh Supreme Being.
Arjuna has understood by now the immanence of the Lord and also that He transcends His manifestations and pervades all, which is only a fraction of Him. Next Arjuna is impelled with curiosity to see the transcendent form of the Lord. He knows well that it cannot be fulfilled just by asking and implores the Lord to show his grace in the next sloka.
4. manyase yadhi thath Skyam mayaa dhrashtum ithi prabho
yogeSvara thatho me thvam dharSaya aathmaanam avyayam
If you think that it could be seen by me , the master of yogis, show Yourself as the imperishable self.
Arjuna knows that without the will of the Lord He could not be seen or understood. As the Lord Himself has said in the last chapter He only gives the wisdom to understand Him. Arjuna did not know whether he had the necessary qualifications to see the Cosmic form. Perhaps he thought that he has already been blessed by what Krishna told him so long and the Lord may or may not grant this wish. Hence he asks Krishna to show him the cosmic form if he has the capacity to see it. If the Lord wills anything may happen.
SREEBHAGAVAN UVACHA –THE LORD SAID
5.paSya me paarTha roopaaNi SathaSo aTha sahasraSaH
naanaaviDhaani dhivyaani naanaavaraNaakrtheeni cha
Oh Arjuna, see My forms hundreds upon thousands, manifold, divine, of various hues and shapes.
The Lord tells Arjuna to see the cosmic form describing it in four slokas. During the rest of the chapter only Sanjaya and Arjuna describe the form while these are the only words of the Lord about His cosmic form and have profound significance. In order to understand what has been seen by Arjuna it is very important to comprehend the real import of these four slokas
Here in this sloka the Lord says that His cosmic form is a consolidation of all His individual forms enumerated in the last chapter. Since He said that His manifestations are innumerable in the last chapter here he says that they are hundreds upon thousands, manifold, divine and of various colors and forms. If we can visualize the whole universe we can have an idea about what is meant.
But is it as simple as that? No!
6. paSya aadgithyaan vasoon rudhraan asvinou maruthaH thaThaa
bahooni adhrshtapoorvaaNi paSya aaScharyaaNi bhaaratha
See the adhithyas, vasus rudhras, the twin stars asvin, and also maruths. Oh the descendent of Bharatha, see what has not been seen before the great wonders.
The twelve adhithyas, eight vasus, eleven rudhras and the 49 maruths and also the twin stars of asvin constellation, all are to be seen at once. This and other things not seen before and truly wonderful, Arjuna is about to see. It may sound not astounding if one thinks that perhaps all the Adhithyas etc. could be seen in one place through the will of the Lord. But it is not meant in that sense at all. This is made clear in the next sloka
7.iha ekasTham jagath krthsnam paSya adhya sacharaacharam
mamadhehe gudaakeSa yaScha anyath dhrashtum icChasi
Now here see the whole universe of sentient and insentient beings in one place, in my body, oh the conqueror of sleep, and also whatever you wish to see..
This sloka describes in a nutshell what Arjuna and Sanjaya are going to break into rapturous outbursts subsequently. The whole universe with sentient and insentient beings will be seen in My body , says Krishna and one would imagine this to be a sort of TV show which we are accustomed to see in the depiction of the visvaroopa, all the beings , planets, devas etc, moving on as in a screen. But in reality is entirely a different vision.
The hint of the real cosmic form was given in the last sloka where Krishna asked Arjuna to see all Adhithyas, Rudras, etc in one place. Now the adhithyas are the deities belonging to the twelve months and so are the vasus , rudhras etc who are pertaining to different time and place. To see all in one place means the time factor is not operating, because as far as the Lord is concerned the time does not exist.
So if we can imagine the vision of time and space without its divisions of past, present and future and of `now, here and there' etc., we can have a rough idea of what Arjuna was going to see. Besides the Lord says, yaScha anyath dhrashtum icChasi, "whatever you wish to see," The foremost wish of Arjuna at that time was about the possible outcome of the war. Even that will be shown to him, ,is the meaning of Krishna"s words.
To think of the unparalleled magnificence that is going to follow the one is reminded of the words of Narayanbhattadri in trying to describe the Narasimhasvaroopa, athaH paschaath vishNo na hi vadhithum eeSo asmi sahasaa, " Oh Lord about what happened afterwards I am not able to articulate immediately."
8. na thu maam sakyase dhrashtum anena eva svachakshushaa
Dhivyam dhdhaami the chakshuH paSya me yogam aiSvaram
You will not be able to see Me I my cosmic form with these eyes. I will give you the divine eyes.
What is to follow is the Brahmasakshathkara which Arjuna is not going to understand fully because it could be understood only through jnana and bhakthi,. As it is the transcendental form that is beyond the cognition of body, mind and intellect it was not possible for Arjuna to see it with his mortal eyes. Hence out of immense mercy the Lord says that He will give Arjuna divine sight by which he will be able to see the cosmic form.
The immanence of the Lord could be grasped by intellect but not the transcendence. To cite a common example we understand that the same electricity is present in all electrical appliances because we know that the current generated at the source comes through the appliiance. But to experience the same electricity without the appliances, present in the atmosphere is difficult because if we experience it we will be no more.
The words of Arjuna describing the cosmic form later makes it clear that what he experienced fell short of the Brahmasakshaathkara, because he describes it as an object of experience and there is the distinction of one who sees and what is seen. This is absent in the real perception of the Supreme reality. In Tamil it is said, kandavar vindilar, vindavar kandilar meaning that one who has seen Brahman have not come back and those who do, have not seen it. In Kenopanishad also we have the declaration that yasya amatham thasya matham matham yasya na vedha saH (Kena.Up.II.3) meaning that it is known to him to whom it is unknown. He does not know to whom it is known. In simple words if one says I know Brahman, he sees Brahman as being different from him and hence he does not know in reality since he still has the `I ` consciousness. But the one who does not think he knows is the one who really knows meaning, he is the one who has lost the `I' consciousness.
But still the sages out of compassion for the humanity have tried to tell us about that which cannot be told.
SANJAYA UVAACHA-SANJAYA SAID
9. Evam ukthvaa thatho raajan mahaayogeSvaro hariH
Dharsayaamaasa paarThaaya paramam roopam aiSvaram
Saying thus, the great master of yogis,Lord Hari, showed to Arjuna His supreme cosmic form.
It should be remembered that the whole Gita and all that happened on the battlefield was being reported to Drtharashtra by Sanjaya, his charioteer who has been blessed with special insight by Vyasa so that he could know everything that was happening Kurukshethra from the palace of the king. Hence he could see even the cosmic form being shown to Arjuna perhaps like a man in trance who could see all that could not be seen normally by him. It was not as clear to Him as it was to Arjuna and his words prove this.
Sanjaya was a good soul and his affections were with Pandavas. At the outset itself he tried to instill fear in the heart of Dhrathrshatra perhaps with the hope that the king might be able to avert the disaster if he willed so. But Dhrtarashtra was blind not only physically but also psychologically .He was blind to the faults of his son Duryodhana , blind to the course of dharma and blind to the power of Krishna ,the saviour of the Pandavas. Here also we see another futile attempt by Sanjaya to influence the king. He calls Krishna as mahayogeSvara, the supreme Lord of all yogic powers. The next sloka also is significant as we shall see.
10. aneka vakthranayanam anekaadhbhutha dharSanam
aneka dhivyabharaNam dhivya aneka udhyatha aayuDham
With multitude of faces, eyes and so many wonderful sights, various divine ornaments, many weapons raised in readiness.
Sanjaya could see multitudes of faces, eyes, ornaments and weapons which presents a wonderful picture. The weapons of the Lord seemed to be raised, meaning that He is set on punishing the kouravas.
11. dhivyamaalyaambaraDharam dhivyaganDhaanulepanam
sarvaaSchrya mayam dhevam anantham viSvatho mukham
Wearing divine garlands and garments, smeared with divine inguents, a divine wonder to all, infinite and facing everywhere.
He could see divine ornaments, garments, and could smell divine scents. The Lord has said in the seventh chapter puNyo ganDhaH prThivyaam, "I am the divine scent in the earth." It was an infinite vision with faces everywhere.
What Sanjaya describes in flashes Arjuna later describes in detail. The reason why it was not very clear to him, apart from the will of the Lord, is given in the next sloka.
12.dhivi soorya sahsrasya bhaveth yugapath utThithaa
yadhi bhaaH sadhrSee saa syaath DhaamaH thasyamahaathmanaH
The effulgence of the great being will compare only with thousand suns rising simultaneously.
The brilliance of the cosmic form was so dazzling that it could be compared only to thousand suns appearing all at once.
The Lord says later in chapter 15 sloka 6 that no luminous body, sun, moon or stars shine where He is, which means that the luminance of the Lord is so great that no other source of light could shine in Him, who is the source of light to all.
13. thathra ekasTam jagath krthsnam pravibhaktham anekadHaa
apaSyath dheva dhevasya Sareere paandavaH thadhaa
The son of Pandu, saw in the body of the Lord there the whole universe in one place, distinguished in manifold forms.
Sanjaya says that Arjuna saw the various entities of the Universe in one place , that is the body of Krishna. This , unless understood properly, will present a picture as though the body of Krishna , no doubt expanded to fill the earth and sky , like a giant screen displayed the whole universe, showing all beings. This is the common conception influenced by the films etc showing the visvaroopa. The subsequent description of Arjuna also seem to conform to this picture. But we should bear in mind that both Sanjaya and Arjuna were trying to express something which eludes verbal expression.
14. thathaH savismayaavishto hrstaromaa DhananjayaH
praNamya Sirasaa dhevam krthaanjaliH abhaashatha
Filled with wonder from that, Arjuna, with horripilation, bowed down his head to the Lord and spoke with folded hands.
Sanjaya then describes the effect the viision had on Arjuna. He was wonder-struck and his hairs stood at their ends to experience such a spectacular vision and he was humbled by the magnificence of the Lord and bowing down, spoke with folded hands.
ARJUNA UVAACHA- ARJUNA SAID,
15.paSyaami dhevaan thava dheva dhehe
sarvaan thaTha bhootha viSesha sanghaan
brahmaaNam eesam kamalaasanasTham
rsheen cha sarvaan uragaan cha dhivyaan
I see , oh Lord , all the devas and also all the species of beings in your body. I see Lord Brahma seated on the lotus and all the rshis and the divine serpents.
What did Arjuna see? The Lord has said yaScha anyath dhrashtum icchasi (sloka7) meaning that Arjuna would be able to see what ever he wished. Arjuna has already been told about the divine manifestations and that the Lord is in all entities. Hence when Krishna showed the cosmic form Arjuna was seeing the vyashti, microcosm in the samashti macrocosm. He could not go beyond the manifestations to see the transcendent form of the Lord. Therefore he says that he was able to see all the beings right from the Brahma down to the divine serpents in the nether world, like Vasuki, Sesha and others which included all the devas, rshis and other mortal beings. This is just the reflection of his understanding of the description in the last chapter.
16.aneka baahoodhara vakthra nethram
paSyaami thvaam sarvatho anantha roopam
naantham na maDhyam na punaH thava aadhim
paSyaami vivesvara viSvaroopa
I see you with multitudes of arms, stomachs, faces and eyes and as an infinite form everywhere. Oh Lord, Master of the Universe, who has the cosmic form, I do not see the beginning, middle or the end of you.
But slowly Arjuna is able to cross the individual entities and sees the cosmic form. Yet he is not wholly free from the concept of the particular and hence he sees the Lord with various, arms, faces, eyes but at the same time he is aware of the infinitude of the forms and says that he could not see neither the beginning nor the middle nor the end of the forms. Wherever he turned the cosmic form was visible in its entirety which is impossible to comprehend as expressed by him in the next sloka.
17. kireetinam gadhinam chakrahastham
tejo raaSim sarvatho dheepthimantham
pasyaami thvaam dhurnirekshyam samanthaath
dheepthaanalaarkadhuthim aprameyam
I see you adorned with crown, wielding the mace, discus in your hands. You are a mass of light on all sides radiant and impossible to see like the blazing brilliance of the fire and sun and incomprehensible.
God is one but appears to us as we wish to see Him or as we imagine Him to be. The concept of Arjuna of the Lord is as Narayana with His divine weapons and he sees just that, the Lord with His divine weapons in His hands.
But Arjuna also becomes aware of the cosmic form by the effulgence and reiterates the statement of Sanjaya that it was like a thousand suns rising all at once. Arjuna sees light everywhere the brilliance of which is dazzling and impossible to see. The vision is like that of fire and sun everywhere.
18. thvam aksharam paramam vedhithavyam
thvam asya viSvasya param niDhaanam
thvam avyayaH SaaSvatha Dharmagopthaa
sanathanaH thvam purusho matho me
You are the imperishable Supreme reality that should be known, you are the supreme receptacle of the whole universe, You are the immutable ever existent protector of dharma and I consider you as the eternal Purusha.
Arjuna understands now that the cosmic form which he sees everywhere all around him is the supreme reality, the imperishable Brahman of which he has been told earlier.
The words of Arjuna reflect what has been said so far in the earlier chapters. The Lord has said in chapter 7, yath jnaathvaa na iha bhooyaH anyath jnanam avaSishyathe (sloka 2), meaning that knowing which there is nothing more to be learnt, that jnanam vijnanasahitham, is the experience of Arjuna now and hence he says thvam aksharam paramam vedhithavyam, the imperishable reality described in the eighth chapter, denoted by the above sloka in the seventh chapter.
Thus Arjuna is now having the practical demonstration of what has been said so far. Krishna said mathsThaani sarvabhoothaani(ch.9.4) and He is showing that now, which makes Arjuna exclaim thvamasya viSvasya param niDhaanam, you are the abode of the whole world.
Taken as a whole the cosmic form of the Lord contains everything that exits, existed and going to exist and hence there could be no mutability in the Lord. Hence He is termed as avyaya by Arjuna.
He is the sanathana purusha the eternal being in whom Time has no significance and from Him everything emanates and is activated and hence He is the SaaSvatha dharrna goptha, who has established the nature and action of everything. The word dharma is not used here in the usual meaning but it means the essential nature and actions of everything on earth like the heat and light of the fire.
19. anaadhimaDhyaantham ananthaveeryam
ananthabaahum SaSisoorya nethram
paSyaami thvaam dheepathahuthaaSavakthram
svathejasaa viSvamidham thapantham
I see you as one with no beginning, middle and end, possessing infinite power, with manifold arms and having the Sun and the Moon as your eyes, your mouth a flaming fire and you seem to scorch the whole universe with your effulgence.
The words beginning, middle and end are relative to time and hence when Arjuna sees the Lord in His cosmic form where the time and space do not exist there is no beginning, middle or end.
The moon and the Sun are the main sources of light. The light denote the act of seeing as well as the objects of sight as both depend on light. Hence all the power behind the eyes of all and the objects of sight in the world are personified as the eyes of the Lord and denoted by the Sun and the Moon.
The fire in the mouth of the Lord is the power of speech as well as the fire inside the beings by which one is able to digest the food as the Lord Himself says in a later chapter aham vaiSvaanaro bhoothvaa praaNinaam dheham aaSrithaH (chapter15.14)
The Lord is the fire that warms the whole universe so that the life is maintained. This Arjuna experiences as the heat that burns the whole world because he is seeing the whole fire of existence at once.
20.dhyaavaaprThioH idham antharamhi
vyaaptham thvayaa ekena dhiSaScha sarvaaH
dhrshtvaa adhbhutham roopam ugram thavedham
lokathryam pravyaThitham mahaathman
By you alone the sky , the earth and the space in between and all the directions are pervaded . Seeing this wonderful and frightful form the three worlds are trembling.
The magnificence of the vision is so staggering that Arjuna, seeing the Lord all pervading, encompassing the sky and earth in all directions, exclaims that the form is stupendous and fierce so that all the three worlds are cringing with fear.
Usually we are afraid of something which we could not understand. We are afraid of death because we do not know the real nature of it. That is why the death is imagined to be something dreadful as Yama with a rope in his hand called paasakkayiru and coming on a buffalo etc.
In reality if we understand that the death is nothing but a change of circumstances and of body, only that we would not have a consciousness of our present identity but nevertheless would be conscious of ourselves as an individual, we would welcome death as though we are going to a new place on tour.. Similarly this scene in front of him is baffling to Arjuna and hence he is frightened. He imagines that the whole world is frightened which is simply a superimposition of his feeling on all.
21.amee hi thvaam surasanghaaH viSanthi
kechith bheethaah praanjalayo grNanthi
svasthi ithi ukthvaa maharshisidDhasanghaaH
sthuvanthi thvaam sthuthibhiH pushkalaabhiH
These hosts of devas enter into you and some, frightened, pray with folded hands. The great sages and siddhas praise you with beautiful hymns saying "may all be well."
All the devas merge into the Lord when their life is ended and created again. They do not go through several lives like the mortals. Moreover the devas are the powers that activate the universe of sentient and insentient beings and they function as ordained by the Lord. Those who are of a lower order merge and emerge without any concern but those who are more evolved are afraid of this process and wish to attain permanence by becoming free from creation and dissolution by attaining mukthi. They pray to the Lord for higher wisdom . The highly evolved beings like the sages perfectly understand the nature of Supreme realty and bless the world . These are the sights presented to Arjuna, who sees past present and future in the cosmic form of the Lord
22.rudhraadhithyaaH vasavo ye cha saaDhyaa
viSve aSvinou maruthaH cha ushmapaaH cha
ganDharvayakshaasura sidDhasanghaaH
veekshanthe thvaam vismithaaH chaiva sarve
Rudras, Adhithyas, Vasus, sadhyas, viSvedevas, Asvins, Maruths Ushmapaas, gandharvas, yakshas,asuras and groups of siddhas all are seeing you with wonder.
Arjuna expresses the general effect the form of the Lord has on the hosts of divine beings. As one sees what he expects to see, Arjuna saw all the devas of whom he had been familiar through his vedic learning and could specify as per his knowledge of their forms. He sees all the beings and he is going to describe about his own contemporaries later on, starting from the devas first because the Lord has said `pasya aadhithyaan vasoon rudhraan' etc. in the earlier sloka.
The various kinds of celestial beings are mentioned and ushmapaa refers to the pthrs, who are supposed to eat hot food served during Sraddhas.
23. roopam mahath the bahuvakthra nethram
mahaabaaho bahubaahoorupaadham
bahoodharam bahudhamshtraakaaalam
dhrshtvaa lokaaH avyaThithaah thaThaaaham
Seeing your magnificent form with multitudes of faces, eyes, arms. thighs, feet, stomachs and canine teeth , all the worlds are terrified and so am I.
Now Arjuna is expressing his own feelings on seeing the cosmic form. Since he sees all he wanted , meaning , all that he could think of and the sight was baffling. Sometime in dream we see things irrespective of time, place and entities. Since it is a dream we could take it as such but the same in wakeful state would be quite perplexing. If we could imagine the experience of all and at all times and all places we could get some idea of what Arjuna was experiencing. Naturally he is terrified and says so. When we are happy the whole world appears to be happy and vice versa. Hence Arjuna says that the whole world is terrified on seeing the cosmic form. But actually he was only seeing it.
24.nabhasprSam dheeptham aneka varnam
vyaatthaananam dheepthaviSaalanethram
dhrshtvaa hi thvaam pravyaThithaantharaathmaa
Dhrthim cha vindhaami samam cha vishnO
Seeing you touching the sky fiery and of various hues wide opened mouth broad burning eyes my heart is full of fear and I do not find courage or peace, Oh Lord Vishnu.
Arjuna expresses his agitation and fear on seeing the cosmic form. The sight was something that could not be grasped by the mind and intellect and hence the fear of unknown creeps in. He felt that he was about to lose the concept of `I' and `I see" and it is terrifying. When Arjuna saw the Lord everywhere inside and outside him he was losing himself and felt a sense of insecurity. Hence he says that he does not find courage nor peace.
25.dhamshtraakaralaani cha the mukhaani
dhrshtvaiva kaalaanalasannibhaani
dhiSo na jaane na labhe cha Sarma
praseedha dheveSa jagannivaasa
Seeing your mouths with fearful canine teeth looking like the fire of deluge I do not know the directions nor do I attain peace. Be pleased Oh Lord of the devas, who is the abode of the universe.
The form in front of Arjuna was of the all consuming Time. The Lord Himself says later kalo asmi lokakshay krth, " I am the all consuming Time." The perception of Brahman is described by Krishna Himself in chapter 13 sloka 13 as `sarvathaH paaNipaadham thath sarvatho akshiSiromukham,' having hands and feet everywhere and gives even more detailed description of what has been shown as the cosmic form which is not a form restricted by time and space however large it may seem by imagination. It extends beyond all conception. The all consuming Time is portrayed as fire that consumes everything. With no perception of time and space the directions disappear. Hence Arjuna is restive and agitated which he expresses as being devoid of peace.
26. amee cha thvaam dhrthraashtrasya puthraaH
sarve saha eva avanipaalsanghaiH
bheeshmo dhroNaH soothaputhraH thaThaa asou
saha asmadheeyaiH api yoDhamukhyaiH
These sons of Dhrtharashtra along with all the hosts of kings, Bheeshma, Dhrona, an also this son of charioteer, Karna, along with the warriors on our side,
27. vakthraaNi the thvaramaaNaa viSanthi
dhamshtraakaraaLaani cha bhyaanakaani
kechith lagnaa dhaSanaanthareshu
sandhrSyanthe choorNithaiH utthamaangaiH
Enter into your mouth with fearful canine teeth, with haste and some are seen clinging to your teeth with their heads cut to pieces.
The sight presented here is fearful indeed! Arjuna starts seeing the result of the war which was foremost in his thought that made him refuse to fight and throw down his bow. He thought that he would be able to kill kouravas including Bheeshma and Dhrona which filled his heart with remorse. As Krishna said to him that he will see what ever he wanted to see , now he is witnessing the result of the war and sees all the kouravas, including Bheeshma, Dhrona and the valiant Karna entering the mouth of the cosmic form representing time and space and the power of the Lord as Kalapurusha. He could now understand that the death of all these and also the warrior kings on his side and theirs, is a writing on the wall.
These people seem to enter in to the mouth of their own accord and not being destroyed by the Lord , meaning that it is their own karma which brings their destruction and the Lord is only the dispenser of the result of karma. The comprehension of this destruction worked out by time and death as a mental picture could be unnerving indeed. The present past and the future is illustrated as some entering into the mouth of destruction fast while some cling to the teeth being pulverized slowly as though by a giant wheel of a machine, since death is not the same experience for all.
The proof that the vision of the Lord in His entirety which is nothing but the brahmasakshaathkara , has not been brought out by the acquiring of brahmajnana by Arjuna, but was only a momentous flash out of the mercy of the Lord, can be seen in his words. He says soothaputhraH thaThaa asou, also this son of charioteer, meaning Karna. Arjuna was a bit jealous of Karna who alone was his equal in valour. He tried to assuage his pride by calling him a soothaputhra . Even now when he sees that everything is but a part of the Lord , and equal in the face of Time the great leveler, he could not get free from his prejudice.
The ego of Arjuna which has shrunk even now, receives a shattering blow later when the Lord begins to speak, showing that Arjuna is only a pretext, nimitthamaathram, by which the Lord is working out the destruction.
In Gita we always find a contrast of the terrible truth set along with a more benign utterance. Here also in the next two slokas we find an aesthetic description of the same scene in which Vyasa the poet comes to the uppermost.
28. yaThaa nadheenaam bahavo ambuvegaaH
samudhram eva abhimukhaa dhravanthi
thaThaa thava amee nara lokaveeraaH
visanthi vakthraaNi abhivijvalanthi
As the various streams of the rivers flow towards the sea only, so do these heroes enter your blazing mouths.
The rivers by their own nature run and enter the sea and become one with it. Similarly here the word naraloka veeraah means the heroes like Bheeshama and Dhrona who, out of their own choice opted to die because they knew pretty well who Krishna was and that the Pandavas are going to win resulting in the total destruction of the kouravas. Hence these great men are going to unite with the Lord as the rivers do with the sea which is the natural course of the men of wisdom. They enter into the mouths fast meaning that they are at the brink of death.
In Mundaka Upanishad there is the following sloka
yaThaa nadhyaH syandhamaanaah samudhre
astham gacChanthi naamaroope vihaaya
thaThaa vidhvaan naamaroopaath vimukthaH
paraathparam purusham upaithi dhivyam (Mund.3.2.8)
Just as the rivers flowing into the sea give up their name and form and merge in it, so too, the wise free from his name and form attains the supreme Lord. Hence for the wise the death is nothing to be afraid of and in fact a welcoming culmination of life.
29. yaThaa pradheeptham jvalanam pathangaaH
viSanthi naaSaaya samrdDhavegaaH
thaThaiva naaSaaya viSanthi lokaaH
thavaapi vakthraaNi samrddhavegaaH
As the moths enter fast the flaming fire for their destruction, likewise the worlds also are entering your mouths fast.
In this sloka the moths falling into the fire refers to other men like Duryodhana and his brothers who started the war out of avarice , jealousy etc. They are rushing into destruction by their own acts like the moths which are drawn towards the fire out of desire mistaking the fire for something to be enjoyed.
All beings wise or ignorant will have to be consumed by time but there is a difference between the attitude of the wise and of the ignorant in facing death. The former accept it as a natural thing and look forward for being united with the divine while the latter are drawn towards it without their knowledge like the moths to the fire and hence go through the cycle of birth and death again and again.
30. lelihyase grasamaanaH samanthaath
lokaan samagraan vadhanaih jyaladhbhiH
thejobhiH aapoorya jagathsamagram
bhaasaH thva ugraaH prathapanthi vishNo
With your blazing mouths you grasp all the worlds and devour them with relish. Oh Vishnu, your fierce rays, filling the universe with their brilliance, are burning.
The Upanishad says, yaThaa oorNanaabhiH srjathe grhNathe cha, as the spider spreads its web and withdraws it into himself the Supreme Being creates and withdraws the universe into Himself. Both acts are relished by the Lord equally. The tongues of Time and death are catching and licking all, devouring them. Since to think of it is fearful for the ordinary mortal because they appear as the all devouring mouths of the fire. When the whole destruction of all times is witnessed as Arjuna does, it looks as though the fire of destruction is filling the whole universe.
31. aakhyaahi me ko bhavaan ugraroopO
namosthu the dhevavara praseedha
vijnaathum icChaami bhavantham aadhyam
na hi prajaanaami thava pravrtthim
Tell me, who are you, the fierce one, be pleased, oh the mighty divine being, I wish to know you, the origin, and I do not know your activities.
Now Arjuna wishes to have the confirmation from the Lord Himself of what he has been expressing so far, that the cosmic form is that of the Supreme Purusha and what he has seen is true and not his fevered imagination. So he asks the Lord to tell him whether the fierce looking form is in reality the transcendent form of the Lord Himself. Krishna has been telling Arjuna that He was in everything and everything is in Him and it was Arjuna who wanted to see the proof and asked Him to show His cosmic form. But now Arjuna is so perplexed that he says that he could not understand the action of the Lord in presenting the cosmic form. That is, Arjuna could not digest the mind-boggling manifestation in front of him.
Now the Lord begins to speak.
SRI BHAGAVAAN UVAACHA--- THE LORD SAID
32. kaalo asmi lokajshayakrthpravrdDho
lokaan samaaharthum iha pravrtthaH
rthe api thvaam na bhavishyanthi sarve
ye avsThithaah prthyaneekeshu yoDhaaH
I am the all destroying Time. Now I am intent on destroying the worlds. Even without you, none of these warriors on the opposite army will survive.
The Lord says that He is the all- destroying Time. This is the reply to the question of Arjuna aakhyaahi me ko bhavaan ugraroopo, "Tell me, who are you with such terrible form ."
Then the Lord says that His work is to destroy all the worlds as the annihilator. This is the answer to the words of Arjuna, na hi prajaanaami thava pravrtthim, " I do not know what are your activities."
By saying that even if Arjuna does not fight all these warriors will not survive, Krishna shows that it is His will that is going to operate and hence there is no need for Arjuna to hesitate to fight.
33.thasmaaththvam utthishTa yaSo abhasva
jithvaa sathroon bhunkshva raajyam samrdDham
mayaiva ethe nihathaaH poorvameva
nimitthamaathram bhava savyasaachin
Therefore you get up and earn name and fame conquering your enemies and enjoy the kingdom of prosperity. These have been killed by Me already. You be just an instrument, Arjuna.
Arjuna is made to realize that everything happens by the will of the Lord and we are only the instruments in His hands. This is the shattering blow to his ego which originally made him feel remorse for killing his kith and kin.
The Lord says that all the kouravas were already killed by Him, implying that when Krishna sounded the Panchajanya, it was the death knell of the kouravas.
We decide our future by our own actions. As you sow, so you reap. But we do not know when and how we shall experience the result of our karma which is known only to the Lord. He is the dispenser of the fruits of karma as and when it becomes ripe.
Here two questions may present to the mind. If all are the instruments in the hands of God , when one commits a sin is it also the will of the Lord? Secondly when someone does something bad to us is he also the instrument of the Lord?
The wise act without attachment and as instruments of God and hence the result of their actions does not adhere to them. Naturally since they are devoid of desire which gives rise to attachment they will not commit any sin. A sin is committed not by the will of the Lord but by our own will. The divine will determines what should happen and when, in accordance with our karma. It is the divine justice and divine grace which punishes as well as rewards.
This can be explained as follows. The mother or father gives the proper sense of what is right and what is wrong to the child. But the way the child acts depends on his own karma. And the parents punish or reward him accordingly. But both punishment and reward are out of love only. Similarly the retribution of the Lord is for redemption.
When someone harms us it is also due to our karma and the divine hand could be seen behind it. But if we have faith in Him He will protect us nevertheless. Yet the one who offends us out of malice will have to suffer the consequence. To us it is the will of the Lord but to him it is his own ill will.
The Lord says to Arjuna, "You earn name and fame and enjoy the reward of getting the kingdom with prosperity by killing your enemies." The implication here is that whatever good things we get like fame, prosperity etc. is due to the will of the Lord . There is nothing to be elated about it. Also when we get misfortune it is the will of the Lord who is giving us the fruit of our actions but all the same the wise do not worry because they put the burden of protection on the Lord as He had promised that he will look after the yogakshema of His devotees. Hence they remain duhkheshu anudhvighnamanaaH sukheshu vigathasprahaH (BG.2.56)
34.dhroNam cha bheeshmam cha jayadhraTham cha
karnam thaThaa anyaanapi yoDhaveeraan
mayaahathaan thvam jahi maa vyathishTaa
yuDhyasava jethaa asi raNe sapathnaan
Dhrona, Bheeshma, JaydhraTha and Karna and other warriors who are killed by Me , you kill them and do not have any anguish and fight You are the winner of your enemies
In this sloka Krishna mentions the names of those who are prominent among the kouravas who are going to meet their end, to ensure the victory of Arjuna in the battle.
Bheeshma and Dhrona were the two who disturbed the mind of Arjuna at the outset and here the Lord says that their death in the battle is predetermined. Bheeshma had the boon that he would die when he wanted and hence his death was chosen by himself, knowing that the Lord Himself has come there for his salvation. Dhrona on the other hand had great affection for Arjuna but did not hesitate to do his duty to the king of Hasthinapura who patronized him.
JayadhraTha was the husband of the only daughter of Dhrthrashtra and his father did penance and had the boon that whoever makes the head of his son fall to the ground will have his own head split into thousand pieces. That was why Krishna told Arjuna, who vowed that he will cut the head of JyadhraTha before the sunset, because he was responsible for killing Abhimanyu, to let his arrow carry the head of JaydraTha and drop it on the lap of his father who was doing penance and when he let it fall on earth out of shock his head was blown into pieces.
Karna was the only possible rival of Arjuna and was a disciple of Parasurama.
SANJAYA UVAACHA-- SANJAYA SAID,
35. ethath Sruthvaa vachanam kesavasya
krthaanjaliH vepamaanaH kireetee
namaskrthvaa bhooya eva aaha krshnam
sagadhgadham bheetha bheethaH pranamya
Hearing these words of Krishna Arjuna with folded hands and trembling bowed down to Krishna and spoke again falteringly with fear.
Sanjaya was describing the effect the cosmic form had on Arjuna to Dhratharashtra. It was strange that even at that moment Dhrtharashtra did not realize that unless the war was stopped all his people would die. The words of Sanjaya meant to strike fear at the heart of Dhrathrashtra fell into deaf ears and the king who was blind to reality was also deaf to the truth.
Arjuna even after the assurance of safety and victory by the Lord could not get rid of fear on seeing the cosmic form and now speaks to Krishna with fear trembling and with words faltering with emotion. That is because he lacked the wisdom of the sages who delighted in seeing the cosmic form. Arjuna only wants the Lord to get back to His original form of Vasudeva Krishna.
There is a story that a man who wanted to see mother Kali and ask for her boons and slept in the temple praying to her. Kali appeared in front in Her terrible form and asked him what he wanted. He was so terrified that he asked her only to go away.
Then Arjuna starts praising the Lord in 9 slokas from now which are the only sthuthi in the whole Gita and very impressive and chanted by many with devotion.
The word KeSava denotes the supremacy of the Lord Narayana whose powers are manifested through Brahma, (ka) and Siva ( eesa). Ka + eesa in His vaSa , kaScha eeeSascha vase yasya saH kesavaH.
ARJUNAUVAACHA-- ARJUNA SAID,
36. sThaane hrsheekesa thavaprakeerthyaa
jagath prahrshyathi anurajyathe cha
rakshaamsi bheethaani dhiSo dhravanthi
sarve namasyanthi cha siddha sanghaaH
It is but proper that the whole universe is delighted and attracted towards you. Such is your glory. All the hosts of siddhas are bowing down to you while the evil forces are running away from you.
Arjuna says that it is quite understandable that all the world is delighted and attracted towards the Lord and the reason is given in the following sloka. The wise are saluting the cosmic form of the Lord and the evil forces like rakshasas are running away in fear.
It should be remembered that only Arjuna was seeing the vivaroopa and not the whole world. But Arjuna is seeing the past present and future and hence he could see the activities of the devotees and sages and also the evil forces. He is misapprehending that all are happening at present.
37.Kasmaath cha the na nameran mahaathman
gareeyase brahmaNo api aadhikarthre
anantha dhevesa jagannivaasa
thvam aksharam sadhasath thath param yath
Why should not they show obeisance to You, oh great one, who are greater than even Brahma the creator? You are the imperishable, infinite being, Lord of the devas, and the abode of the universe , extending beyond existence and nonexistence.
The reason for the statement in the previous sloka is given here as follows in which Arjuna reiterates what has been said by him earlier in the chapter.
The Lord is greater, gareeyas, than Brahma ,first creator, aadhikarthr, since He is the Brahman from whom even the first creator came from.
He is anantha because there is no beginning, middle and end for Him, naantham na maDhyam na punasthava aadhim (sloka 16)
dhevesa jagannivaasa- He is the Lord of all devas and the abode of the whole universe. thvam asya viSvasya param niDhaanam (sloka18)
aksharam- the imperishable. thavam aksharam (sloka17) The aksharabrahman has been elucidated by the Lord himself in the eighth chapter.
sadhasath thath param- sath is what is existing as aksharam, the self. asath is everything that perishes as non-self. The Lord is beyond both. This is what was explained as paraa and aparaa praktrthi in chapter7 and the Lord Himself being higher than both.
38. thvam aadhidhevaH purushaH puraanaH
thvam asya viSvasya param niDhaanam
vetthaaasi vedhyam cha param cha Dhaama
thvayaa thatham viSvam anantharoopa
You are the Primal Lord, the Ancient Being, You are the supreme resting place of the universe. You are the knower and the known and the supreme abode. The universe is pervaded by You, who has infinite forms.
The idea expressed already by Arjuna is again mentioned here. But it is not pounarukthyam, tautology. He is so overwhelmed by the cosmic form that he keeps on expressing the wonder in various words even of the same meaning. When we express something wonderful we say, it is great, it is magnificent, it is superb etc. all meaning the same thing but the exhilaration does not seem to be contained in just one word but it overflows. Similarly here Arjuna is repeating the terms describing the Lord in various forms.
vetThaasi vedhyam cha – The Lord alone knows His real glory as such and He alone is the vedhya, the only thing to be known, by which everything becomes known, ekavijnaanena sarva vijnaanam.
The Upanishad says,
vachaarambhaNam vikaaraH naamaDheyo mrtthikethyeva sathyam, meaning, when the mud is known all the effects of the mud, namely pots etc become known. The mud alone is real and others are but modifications of it. Similarly when you know Brahman all else become known which are only the manifestations of Brahman, in other words, the sareera of the Lord. When you know a person you cannot know him only as a body but as the whole, consisting of body, mind, intellect and soul. Everything else has identity only because of the soul within. This is the idea expressed here by thvam vedhyam asi. He is
also the vetTha , the knower as the self alone is the knower by whose power everything else becomes known.
These terms expressed in this speech of Arjuna have all been expounded by Krishna Himself in the early chapters but while Arjuna only listened to them till now , of course with full belief in the words of Krishna, only now he has the actual practical proof of what he has heard so far.
39. vayuH yamo agniH varunaH SasaankaH
parajpathiH thvam prapithaamahaH cha
namo namsthe asthu sahasrakrthvaH
punaScha bhooyo api namom namasthe
You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna and Moon. Prajapathi and the great grand father. Salutations to You thousand times and again and again.
Now after saying "You are everything" , now Arjuna goes to the particular from the general, to vyashti from samashti. He sees the Lord as all devas, vayu, yama agni etc., and he goes on offering obeisance to the Lord as he was overwhelmed by the supereminence. He does not feel that it is sufficient even by bowing to the Lord a thousand times.
Prajapathis are the procreators like kasyapa created by Brahma who are the fathers of all beings while the pithamaha is Brahma, the grandfather of all. prapithamaha is the Lord himself who created even brahma and as such the great grandfather.
40. namaH purasthaath aTha prshTathasthe
namosthu the sarvatha eva sarva
ananthaveeryaamithavikramasthvam
sarvam samaapnoshi thatho asi sarvaH
I bow to you front and back and on all sides. Oh the one who is all, who is of infinite valour and immeasurable glory, you pervade all and hence you are everything.
Arjuna bow down to the Lord in all directions because wherever he looked he saw nothing but the cosmic form. He expresses his wonder and comprehension that the Lord is all and everywhere and of infinite glory.
Thus realizing the magnificence of the Lord who was none else than the Krishna Vasudeva whom he had known so long, Arjuna feels his insignificance and expresses his anguish of not knowing the greatness of Krishna so far.
41. sakhethi mathvaa prasabham yath uktham
he krshNa he yaadhava he sakhe ithi
ajaanathaa mahimaanam thavedham
yaThaa pramaadhaath prNayena vaapi
What have been spoken by me due to impertinence, prasabham, considering you as my companion, calling you as Krishna, yadhava and friend, without knowing your greatness, either carelessly, pramaadhaath, or with affection, praNayena,
42. yacchaavahaasaarTham asathkrtho asi
vihaara Sayyaasana bhojaneshu
eko aTha vaapi achyutha thath samaksham
thath kshaamaye thvaam aham aprameyam
Out of jest, avahaasaarTham, very often in play or when going to bed or eating, either when you are alone, ekaH, or in front of others, samaksham, I have shown disrespect asathkrthaH, I request you, who is of unthinkable glory , to forgive al that.
Arjuna till then had no inkling of the real identity of Krishna though he had valued his friendship greatly and knew that Krishna had supreme powers.
Of the five pandavas, Arjuna was of the same age as Krishna and treated him like a friend and companion and was close to Krishna than others, who looked upon him with reverence since they were not as close to Krishna as Arjuna was.
Now seeing the cosmic form and realizing that Krishna is none other than the supreme being, Arjuna feels his insignificance and asks forgiveness for treating Krishna as a companion equal to himself. He could not reconcile the Krishna he had known so long with this magnificent being. Thus he feels that his ignorant actions of calling Krishna and treating him like an ordinary human were unforgivable. He states the reason for his trepidation in the next sloka and also his hope of being forgiven.
43. pithaa asi lokasya charaacharasya
thavam asya poojyascha gururgareeyaan
na thvathsamaH asthi abhyaDhij kaH kutho anyo
lokathraye api aprathimaprabhaava
You are the father of this universe, asya lokasya, of sentient and insentient beings, charaacharasya. You are the guru, greater than all and revered. There is no one equal to You in all the three worlds, oh the one with unparalleled glory, where can be one who excels You.
Being the father of all, Arjuna hopes that the Lord will surely forgive him. By referring to the Lord as Achyutha , one who never swerves from His status, Arjuna has implied that by calling him in familiar terms and treating Him as an ordinary companion has been in no way demeaning the dignity of Krishna who is Achyutha, like a father whose dignity does not suffer in any way by his child treating him with familiarity.
The Upanishad says about Brahman,
Na thath samaschaabhyaDhikaScha, there is no one equal or higher than Him.
Nammazvar starts his Thriuvaimozi as uyarvaRa uyarnalam udaiyavan yavanavan, meaning that there is none higher than the Lord. This is expressed by Arjuna as nathavth samo asthi abhyaDhikaka kuthaH anyaH, "there is no one equal to You, where can be one who excels You."
Here one is reminded of the words of Andal in Thiruppavai. She says,
aRiyaadha piLlaigaLOm anbinaal unthannai SirupErazaitthanavum Seeri arulaadhe, to Krishna, meaning, "we are only young innocent ignorant cowherd girls and do not get angry with us because we called you by familiar names." This reflects the words of Arjuna asking forgiveness for calling the Lord as Krishna, yadhava etc.
Still Arjuna is not convinced that he would be forgiven and hence beseeches the Lord by prostrating to Him and appealing to His mercy.
44.thasmaath pranamya praNiDhaaya kaayam
prasaadhaye thvaam aham eesam eedyam
pitheva puthrasya sakheva sakhyuH
priyaH priyaaya arhasi dheva soDum
Therefore I bow down to you, prostrating, and implore you the revered Lord, please forgive me as a father does his son, a friend his friend and a lover his beloved.
praNiDhaaya kaayam- Prostrating with the whole body, which implies total surrender.
Arjuna implores the Lord to forgive him like a father, a friend and a lover. This refers to his words, pramaadhaath, pranayena and avahaasaarTham in his earlier slokas. He mentioned his ignorant actions towards Krishna due to pramaadha, lack of respect, or praNaya, affection or avahaasa, friendly banter. When a son behaves in a manner which lacks respect due to closeness with the father, he would not mind it and would forgive it. Similarly when the beloved does so, out of affection the lover would take it in the right spirit. And when a friend playfully teases, his friend accepts it. Hence Arjuna asks Krishna to forgive him giving three examples.
45.adhrshtapoorvam hrshithosmi dhrshtvaa
bhayena cha prajjvalitham mano me
thadheva me dharSaya dheva roopam
praseedha dhevesa jagannivaasa
I am delighted to see what was never seen before but my mind shudders with fear. May you be pleased oh the Lord of devas and the abode of the universe and show me the same form (seen by me earlier.)
The previous form Arjuna wishes to see is not the form of Krishnavasudeva but the form of the Lord he was accustomed to see as the form to be worshipped. This is made clear in the next sloka
46. kireetinam gadhinam chakrahastham
icChaami thvaam dharshtum aham thaThaiva
thenaiva roopena chathurbhujena
sahasrabaaho bhava viSvamoorthe
I wish to see you in the form having four arms, wearing the crown, the mace and the discus in your hand. Oh the thousand armed one, the Lord of the Universe, please become the same form with only four arms.
The form of the Lord whom Arjuna is accustomed to see as the form to be worshipped is that of Lord Narayana with a crown and four arms weilding shanka chakra gadha padhma , shanka, the conch, which is pranavasvarupa, representing the call of the divine, the gadha, mace, which gives a blow when one swerves from the right path, chakra, the discus which chops the head if the wrongdoer does not listen and reform. Padhma, the lotus signifies the peace or bliss when one listens to the Lord and becomes His devotee.
Arjuna has seen the cosmic form which gave him both exhilaration and also fear. He could not withstand the magnificence for long and wishes to witness the divinity in a form known to him which is pleasing and serene.
From the slokas that follow it is evident that the Lord showed Arjuna His form as Narayana, subsequently appearing as Krishna, the son of Vasudeva.
SREEBHAGAVAAN UVAACHA- THE LORD SAID,
47. mayaa prasannena thava arjuna idham
roopam param dharSitham aathmayogaath
thejomayam viSvam anantham aadhyam
yath me thvadhanyena na dhrshtapoorvam
Pleased with you, oh Arjuna, this supreme form was shown by Me through my yogic power which was brilliant, universal, infinite and primeval and not seen before by anyone except you.
What Krishna means by saying that none but Arjuna has seen this for before is that none in the same category as Arjuna has seen it. Arjuna was not a self-realized yogi but an ordinary man standing at the battlefield with a mind riddled with doubts and delusion. The presentation of the cosmic form was not to give him brahmajnana but only to show him the magnificence and mighty power of the Lord so that Arjuna would trust Him fully and would do His bidding.
48. na vedha yajnaaDhyayanaiH na dhaanaiH
na cha kriyaabhih na thapobhiH ucChaiH
evam roopaH SakyaH aham nrloke
dhrashtum thvadhanyena kurupraveera
I am not to be seen in this form by anyone through learning the Vedas, doing sacrifices, or meditation or by performing acts of charity or by any ritual or severe penance, except by you, Oh the prominent among kurus,
The Lord says that due to affection for Arjuna He has shown the cosmic form which could not be seen easily.
As the upanishad says --
naayam aathmaa pravachanena labhyaH
na meDhayaa na bahunaa Sruthena
yamaivesha vrNuthe thena labhyaH
thasya esha aathmaa vivrNuthe thanum svaam
The Brahman, the Lord, cannot be known through learning nor through intellect nor through listening about Him. He could be known only by the one whom He chooses. To him the Lord reveals His form. This sloka is the reflection of the above upanidhadic declaration and further Krishna emphasizes the importance of bhakthi in a later sloka in the chapter where He reiterates the above statement.
The implication is that Arjuna need have no fear and should have felt only joy on being singled out by the Lord to show His cosmic form
49.maathe vyaThaa maa cha vimooDabhaavaH
dhrshtvaa roopam ghoram eedhrk mamaidham
vyapethabheeH preethamanaaH punaH thvam
thadheva me roopam idham prapaSya
May you not have any fear or bewilderment on seeing this fierce form of Mine and dispelling fear and with gladdened heart you see the same form you wanted.
But seeing that Arjuna was not mentally prepared to withstand the magnificence and grandeur of the cosmic form, Krishna takes pity on him and resumes His normal form as the Lord Narayana with four arms and it is known from the words of Sanjaya in the next sloka that Krishna then became his normal self as krishnavasudeva.
SANJAYA UVAACHA-- SANJAYA SAID,
50. ithyarjunam vaasudhevaH thaThaa ukthvaa
svakam roopam dharSayaamaasa bhooyaH
aaSvaasdayaamaasacha bheetham enam
bhoothvaa punaH soumyavapuH mahaathmaa
Saying thus to Arjuna, Vasudeva showed His own form and the Lord pacified him, who was frightened , by becoming His gentle form once again.
Sanjaya told Dhrtharashtra that Krishna resumed his human form as Krisnavasudeva after showing His own form as Narayana to Arjuna and pacified him, After this Sanjaya speaks only at the end in the eighteenth chapter to end the narration.
SREE BHAGAVAAN UVAACHA—THE LORD SAID,
52. sudhurdharSam idham roopam dhrshtavaan asi yath mama
dhevaa api asya roopasya nithyam dharsana kaankshiNaH
You have seen the form of mine which is very difficult to see and which even the devas are always eager to see.
That not only the cosmic form but even the form of Narayana with four arms wielding Sankha chakra gadhaa padhma is rare to be seen even by devas , is the meaning of this sloka. We read about the devas going to the milky ocean and praying to Him to appear before them..
53. naham vedhaiH nathapasaa nadhaanena na chejyayaa
Sakyam evam viDho dhrashtum dhrshtvaan asi maamyaThaa
I am not seen in this form as you have seen now, by learning the Vedas, or by doing penance or performing sacrifices,
54. bhakthyaathu ananayayaa SakyaH aham evam viDho arjuna
jnaathum dhrashtum cha thatthvena praveshtum cha paranthapa
I could only be known thus, seen and merged into by unswerving devotion, oh scorcher of foes..
This is a reiterating statement of what has been already said in sloka 48.The Lord could not be seen in any form , as the four armed Narayana or as the cosmic form by learning Vedas, by doing penance etc. but only through devotion.
Any austerity or acquiring knowledge is of no use unless combined with bhakthi. Even to receive the grace of the Lord, leave alone seeing Him, sincere devotion accompanied with faith, is necessary.
We often hear people saying that they have been doing pooja, observing vrathas, doing japa and chanting holy texts etc. but God is not favouring them by granting their wish or that they only face calamity like death or disease etc.
Most people who say that they are bhakthas have only belief and not bhakthi. Sraddha is not belief but absolute trust. The real bhaktha does not ask for anything and takes what comes as the blessing of the Lord. The pleasant as well as the unpleasant things that happen is due to our karma which we have to experience. The Lord makes it easy for a devotee to undergo suffering, which in fact does not appear as a suffering at all for a true bhaktha.
Devotion with absolute trust and total surrender alone can manifest the Lord within and without. There is a story that illustrates beautifully the idea expressed in the sloka.
A yogi was doing penance in a forest to have the darsan of Lord Narasimha observing severe austerity by not eating anything and not swerving from his place both in the hot weather and cold and rainy.
A hunter who saw him and took pity on him asked him when he broke his penance for a short interval, the reason for his doing so. When the yogi told him the reason the hunter asked him to describe the form which he wanted to see. The yogi gave a description of the man-lion form of the Lord when the hunter said that he had been roaming around in the forest for a long time and had never seen such a form. He further told the yogi that he will go in search of it and somehow bring it to end the misery of the yogi, who only laughed at his folly that the Lord who never came in front of him so long, could be seen by a mere hunter who lacked his knowledge and yogic power.
The hunter searched all over the forest and could not find such an animal as he took it for, and he was desperate and was about to end his life because he could not alleviate the suffering of the yogi when the Lord appeared before him moved by his innocent faith in His existence. Then the hunter tied Him with rope and brought Him before the yogi saying., "See I have brought that what you wanted to see." But the Lord was not visible to the yogi at all. The hunter was insisting that the man-lion was just standing in front. It was then a blow to the pride of the yogi and he became humble and saluted the hunter saying that he was indeed blessed. Then the Lord appeared before him and blessed both of them. Such faith is what is needed to manifest the divine.
55. math karma krth math paramo madhbhakthaH sangavarjithaH
nirvairaH sarvabhootheshu yaH sa maam ethi paandava
One who does everything as My work, engrossed in Me, being My devotee, who has no hatred towards anyone, he alone attains Me, oh son of Pandu.
Here at the end of the chapter the Lord is giving a definition of bhakthiyoga which is carried to a completion in the next chapter.
The steps to attain the Lord, the ladder leading to the final goal of harmony with the Lord is described in this sloka.
First to follow the path of devotion one should do every action, physical, mental and intellectual as the offering to the Lord. "All work as mine, mathkarma," says Krishna.
This attitude naturally makes the mind to be absorbed in the Lord all the time and he becomes "mathparamaH, engrossed in Me."
Then alone he is qualified to be called "madhbhaktha, my devotee," by the Lord, when he becomes sangavarjitha, free from all attachments except that to the Lord.
Such a devotee has no hatred towards any being as he sees all as the manifestation of the Lord only as Nammazvar says in Thirvaimozi,
uNNum soru parugum neer thinnum vettrilai ellaam kaNNan,
even the food and water essential to maintain our life and also all that we enjoy like the betel nuts , are nothing but the manifestations of the Lord.
saH maam ethi- such a devotee attains Me, says the Lord.
The next chapter is titled Bhakthi yoga though all the six chapters from 7to12 are only extolling bhakthi.