Chapter 11: The Universal Form

Bg 11.45

TEXT 45

adrsta-purvam hrsito 'smi drstva

bhayena ca pravyathitam mano me

tad eva me darsaya deva rupam

prasida devesa jagan-nivasa



SYNONYMS

adrsta-purvam— never seen before; hrsitah— gladdened; asmi— I am; drstva— by seeing; bhayena— out of fear; ca— also; pravyathitam— perturbed; manah— mind; me— mine; tat— therefore; eva— certainly; me— unto me; darsaya— show; deva —O Lord; rupam— the form; prasida— just be gracious; devesa— O Lord of lords; jagat-nivasa— the refuge of the universe.

TRANSLATION

After seeing this universal form, which I have never seen before, I am gladdened, but at the same time my mind is disturbed with fear. Therefore please bestow Your grace upon me and reveal again Your form as the Personality of Godhead, O Lord of lords, O abode of the universe.

PURPORT

Arjuna is always in confidence with Krsna because he is a very dear friend, and as a dear friend is gladdened by his friend's opulence, Arjuna is very joyful to see that his friend, Krsna, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and can show such a wonderful universal form. But at the same time, after seeing that universal form, he is afraid that he has committed so many offenses to Krsna out of his unalloyed friendship. Thus his mind is disturbed out of fear, although he had no reason to fear. Arjuna therefore is asking Krsna to show His Narayana form because He can assume any form. This universal form is material and temporary, as the material world is temporary. But in the Vaikuntha planets He has His transcendental form with four hands as Narayana. There are innumerable planets in the spiritual sky, and in each of them Krsna is present by His plenary manifestations of different names. Thus Arjuna desired to see one of the forms manifest in the Vaikuntha planets. Of course in each Vaikuntha planet the form of Narayana is four-handed, and the four hands hold different symbols, the conchshell, mace, lotus and disc. According to the different hands these four things are held in, the Narayanas are named. All of these forms are one and the same to Krsna; therefore Arjuna requests to see His four-handed feature.