Gita 11.25 The sight of the unfamiliar in the familiar is disorienting
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to actualize his will.
And that will be revealed in subsequent verses. Thank you. Here, Krishna, Yushnarupa is being described by Arjuna and he's now focusing on the teeth and the mouth, especially he's talking about the fearsome form, which is not at all easy to understand and appreciate.
His mouth has fearsome teeth. Anala is fire, Kaal. Kaal refers to time or Kaal also refers to destruction.
Time has the feature of destruction. So Kaalanala refers to the destructive fire. It appears as if this is the fire of destruction that is coming out.
This is such a fearsome sight that I don't know what is happening. I'm unable to understand the directions. And nor am I able to maintain my calmness.
Please have grace on me, O Lord. Prasidh devesh jagan inivas. O Lord, who is the shelter of the universe, please be pleased with me.
Prasidh devesh. You are the controller of all the gods. So now, in one sense, what is being described here is not new.
That there is a fire coming from the mouth of the Vishwaroopa was mentioned earlier in the 19th text when it says, that from your mouth, I can see fire coming out and then that your teeth are fearsome. That was talked about in the 23rd text. So here, those two details specifically I mentioned, Damshtra, they are mentioned again.
Damshtra, Karalani, Chitai, Mukhani. In your mouth, there are fearsome teeth, terrible. Damshtra is teeth, Karalani is terrible.
Terrible teeth are there. So sometimes when a dog is barking, at that time somebody is coming in that area, they will look at the dog's fangs, the dog's teeth, how sharp, how big those teeth are. And the dog has very sharp and big thing, mean looking teeth.
Then the first people become apprehensive. So even among animals which are dangerous, the teeth are not always the same nature. Damshtra, Karalani, Chitai, Mukhani.
So here it is talked about. Very fearsome teeth there. And Drishtvaiva, Kaalanala, Sannibhani.
Here I can also see that Kaalanala, the fire of destruction manifesting over here. Sannibhani, it's a fearsome fire, scary fire, which actually leaves everyone trembling in its wake. Drishtvaiva, Kaalanala, Sannibhani, Dishona, Janina, Nadecha, Sharma.
So this is not just any fire. Fire coming out of the mouth itself is fearsome, but a fire of, the fire of death, the fire of destruction that comes at the end of the universe's existence, that is especially fearsome. That is the kind of fire that is being displayed over here.
Drishtvaiva, Kaalanala, Sannibhani. When I see this, I am scared to death. Dishona, Janina, Nadecha, Sharma.
So normally when we say, when we experience something very jolty, very scary, at that time we become disoriented. Disoriented means we just don't know where we are, what we are supposed to do. So Dishona, Janina, I don't know the directions.
This is actually a very, it's a very strong statement of disorientation. So normally when we talk about directions, okay, we know this is left, this is right, this is top, this is bottom. But when a person is very discombobulated, utterly disoriented, they may say at that time, Dishona, Janina, I just don't know the directions.
What is going on? What is happening over here? And I have no peace. I have no calmness. Oh, you who are the Lord of the universe, please be pleased with me.
Now at one level, there is identification. At another level, there is confusion. So Arjuna understands that this is because he has asked to see the Vishwaroopa.
So he understands that this is Vishwaroopa. He understands that this is Krishna manifesting the Vishwaroopa. But still, he is seeing something unfamiliar in something familiar.
Just like, you know, if we meet an old friend and the friend is behaving in a very odd way, is behaving in a very atypical way, then we will get the question, you know, what has happened to you? Has something got into you? Are you upset about something? Why are you behaving in such an odd way? So there is familiar and unfamiliar and naturally that leads to the questioning of the unfamiliar. Questioning about the unfamiliar. What exactly is happening? So if somebody who we know to be very soft spoken, gentle, if suddenly they start speaking angrily, bitterly, they start moving their face and it appears they are going to attack us, then we just wonder, what is this? No, actually, our emotion is often a function of expectation.
That means, when things go as expected, we have one kind of emotions. And when things don't go against as per expectation, we have another kind of emotions. And the greater the deviation or the divergence between the expectation and the action or the reaction of people, then the greater is our emotion.
So in this case, when a soft spoken person suddenly starts acting violently, that will disorient us. So like that, Arjuna had asked to see the Vishwaroopa, but in the Vishwaroopa, what he had, he has known about the concept of Vishwaroopa. You know that Krishna has shown the Vishwaroopa.
It's an awesome display of power and pervasion. But this kind of destruction that is there, he has never seen that, he has not known that. And later on, we will see in the end, he will ask for the identification.
Who is this person? Who are you? He will ask him, who are you, O Lord? So that will come at the end. But right now, he's trying to make sense of seeing the unfamiliar in the familiar. And he thinks, okay, maybe, you know, if a friend whom we are seeing, who is soft spoken, and suddenly they are angry, then we will say, Oh, calm down, cool down.
Let's deal with this with a cool head. So that is, of course, the tone we will use by talking with a friend. If that person is superior or a boss, then we will speak that in a much more reverential or respectful way.
But the point will be the same that if somebody who is whom we don't expect to be angry is angry, we will be disoriented, but at the same time, we will try to calm them down. So that is what is happening to Arjuna when he's seeing these features which represent anger. And when he sees these features representing anger at that time, he feels as if that, what is happening? So, I do not know, I do not know what I should do.
I'm completely disoriented. I can't even figure out what directions are around me. And thus he expresses his discombobulation.
At the same time, he also tries to calm down the Vishwaroopa. And he uses, therefore, two epithets to glorify the Vishwaroopa. He says, Oh, you know, if you are angry about something in this world, actually, there's no reason for you to be angry because you are the ultimate controller.
You are Devesha. Devas are far more powerful than the Manavas, but even the Devas are under your control. So actually, nothing can go out of your control.
There is no need for you to become angry or Devesha. And then Jagannivas. Jagannivas means actually the whole universe rests in you.
You are the shelter of the universe. If you become angry, then what is the hope for the universe? Therefore, proceed, my dear Lord, please be calm, please be peaceful. Please calm down, oh Lord.
So here, the sight of the ferocious features of the universal form, they distress and discombobulate Arjuna and he tries to.