Gita Overview Mumbai 2013- 11.1-23 The background to understand Vishva-rupa – Yoga aishvarya to rupa aishvarya

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So today we start with the 11th chapter is the Vishwaroop display of the universal form Prabhupada calls it and this is from the point of view of events the most dramatic in the whole Bhagavad Gita whenever there is a play or a drama or say a novel there are different kinds of action that are there there can be internal action some thoughts of the people are described or there can be conversations or there can be physical actions where maybe there is a fight or something like that so in general from the point of view of the leader interest often the action events are the most gripping so in this where Krishna is in a sense going to demonstrate what he has taught in the previous chapters so the specific impetus is Arjuna’s question but Krishna presents things in such a way that even the specific question and its answer are woven into the overall narrative of the Gita so we will see how this chapter in a sense correlates with what has been taught in the 9th and 10th chapters and is a continuation of that so let’s start with Arjuna’s question first verse Arjuna Vacham Arjuna Vacham Madanugrahaya Paramam Madanugrahaya Paramam Guhyamadhyatma Sangeetam Guhyamadhyatma Sangeetam so significantly here Nashto Moho Sudhir Labdha what Krishna will tell, what Arjuna will tell towards the end of the Bhagavad Gita in 18.73 he is telling that partially over here Mohoyam Vigatomama my Moha has gone away the only difference is where that comes up Arjuna will also give a specific call for action so here the discussion is over and the action is about to start but here in a sense the discussion is not over because Arjuna has some further request to make Vashila Prabhupada makes this point even in the 10th chapter that as far as Arjuna is concerned he has accepted Krishna’s supremacy but he is now speaking, asking questions for the benefit of others so Mohoyam Vigatomama that’s why we will see in general Arjuna’s questions from here onwards are not so much practical as metaphysical see 3rd chapter 5th chapter the questions were what you are saying this or this what should I actually do but now in this chapter can you show me the Virat Rupa then he will ask which is better the person who meditates on the impersonal Brahman or the person who meditates on your personal form which is better the questions are a little more philosophical not directly connected with the action because in a sense Arjuna is clear that I am going to do what Krishna wants me to do but let me get a clearer understanding for others benefit also Mohoyam Vigatomama, my Moha is gone and how is it gone Madhanugrahaya Paramam that actually you have shown very great mercy to me so actually knowledge itself has a great mercy Prabhupada gives an example in the 10th canto that when scientists find some medicine which cures a lot of diseases then which cures a disease which is killing a lot of people then they share that medicine with others that knowledge of making that medicine, knowledge of how that medicine cures others why? because that knowledge has such a capacity to relieve people from suffering and the discovery of that knowledge is considered to be a great breakthrough so that of course is from the Arohan Pant from our efforts we try to arrive at a breakthrough but if somebody is sick and if somebody is ok do this this you will get cured then that is actually in a sense anugraha so there are various kinds of anugraha, mercy is there somebody is sick and his person is cured but somebody has a bhavaruka the disease of material existence and that is cured that is anugrahaya paramam that is supreme mercy Madhanugrahaya Paramam so what have you given me? Guhyamadhyatma Sangeetam that you have given me the knowledge of Adhyatma which is Guhyam so this correlates back to 9.1 and 2 idam tute guhyatamam pravaksham so there also second verse also says Raj Vidya Raj Guhyam so Guhyam Adhyatma Sangeetam you have given me this confidential knowledge and how is it yatpayotam vachasthena so I am grateful that you have mercifully given this knowledge to me and what has happened by that my illusion has gone away so this is a chapter which doesn’t start immediately with the question the request which Arjuna is going to make is Arjuna is himself a little apprehensive of making that request so he prefaces that request with some other statements now he further is describing in a sense his understanding of Krishna has spoken so that that shows Krishna ok now I have understood this this this now can you please tell me this bhavapteyohi bhutanam bhavapteyohi bhutanam shrutavistara shomaya shrutavistara shomaya tattah kamalapatraksha tattah kamalapatraksha so this is the first and the only sort of very intimate reference to Krishna’s beauty kamalapatraksha there are many names which are used to address Krishna but they are generally referring to his position or his power or his pastimes with his devotees but directly the beauty of his physical form there is practically no other name which refers to that tattah kamalapatraksha oh lotus eyed one mahatmyam pichavyayam so in a sense this word itself is actually bringing out the contrast between the sweetness and the greatness of God because to call somebody lotus eyed that doesn’t get a sweet aspect but this is in this verse itself Krishna is also telling that bhavapeyo hi bhutanam sutau vistharashomaya bhava apya creation and destruction how it all happens you have described it to me so this is referring back to 9.8, 9 and 10 it can also refer to 8.18, 19, 20 where it describes how sahasra yuga parvyantam aharyat brahmano viduh so that after 8 chapter basically describes the cyclic nature of the creation and destruction that is 8.17, 8.19 you described and in that description the focus is not on Krishna that same point is elaborated in 9.7, 8, 9 and 10 ultimately 9.10 is mayadhyakshena prakriti 9.7, 8, 9 are describing prakritin svama vashtabhya visrujami puna puna bhuta grama mangastham avasya prakriter vashat so all this is happening under prakriti and prakriti is working under me so Krishna has described this earlier shutau pitarasyo maya I have understood what you have described to me by understanding how the vishwas, creation and destruction happens under your supervision I am understanding your mahatmya and what is your mahatmya, it is avyaya it is imperishable it never ends because the cycle of creation and destruction goes on forever and ever but Krishna’s creation Krishna’s supremacy remains forever after describing this and Prabhupada says that this can correlate to various things also, Prabhupada correlates this with aham kusum jagatah prabhava pralayas tatha this is the 7th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita and this theme is referred to repeatedly, that’s why Arjuna is using the word vistarasa maya, repeatedly I have heard vistarasa maya evam etad yatha tat tvam evam yatha tat tvam atmanam parameshwara atmanam parameshwara drashtu micchamite rupam drashtu micchamite rupam aishwaram purushottama aishwaram purushottama so this is a very significant verse which expresses Arjuna’s desire what do I want to see drashtu micchami, I wish to see rupa aishwara you are the purushottama Krishna has used the word yoga aishwara in 9.5 na ca buddhstani bhutani pasyame yogam aishwaram bhuta brinje bhutastho mamatma bhuta bhavana so yoga aishwara now yoga in a sense means connection so actually when Krishna normally when we use the word yoga it refers to connecting ourselves with God that is yoga as a sadhana that is definitely the widespread usage of the word yoga but the word yoga also has another usage, how Krishna connects with the world yoga essentially means connection so when Krishna is saying pasyame yogam aishwaram, see my inconceivable opulence of yoga, what he means is in the previous verse he says all living beings are sustained by me but all living beings are not sustained by me 9.4 says matthani sarva bhutani 9.5 says na ca matthani bhutani so this is the yoga aishwara that I am how I am connected and not connected so now that which is yoga aishwara, which is conceptually described, now Arjuna wants to have it visually perceived, visually demonstrated so that he can perceive it 10.4 he says that aishwaram purushottam, I desire to see it and now he has a little apprehension so therefore he says in the next verse he qualifies his request by saying if you think I am qualified 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 if you think it is possible if you think I am qualified to see it till now when he has asked this question he has not said that if I am qualified please answer this question please tell this, should I do this, should I do this but he understands that actually in general any kind of mystical vision it is not a matter of demanding we can’t demand just as we say we can’t demand that god come in front of us and show himself, so like that we can’t demand that god reveal some special mystical visions to us also 10.6 but this also indicates Arjuna’s humility, you know the difference between humility and pride is that pride demands and complains, humility begs and waits so what does pride do, pride demands I must get this, I don’t get it, why didn’t you give it to me pride demands and complains whereas humility begs and waits in their humble, ok, can I get this and I am ready to wait till I become qualified to get it, begs and waits so Arjuna is exhibiting his humility when he is saying maya drashtamiti prabho, so when he says this prabho, you show it to me, so it is again a contrast tattah kamalapatraksha was there in the previous and immediately here the word is prabho it says you are my intimate friend, you are lotus eyed lord but you are also, you are lotus eyed one but you are also prabho and to emphasise that Krishna you have the capability to show this to me so yogeshwara tato metham you are yogeshwara so this yogeshwara is related to roopamayeshwara, yogeshwara so that actually you can reveal anything and everything to us, so here yogeshwara refers not to yoga sadhana, it refers to yoga siddhi those who are yoga siddhis they can do extraordinary things so like that you are not just a yogi siddha yogi but you are yogeshwara you are the lord of all yogis, so you can surely show it to me darshayatmanam avyayam so please show me your, this essential form so now when he is requesting this in the previous verse it says evam etat yatha athatam so what does this mean you are as I see you before me, evam etat yatha athatam that means as you are so I see you before me, this is a significant verse because some people have the idea that actually the virat rupa is higher than Krishna so Krishna says no as I see you so you are but I want to see something else so there is no indication anywhere, we will look at this carefully as we move forward, there is no indication in the Bhagavad Gita that the virat rupa is higher than Krishna it is not that when Arjuna asks Krishna, can you show the virat rupa, then Krishna has to pray to the virat rupa, please appear he doesn’t have to do like that Krishna just by his will makes the virat rupa appear and then Arjuna says please I don’t want to see this form, this is a Ugra rupa I want to see a Saumya rupa and the virat rupa doesn’t appear, so basically Krishna is the revealer and the concealer of the virat rupa the virat rupa is not higher so let’s see now how Krishna responds so actually there is a nesting effect in the description of the virat rupa because the virat rupa is so extraordinary that it’s very difficult to make sense of it so that’s why to help one make sense of it what is being seen is described thrice first Krishna will describe to Arjuna what you are going to see then this narrative flashes back and Sanjay describes to Dhritarashtra what Arjuna is seeing and then after that Arjuna will describe what I am seeing so there is a correlation between the three but each of these visions becomes somewhat more elaborate so in this way we get a triple description of the vision Krishna’s description, Sanjay’s description and Arjuna’s description and in general actually speaking when there is something extraordinary to be seen if we don’t have any context we will not be able to make sense of it there is a legend it may or may not be true that when the first boats came to Native America actually when the boat came along with Columbus and others with Amerigo Vespucci and others when they came there so actually the Native Americans had no conception of a boat so as the boat was coming from the ocean closer and closer they were just looking at it, looking at it, looking at it and they didn’t understand what it was at all, similarly in blindness there is something called as incidental blindness and congenital blindness incidental means something which has happened by an incident later in life, congenital means somebody is born blind so now if somehow by some medical breakthrough those who are congenitally blind are cured and they get the capacity to see, actually they get the capacity to see but just by getting the capacity to see they don’t get the capacity to make sense of what they are seeing and all that this is just a just a dazzling and bewildering medley medley means a mixture a random mixture of just light and dark spots so there are some descriptions of this also I read a book about this the patient was cured like this so do you see anything just look towards that voice and all that is some dark patterns, some white patterns and something like that and the patient said that if I had not known that voices come from faces, I would not even have understood where this voice comes from this pattern that is there, this must be a face she can’t make any sense of anything so we don’t just see with our eyes we see with our knowledge so even when there are eyes but there is no path generally how do we see? based on what we have seen earlier and based on what we have heard earlier we connect all that with what we are seeing now but when there are no path sides, then there is nothing to connect with and it can become quite bewildering so often people are congenitally blind if by surgery they are given eyes then they have to go through a reorientation period where they start actually learning to use their eyes so there was a description of her in that book about a worker who used to use tools and he was blind even while being blind he could cut with a knife but when that knife was kept in front of him, he couldn’t make any sense of it look at it, what is this? and then when he touched it, immediately he said oh this is the knife, this is the handle part use it and cut it so then he was using not his eyes but his past experience to cut and it’s that sensation so that’s why it’s not just a philosophical point that we may use some atheists argue that you cannot show God, that’s why you say that you have to acquire knowledge then you can see God it’s not just a metaphysical or evasive point even in practical life if we don’t have the past visions and the past understanding we cannot make sense of what we are seeing so the same is going to happen to Arjuna and that’s why to give him a context of what he is going to see Krishna, there is a triple prefacing, Krishna first describes then Sanjay describes and for us to understand again, Arjuna also describes so, let’s see how Krishna replies to his verse Sri Bhagavan Vacha Sri Bhagavan Vacha Vashame Partha Rupani Vashame Partha Rupani Shatashotasahasrasha Shatashotasahasrasha Nanavidhanidivyani Nanavidhanidivyani Nanavarnakrithinicha Nanavarnakrithinicha Pashya Pashya means sea so generally the Rupa is to be sea so that’s why he Darsha Atmanam Yogamogam I want to see so Krishna says Pashya now where is the word Pashya come earlier where was that Vashame Yogamogam that’s correct but that Pashya is not written in terms of sea Pashyataan Pandu Putraanam Pashya has come primarily in the first chapter see, we use the word Pashya sometimes we use the word in English also sea to understand I see what you are saying you know when somebody is saying something I see that means I understand so in the 9th chapter when Arjuna and Krishna are using the word Pashya Yogameshwaram that is more in terms of understanding so it’s not actually a visual display but the Pashya Krishna speaks to Arjuna and when he takes the two chariots in between Pashyataan Uvachaparthapashyataan 1.25 check the words that is the only word that Krishna speaks in the first chapter Uvachaparthapashyataan Samvetaan Kuruniti Pashyataan so Krishna takes the chariot in between the two sides and places it right in front of Bhishma and Drona Uvachaparthapashyataan so that seeing led to the bewilderment of Arjuna and similarly this seeing will also lead to bewilderment of Arjuna but actually after that seeing Arjuna was initially completely confused but then he surrendered whereas this seeing will not lead to that kind of confusion because it is within the context of Arjuna’s surrender Arjuna has already surrendered and within the care of Krishna he asks to see something but both cases we see the effect in one sense is similar that seeing leads to bewilderment seeing leads to bewilderment that’s why the Bhagavad Gita indicates that if you have to learn it’s not primarily by seeing it’s primarily by understanding and what is he going to show? Parthshatashotashastrashas Rupani Rupa is singular, Rupani is plural so you will see not just hundreds but thousands of forms and all these forms are Nana, Vidhani, Devyani they are divine now the word divine in general refers to something higher in a technical sense we can use transcendental to refer to the spiritual and celestial to refer to the heavenly but the word divine can refer to both so sometimes for example when the word is Janma Karamachame Divyam there Divya refers to transcendental here most of the visions that are given are of the material world and of the celestial celestial denizens like Brahmaji and Gandharva and Yaksha that we will see so here it is celestial but Divya is a generic word and Nana, Varna, Akruti, Inicha, so different forms are there Akruti and Varna, different colours are there so Prabhupada divine and multi-coloured forms so let’s see what happens Krishna is describing what we will see more specifically Pashyadityan Vasundhudran Pashyadityan Vasundhudran Asvinomarutastatha Asvinomarutastatha so Pashya is describing five categories of people but these five are representative of the various celestial residents Aditya, Vasu, Rudra, Ashwina and Marut if you see the 7th canto of Bhagavatam in chapter 8 before chapter 9 in 7th canto is Prahlada Maharaj’s prayers before that the various demigods and the representatives of the heavenly planets they offer prayers so the Marutas offer some prayers, Ashwina Kumar offers some prayers, Shiva offers prayers so these are all representative of the higher people and Krishna is emphasising the point, this will come again three times this comes in this chapter Adrishtapurvani Adrishtapurvani this has never been seen before Krishna has shown the Viratrupa earlier to Yashodamayi twice twice he shows once when he is just a small baby and she just opens his mouth to check whether he has got some teeth and he is Viratrupa, another time is when he has eaten mud and he has also shown it to Duryodhana but in that Duryodhana’s display there was no Kalarupa that’s why Adrishtapurvani what you are going to see has never been seen before, Pashyashcharya this is amazing let’s see what he says further Ihaikastham Jagat Krishnam, Ihaikastham Jagat Krishnam, Pashyadyas Characharam Pashyadyas Characharam Mamadehe Gudakesha Mamadehe Gudakesha so the amazing thing about the Vishwarupa is Krishna has said Asturyani, it’s amazing so what is amazing in one place we can see everything Ihaikastham Jagat Krishnam see whenever we are placed in a particular position that position determines our vision and that position also limits our vision if I am sitting here and looking at you I cannot see what is behind and similarly if I am at a particular point in the earth, I can see only a particular scope a particular area depending on the range of my vision as well as the presence of external obstacles so in general our vision is limited but in a sense the darshan of Virata Rupa gives Arjuna temporary omniscience omniscience not in the sense that he knows everything in the hearts of everyone but a partial omniscience where he can see everything within the universe that is happening so Ihaikastham Jagat Krishnam and what are we going to see Pashyagya Sarcharacharam moving and non-moving this is what is described later and where are you going to see Mamadehe Gudakesha so actually for the transcendental form of the lord there is no difference between the boy and the soul but with the Virata Rupa the Virata Rupa is like a material conceptual form that’s a Mamadehe Gudakesha and he says what all you will see Yajjanil Drashtumichyasi so whatever else you may desire to see also the Acharyas describe that because this discussion is happening on the verge of a battle therefore naturally the question will be what is going to happen in the battle, although that is not a voiced question, it is an unvoiced question therefore he says you will see that also Yajjanil Drashtumichyasi you will be able to see this also and then he describes so he is going to reveal it but then now you can’t see it, I will have to do something special for you I will have to do some eye surgery I will give you some special vision Nathumam Shakyase Drashtum Nathumam Shakyase Drashtum Ane Naiva Swachakshusha Ane Naiva Swachakshusha Divyam Dadamite Chakshu Divyam Dadamite Chakshu so simple Nathumam Shakyase Drashtum you cannot see me, it is not Shakya, it is not possible for you to see me Ane Naiva this vision with these eyes Swachakshusha, therefore Divyam Dadamite Chakshu I give you these eyes and Pashyame Yogam Aishwaram so this again is a connection with the previous chapter 9th chapter where it says there Pashya was understand now Pashya is see see my extraordinary yoga so again here Krishnaji, Thakur and Baldev concur more or less they say that the vision that is given to Arjuna is not exactly a elevated vision but it is a lowered vision see there is a human vision there is a celestial vision and there is a transcendental vision so at the transcendental level one sees Krishna as, one knows Krishna to be God but one sees Krishna also as one’s very close friend at the normal human vision one sees Krishna simply as a another human being as a king as a Yadu warrior but here so now this was the vision that most people had when Krishna was on the several people assisted Shishupal also when Shishupal started blaspheming Krishna why is he beginning the Agra Puja so that is a normal human vision which people had now devotees like Arjuna are not deluded by this vision they have a transcendental vision but in this transcendental vision the sweetness of Krishna is so dominant that his greatness is not so much perceived so that’s why now because this Virat Rupa is manifesting the greatness of God therefore that vision is temporarily pushed to the background and then the celestial vision is given so the Devatas are normally aware of Krishna’s position at least when they are at that level of consciousness, celestial level they know Vishnu is supreme and that Vishnu has come here to perform pastimes although even when they see Krishna’s pastimes they may get bewildered Brahmaji gets bewildered in the Brahma Vimula time when he sees specific pastimes but in general, say for example, the second chapter of the 10th canto when he is coming along with the other Devatas to offer prayers at that time he is aware of the position of the Supreme Lord so when he is saying the dharmic ejection so that divya refers to from the transcendental he is brought to the level of the celestial, he is brought down to that level ok now Virat Rupa talks about these different visions how different devotees can have different people can have by quoting the Srimad Shloka from the chapter before the Brahma Vimula 13 and 14 chapters of the Brahma Vimula, 10.12 this is a verse about how sakam vijahu kutapunya punja the Gopasthi Krishna as just one of their friends now so verses 5 to 8 was Krishna’s brief preface of what is going to come verses 9 to 14 are Sanjay’s description he is preparing so he is preparing Dhritarashtra for what is going to come Sanjay Vachan evam uktvatato Rajan evam uktvatato Rajan Mahayogeshwarohari Mahayogeshwarohari darsayamas parthaya darsayamas parthaya paramam rupam aishwaram paramam rupam aishwaram evam uktvatato Rajan Dhritarashtra after having spoken thus that person Mahayogeshwarohari so actually Sanjay many times the greater the distance from a situation the greatness becomes more apparent like if a bird is flying over a mountain the bird may not realise how big the mountain is but if we are far away from it this mountain is so big like that when when somebody is directly interacting with God one may not realise his greatness but when Sanjay is far away he is understanding what is going to happen so that’s why Sanjay refers to Krishna Arjuna refers to Krishna as Yogeshwara Sanjay is referring to him as Mahayogeshwara Mahayogeshwarohari darsayamas parthaya he is going to show him and what is that? paramam rupam aishwaram he is also using the word rupa aishwaram what was requested by Arjuna in 11.3 he is going to display he displays it now let us see what Sanjay says what is that going to display aneka vaktra nayanam anekad bhuta darshanam anekad bhuta darshanam aneka divya bharanam aneka divya bharanam divyanekodhyatayutam divyanekodhyatayutam divyamalyambaradharam divyamalyambaradharam divyagandhanulepanam divyagandhanulepanam sarvashcharyamayam devam sarvashcharyamayam devam anantam vishwathomukham anantam vishwathomukham so aneka vaktra nayanam so actually normally when you start seeing because this is extraordinary normally if there is a formal occasion when you take darshan of the lord you may start taking from the feet but when there is suddenly something you don’t look down, you start looking for the face aneka vaktra nayanam there are many mouths over there generally when we look at the mouth of a person we look at the eyes and the face smiling and what are the eyes aneka vaktra nayanam there are many eyes over there anekad bhuta darshanam very extraordinary things I am seeing what are those things he described anekad divya abharanam divya abharam, extraordinary garments are there abharanam divya anek uddhyatayudham ayudham means the generally weapons what is used in the hand so anekad divya there are many divine weapons that are there divya malya ambar dharam, malya is garlands ambar is dress so he is dressed in garlands and garments and there he is actually able to see that generally when a person is decorated, there is not just just like vivyar tilak, there can be sandalwood paste like that there is gandha divya gandhanu lepanam so this mention of gandha indicates that actually you swarat rupa is a very sort of comprehensive vishu, you see everything over there and sarvashcharimayam devam sarvashcharimayam, everything about this is amazing because at one time if I see a person if I see a person with 10 heads like there is a Rama, it is quite an extraordinary sight there are not just 10 heads, there are 100s of heads and there are 100s of hands and there are 100s of bodies it’s quite a mind boggling vision anantam, so it is to give an indication of what is anantam, it is unlimited vishvato mukham it’s all pervading then he now he is describing, ok when you see the details he is saying but the most characteristic thing is it’s extremely fulgent so the sun itself is very difficult to behold because it’s effulgence is so great but the sun becomes several time more effulgent at the time of destruction and like that if there are many suns so divisurya sahasurasya there are sahasuras suryas and yugapada uthita, yugapada means when the time of yuga changes yugapada, the connection, so at that time if many suns are arising so what will be the effulgence yadi bhaasa drushi saasyaad bhaa is the effulgence bhaaskara, one who gives bhaa bhaa is light yadi bhaasa drushi that could give an idea of what the effulgence of this particular blaze is like that is the effulgence so there was this physicist openhemer who developed the atom bomb and when he did that actually he, to describe that event, boom the explosion took place actually in the manhattan project so when they were doing that they were doing research for many many years and they knew that it would be a formidable force, that formidable bomb how big would it be, they did not have any experience, they had some conception and they went further and further away, further and further away and then they waited and boom the explosion took place he described that several miles around the trees were shaken, the window panes were shattered, people got a shock and so he saw this first he saw the effulgence where he quoted this verse and then he quoted the destroyer of the world the idea was, he felt that this is god like power and it is extraordinary that at one level the development of the atomic bomb can be said to be a manifestation of man’s it’s a breakthrough on man’s development of technology but at another level it is also a testimony to the extent of power that is locked up in nature you know that means, the idea is that even one atom actually an atom bomb is made basically what they do is a long process but essentially it’s like splitting up the atoms so that what is within comes out so within an atom there is so much energy that it can blow up a whole city so that’s how actually in a sense it can if seen just from the point of view of science one can say, oh science has advanced so much of course because the destructive Prabhupada would say it’s regressive it’s causing death, but you could see it as a manifestation of the power of science or we could see the same thing as a manifestation of the power within nature and where has this power in nature come from? it has ultimately come from god so bhāsastasya mahātmana that mahātmā, that great soul, great person such was his effulgence pravibhaktamanekadhā śarīre pāṇḍavastadā śarīre pāṇḍavastadā so this verse is partially a reiteration of what Krishna has said, ihaika sthaṁ he had used, so tatraika sthaṁ that is extraordinary, normally if you have to see everything, you have to go everywhere but in one place, tatra, so for all Krishna is describing, he is here sanjay it is there, but traika sthaṁ and there is one place but pravibhaktamanekadhā there are many manifestations in one place and what are those? apasya devadevasya so that person who is repeating this is devadeva, the supreme lord and śarīre in his body kṛṣṇamadehe gudākeśa, Krishna had used so devadevasya śarīre and who saw this? apasya gudākeśa, so Arjuna saw it he goes further and describes so now, here he has briefly described Arjuna’s vision and now he will describe Arjuna’s reaction to this vision and Arjuna’s speech comes as a part of his reaction when he starts offering his obeisance and prayers tatah savismaya viṣṭho tatah savismaya viṣṭho hṛṣṭa rūmādhananjaya hṛṣṭa rūmādhananjaya pranam śirṣā devam pranam śirṣā devam kṛtāñjali rabhāśata kṛtāñjali rabhāśata so tatah sa therefore what happened? viṣṭha he is overwhelmed by amazement viṣṭha is related to āścarya amazement viṣṭha āścarya adbhuta all these three words which are used by Krishna over here they convey a similar import astonishment amazement so in the first chapter however the reaction was different kṛpayā parayā viṣṭho viṣīdantamidam kṛpayā parayā viṣṭho he was overcome by compassion but here it is amazement and then the same reaction is hṛṣṭa rūmā his hair stood up and then what happened? pranam śirṣā devam he offered pranam and then he started with folded hands kṛtāñjali rabhāśata so what he starts speaking is described in the next verse arjuna vāca pashyāmi devāṁ sthava devadehe pashyāmi devāṁ sthava devadehe sarvāṁ sathā bhūta-viśeṣu saṅghān sathā bhūta-viśeṣu saṅghān brahmāṇamīśaṁ kamalāśinistham brahmāṇamīśaṁ kamalāśinistham hṛṣīṁś ca sarvān urgāṁś ca divyān hṛṣīṁś ca sarvān urgāṁś ca divyān so pashyāmi arjuna krishna hair says pashyāmi sarvāṁ sathā bhūta-viśeṣu pashyāmi devāṁ sthava devadehe so actually the word deva comes twice in this line it is not a repetition but one devāṁ is plural so deva is singular sthava devadehe so oh supreme lord in your body what am I seeing? devāṁs I am seeing many of the devatas the demigods so the two words are having similar meanings and who all are devatas in sarvāṁs all devatas in sarvāṁs sthā bhūta-viśeṣu saṅghān and along with demigods sthā bhūta-viśeṣu saṅghān all the different kinds of beings also I am seeing and he is giving a brief indication on that right from the top of the universe brahmāṇam śaṅkamala so brahmājī is sitting on a lotus so he is the īśa in this creation so I am seeing him right from that and it describes that at the bottom of the universe there is śeṣaṇāk and you know he is seeing that also raśīṁś ca sarvāṁ urugāṁś ca divyāṁ he is seeing the various raśīs which are there in the various planets and urugāṁ, urugāṁ is the divine serpent so he is seeing that urugāṁś ca divyāṁ, so like that what he is seeing now, eka-sthaṁ the whole universe he is seeing right from the topmost planet to the lowermost planet aneka-bhāhu-dhara aneka-bhāhu-dhara-vaktra-netraṁ aneka-bhāhu-dhara-vaktra-netraṁ paśyāmitvāṁ sarvato nanta-rūpaṁ paśyāmitvāṁ sarvato nanta-rūpaṁ nāntam na madhyam na punasthavādim nāntam na madhyam na punasthavādim so although this chapter is called viśvarūpa or virāt bhagavad-gītā uses the word viśvarūpa primarily bhāgavatam refers to virāt-rūpa but this is the only verse 11.16 where the word viśvarūpa directly comes That word doesn’t come repeatedly in this chapter, although it’s understood. When Arjuna is also asking, he doesn’t ask, show me the Vishwara, he says, Rupa-Ishwara show me.
But here he is saying, I am seeing you are the Vishwa-Ishwara and I am seeing your Vishwa-Rupa. Whatever I am seeing, you are in charge of that. And what is there in it? The same thing which Sanjay has said, many arms, many faces, many eyes and Sarvatonandharopam, I am seeing this everywhere and the characteristic is, I can’t understand where is the beginning, where is the middle, where is the end.
Just so vast, endless. It’s something like when a person is lost in the ocean, just everywhere that we see is see the water only. So like that, there is no beginning, no end, no middle.
So Kirita and Gada and Chakra, this is a reference to the Vishnu Murthy, it’s a slight indication over here. So Vishnu form is there and along with that Vishnu form, there are so many other forms also. So Kirita is helmet, Gada is mace and Chakra is the Surajan Chakra.
And Tejorashim Sarvatoddhi, Mantam Tejorash is effulgent and it’s illuminating in all directions. So much is illumination. So what Sanjay had said earlier, hundreds of suns coming together.
So Krishna is, Arjuna is describing it in a different way as durniriksham samantar, durniriksham means that which cannot be seen, so effulgent. And Jithanalarka Jithimapramayam. So this whole verse is primarily focussing on the description of the immeasurability of the effulgence, which makes it very difficult to see.
But he is able to discern some things. What can I see? I can see the Kirita, Gada and Chakra, but apart from that, I can’t see much. And then as his description suddenly becomes a glorification and he is trying to get sort of philosophical context to what is happening over here.
Tvam aksharam paramam veditauvyam, Tvam asya vishwasya param nidhanam, Tvam avyayashyashyuta dharma gopta, Tvam avyayashyashyuta dharma gopta, Sanatanastvam purushomato me, Sanatanastvam purushomato me. So, this is not so much a description of what he is seeing, but an identification of what he is seeing with what he knows. Tvam, you are what, aksharam paramam veditauvyam, you are akshara, you are imperishable, you are the supreme object to be known, paramam veditauvyam, Tvam asya vishwasya param nidhanam, you are the ultimate shelter of this universe after everything is destroyed, Tvam avyayashyashyuta dharma gopta, and it is not that you are there only as a shelter, even when this world is existing, you are the gopta, you are the protector, protector of what, dharma gopta, protector of religion, of order in this world, in this way you are Sanatanastvam purushomato me, you are the supreme eternal person, Sanatanapurusham, Anadhimadhyantamanandaveeryam, Anadhimadhyantamanandaveeryam, Anantabahum Shashisuryanetram, Anantabahum Shashisuryanetram, Pashyamitvam Deeptahutashyavatram, Pashyamitvam Deeptahutashyavatram, Swatejasavishvamidam tapantam, Swatejasavishvamidam tapantam, So Anadi, Madhya, Anta, Anadi, there is no beginning, middle or end, again same point Anantaveeryam, the strength is immeasurable, Anantabahum, not only is your strength immeasurable, but even your number of arms are immeasurable, and then Shashisuryanetram, this is described in the second canto also, that the sun and the moon are the eyes of the virat, Pashyamitvam Deeptahutashyavatram, first time in the description of the mouth, the mouth is also giving a fire out of it, Swatejasavishvamidam tapantam, and earlier he was describing only the effulgence, now whenever there is a source of light, that source of light gives light as well as heat, so earlier it was Durnidiksha, I can’t see it, but now I am seeing, I can feel the heat also, it’s so hot, and the whole universe is getting ablaze by it, Deeptahutashyavatram, this is the first description of the mouth, and this description of the mouth will be the focus of Arjuna’s perception later on, and that vision of the mouth will change Arjuna’s feeling from astonishment to fear, practically terror, because we will see that the mouth is consuming everything, but it’s the first hint of the mouth, so till now Arjuna has not expressed any fear, Arjuna has just given a description and he has tried to identify what is the description, the supreme lord, further he continues this, So, this, if this Viratrupa is pervading from the earth up to the sky, not only is vertically it’s pervading everything, but all directions also it is pervading, so now first time this Rupa is not just astonishing, it has become, it is fearful, it is horrifying, and what he is not saying that I have become fearful, but he is saying, oh everybody else by seeing this has become fearful, they have become fearful, troubled by it, and they describe this further, so this is the first time, now see there are two distinct aspects to the Vishwa Rupa, actually when the Vishwa Rupa is seen, within the Vishwa Rupa there is Brahmaji and Arjuna has said that there are other roles, but it is described that even when the Vishwa Rupa manifested, actually the celestial beings also saw it and the celestial beings are reacting to it, so the celestial beings are a part of it and they are also reacting to it, so let’s see what happens, Surasangha Vishanti, so in that mouth, Surasangha Vishanti, they are all entering and as they are entering, so what is happening, Kechid Bheeta, some of them being fearful are Pranjaleo Vrnanti, earlier it was said Arjuna was Kutanjali, Bhashapa, so now they are also holding their hands in fear and some other Rishis, it is not said that the Rishis are entering into the mouth, the Rishis are Swasthiti Shanti, Swasthi is another word for Shanti, let there be auspiciousness, Swasthiti Utta, Maharishi Siddha Sangha, Rishis are saying they are trying to pacify this Lord, his form is very angry, so by offering prayers they are trying to pacify him, Rudra Vityavasamoye Chasadhya, Vishveshwino Marutascho Smupascha, Gandharva Yaksha Surasiddha Sangha, Vikshante Tvambi Smitaaschai Vasarve, so he is describing various beings, Rudra, Vityasadhya, Vishveshwino Marutascho, interesting what is Ushmapa, so Ushmapa is the steam eaters, who are the steam eaters, I should say the Pitras, when water is eaten, water becomes Ushma, then they drink the Ushmapa, so they are defined by that, so it is Ushmapascha, so Madhyo Smupascha, Gandharva Yaksha Surasiddha Sangha, so all these people are saying and what is that, they are also Vishmit, Vikshante they are saying with astonishment, So from this world the transition is, what he is seeing is not, he is not only describing the effect on those people, but he is describing the effect on himself also, it’s like if we see some Tsunami, Tsunami has come and destroyed people and then the people are lamenting over there, they are devastated and then when first we meet this guy, okay this is what is happening, but then as that is happening, it will have effect on us, we will also start, terrible destruction, so this verse, this 23rd verse marks the transition where Arjuna changes from the detached description of what is happening to the effect on him of what is happening, so he says, so I am also affected by it, that form is there, other points are more or less repeated, all the worlds are bewildered and so am I bewildered, so we will continue with the next verse in the evening, thank you very much.