Yoga through Beholding the Cosmic Form of God

Arjuna said, By this explanation of the highest secret concerning the Self which Thou hast spoken, for the sake of blessing me, my delusion has been dispelled.

After hearing the glories of the Lord, Arjuna has an intense longing to have the wonderful vision of the Cosmic Form with his own eyes. His bewilderment and delusion have now vanished.Adhyatma That which treats of the…

The origin and destruction of beings have been heard in detail from You, O lotus-eyed Lord, and also Your inexhaustible greatness.

Kamalapatraksha Lotuseyed or having eyes like lotuspetals. Kamalapatra also means knowledge of the Self. He who can be obtained by knowledge of the Self is Kamalapatraksha.

Now, O Supreme Lord, as Thou hast thus described Thyself, O Supreme Person, I wish to behold Thy divine form.

Some commentators take the two halves of this verse as two independent sentences and interpret it thusSo it is, O Supreme Lord, as Thou hast declared Thyself to be. (But still) I desire to see Thy form as Isvara, O…

If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for me to see it, do Thou, then, O Lord of the Yogis, show me Thy imperishable Self.

Arjuna is very keen and eager to see the Cosmic Form of the Lord. He prays to Him to grant him the vision. This supreme vision can be obtained only through His grace.Yogesvara also means the Lord of Yoga. A Yogi is one…

The Blessed Lord said, "Behold, O Arjuna, forms of Mine, by the hundreds and thousands, of different sorts, divine, and of various colors and shapes."

Divyani Divine supernatural.Satasah, Sahasrasah By the hundreds and thousands -- countless.O Arjuna, I want you to behold the Cosmic Form. All beings and entities are there. The fat and the lean, the short and the tall,…

Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Asvins, and the Maruts; behold many wonders never before seen, O Arjuna.

Adityas, Vasus, Rudras and Maruts have already been described in the previous chapter.Not these alone Behold also many other wonders never seen before by you or anybody else in this world.

Now, behold, O Arjuna, in this My body, the entire universe centered in one, including the moving and the unmoving, and whatever else you desire to see.

Anyat Other whatever else. Your success or defeat in the war, about which you,have entertained a doubt. (Cf.II.6)

But you are not able to behold Me with these your own eyes; I give you the divine eye; behold My lordly Yoga.

No fleshly eyes can behold Me in My Cosmic Form. One can see It through the divine eye or the eye of intuition. It should not be confused with seeing through the eye or the mind. It is an inner experience.Lord Krishna…

Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken, O king, the great Lord of Yoga, Hari (Krishna), showed Arjuna His supreme form as the Lord.

King This verse is addressed by Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra.Supreme Form The Cosmic Form.

With numerous mouths and eyes, with numerous wondrous sights, with numerous divine adornments, with numerous divine weapons uplifted, such a form He showed.

Countless faces appeared there. Arjuna looked at this Cosmic Form in all its magnificence. He saw the Lord everywhere and in everything. The whole manifestation appeared as one gigantic body of the Lord. He saw the Lord…

Wearing divine garlands and apparel, anointed with divine unguents, the all-wonderful, resplendent Being is endless with faces on all sides.

If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blaze out simultaneously in the sky, that would be the splendour of that mighty being.

Divi here means in the Antariksha or the sky.Mahatma here refers to the great Soul or the mighty Being, the Cosmic Form.

There, in the body of the God of gods, Arjuna then saw the entire universe resting in one, with its myriad of divisions.

Tatra There -- in the Cosmic Form.Anekadha Many groups -- gods, manes, men and other species of beings.Arjuna beheld all forms as the forms of the Lord, all heads as His heads, all eyes as His eyes, all hands as His…

Then, Arjuna, filled with wonder and his hair standing on end, bowed his head to the God and spoke with palms joined.

Tatah Then, having seen the Cosmic Form.Arjuna joined his palms in order to do prostration to the Cosmic Form. The great hero had attained true humility which the bowed head and joined palms represented, and which is the…

Arjuna said, "O God, I see all the gods in Your body, as well as hosts of various classes of beings, Brahma the Lord seated on the lotus, all the sages, and the celestial serpents."

Arjuna describes his own experience of the Cosmic Form in this and the following verses, 15 to 31.Bhutaviseshasanghan Hosts of various classes of beings, both animate and inanimate. These numerous entities are in Thy…

I see You with boundless form on every side, with many arms, stomachs, mouths, and eyes; neither the end nor the middle nor the beginning do I see, O Lord of the Universe, O Cosmic Form.

A thing that is limited by space and time has a begining, a middle and an end, but the Lord is omnipresent and eternal. He exists in the three periods of time -- past, present and future, but is not limited by time and…

I see You with the diadem, club, and discus, a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very hard to look at, blazing all around like a burning fire and the sun, and immeasurable.

Kiritam is a special ornament for the head, the crown.Arjuna had worshipped the Lord as having a crown, club and discus and the Lord showed him the same form now. He is in all forms and He is beyond all forms as the…

You are the Imperishable, the Supreme Being, worthy of being known. You are the great treasure-house of this universe; You are the imperishable protector of the eternal Dharma; You are the Primal Person, I believe.

VisvasyaNidhaanam Treasurehouse of this universe, also means abode or refuge or the substratum of this universe. It is because of this that all the beings in the universe are preserved and protected. He is the…

I see You without beginning, middle, or end, infinite in power, with endless arms, the sun and moon as Your eyes, the burning fire Your mouth, heating the entire universe with Your radiance.

Anantabahu Having endless arms. This denotes that the multiplicity of His limbs are endless.

This space between the earth and the heavens, and all the quarters, is filled by You alone; having seen this, Your wonderful and terrible form, the three worlds are trembling with fear, O great-souled Being.

Thee In Thy Cosmic Form.The space and the quarters This denotes that the Lord has filled the whole universe of animate and inanimate objects.In order to remove the doubt entertained by Arjuna as to his success (Cf.II.6)…

Verily, these hosts of gods enter into Thee; some extol Thee with joined palms in fear, saying, 'May it be well!' Bands of great sages and perfected ones praise Thee with complete hymns.

Pushkalabhih means complete or wellworded praises or praises full of deep meanings.Great sages like Narada and perfected ones like Kapila praise Thee with inspiring hymns.

The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Visvedevas, the two Asvins, Maruts, the Manus, and the hosts of celestial singers, Yakshas, demons, and the perfected ones, all look upon Thee with great amazement.

Sadhyas are a class of gods of whom Brahma is the chief.Visvedevas are ten gods who in Vedic times were considered as protectors of human beings. They were called guardians of the world. They were givers of plenty to the…

Having seen Your immeasurable form with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed one, with many arms, thighs, and feet, with many stomachs and fearsome with many teeth, the worlds are terrified, and so am I.

Lokah The worlds -- all living beings in the world. Here is the cause of my fear. Arjuna describes below the nature of the Cosmic Form which has caused terror in his heart.

On seeing Thee, touching the sky, shining in many colors, with mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart and find neither courage nor peace, O Vishnu.

Dhriti also means patience and strength. Sama also means control.The vision of the Cosmic Form has frightened Arjuna considerably.

Having seen Thy mouths fearful with teeth blazing like the fires of cosmic dissolution, I know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace. Have mercy, O Lord of the gods, O abode of the universe.

Jagannivasa The substratum of the universe.Kalanala The fires which consume the worlds during the final dissolution of the worlds (Pralaya). Time (Kala) is the consumer of all that is manifest.Diso no jane I do not know…

All the sons of Dhritarashtra, along with the hosts of kings of the earth, Bhishma, Drona, and Karna, as well as the chief among our warriors.

Karna, though he was the son of Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, was brought up by a charioteer and hence came to be regarded as his son.

Some hurry into Your mouths with their terrible teeth, fearful to behold. Some are found stuck in the gaps between the teeth, their heads crushed to powder.

How do they enter into the mouth Arjuna continues

Verily, just as many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean, so too these heroes in the world of men enter Thy flaming mouths.

Ami These warriors such as Bhishma. Arjuna is now seeing all these warriors,whom he did not wish to kill, rushing to death. His delusion has vanished. He thinks now This battle cannot be avoided. It has the sanction of…

As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing fire, leading to their own destruction, so too these creatures hurry into Your mouths, leading to their own destruction.

Thou lickest up, devouring all the worlds on every side with Thy flaming mouths. Thy fierce rays, filling the whole world with radiance, burn, O Vishnu!

Vishnu means allpervading, Vyapanasila.

Tell me, who you are, so fierce of form. I offer my salutations to you, O God Supreme; have mercy on me. I desire to know you, the original Being. I do not indeed know your workings.

The Blessed Lord said, "I am the full-grown, world-destroying Time, now engaged in destroying the worlds. Even without you, none of the warriors arrayed in the hostile armies will live."

Even without thee Even if thou, O Arjuna, wouldst not fight, these warriors are doomed to die under My dispensation. I am the alldestroying Time. I have already slain them. You have seen them dying. Therefore thy…

Therefore, stand up and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unparalleled kingdom. Verily, by Me they have already been slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna.

Be thou merely an apparent or nominal cause. I have already killed them in advance. I have destroyed them long ago.Fame People will think that Bhishma, Drona and the other great warriors whom even the gods cannot kill…

Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other brave warriors have already been slain by Me; do not be distressed with fear; fight and you shall conquer your enemies in battle.

Already slain by Me Therefore, O Arjuna, you need not be afraid of incurring sin by killing them.Drona had celestial weapons. He was Arjuna's teacher in the science of archery. He was Arjuna's beloved and greatest Guru.…

Sanjaya said, Having heard that speech of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, with joined palms, trembling, prostrated himself, again addressing Krishna in a choked voice, bowing down, overwhelmed with fear.

When anyone is in a state of extreme terror or joy he sheds tears on account of pain or exhilaration of spirits. Then his throat is choked and he stammers or speaks indistinctly or in a dull, choked voice. Arjuna was…

Arjuna said, "It is fitting, O Krishna, that the world delights and rejoices in Your praise; demons fly in fear in all directions and the hosts of the perfected ones bow to You."

Praise description of the glory of the Lord. The Lord is the object worthy of adortion, love and delight, because He is the Self and friend of all beings.The Lord is the object of adoration, love and delight for the…

And why should they not, O great Soul, bow to Thee Who art greater than all else, the primal cause even of the Creator (Brahma), O Infinite Being, O Lord of the gods, O Abode of the universe; Thou art the imperishable, the Being, the non-being, and That which is supreme—that which is beyond the Being and the non-being.

The Lord is Mahatma. He is greater than all else. He is the imperishable. So He is the proper object of worship, love and delight.That which exists in the three periods of time is Sat. Brahman is Sat. That which does not…

You are the primal God, the ancient Purusha, the supreme refuge of this universe, the knower, the knowable, and the supreme Abode. Through You, the universe is pervaded, O Being of infinite forms.

Primal God, because the Lord is the creator of the universe.Purusha, because the Lord lies in the body (Puri Sayanat).Nidhaanam That in which the world rests during the great deluge or cosmic dissolution.The pot comes…

You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the Creator, and the great-grandfather. I offer my salutations to You a thousand times, and again I offer my salutations to You.

Prajapati Marichi and others were the seven mindborn sons of Brahma. Kasyapa descended from Marichi and from Kasyapa came all other progeny. Therefore, Marichi, Kasyapa and others are known as Prajapatis or the gods or…

Salutations to You in front and behind! Salutations to You on every side! O All! You, infinite in power and prowess, pervade all; therefore You are all.

The words I prostrate myself before Thee, behind Thee and on every side indicate the allpervading nature of the Lord. How can the allpervading Self have front and back Finite objects only have front and back sides Arjuna…

Whatever I have presumptuously said from carelessness or love, addressing You as O Krishna! O Yadava! O Friend! regarding You merely as a friend, unknowing of Your greatness.

Although Kṛṣṇa is manifested before Arjuna in His universal form, Arjuna remembers his friendly relationship with Kṛṣṇa and is therefore asking pardon and requesting Kṛṣṇa to excuse him for the many informal gestures…

In whatever way I may have insulted You for the sake of fun, while at play, reposing, sitting, or at meals, when alone (with You), O Krishna, or in company, that I implore You, immeasurable one, to forgive.

Arjuna, beholding the Cosmic Form of Lord Krishna, seeks forgiveness for his past familiar conduct. He says, I have been stupid. I have treated Thee with familiarity, not knowing Thy greatness. I have taken Thee as my…

Thou art the Father of this world, both moving and unmoving. Thou art to be adored by this world; Thou, the greatest Guru; for none exists who is equal to Thee; how then could there be another superior to Thee in the three worlds, O Being of unrivaled power?

There exists none who is eal to Thee There cannot be two or more Isvaras. If there were, the world will not get on as it does now. All the Isvaras may not be of one mind, as they would all be independent of one another.…

Therefore, bowing down and prostrating my body, I crave Thy forgiveness, O adorable Lord. As a father forgives his son, a friend his dear friend, a lover his beloved, even so may Thou forgive me, O God.

O Lord, take me to Thy bosom as a mother does her child. Forgive me for all tht I have hitherto spoken or done. Forgive my faults. Please overlook my past mistakes. I have done this through ignorance. Now I have come to…

I am delighted, having seen something never seen before; yet my mind is distressed with fear. Show me that form only, O God; have mercy, O God of gods, O Abode of the universe.

For an ordinary man the Cosmic Form (Vision) is overwhelming and terrifying but for a Yogi it is encouraging, strengthening and soulelevating.Arjuna says The Cosmic Form was never before seen by me. Show me only that…

I desire to see You as before, crowned, bearing a mace, with the discus in hand, in Your former form only, having four arms, O thousand-armed, Cosmic Being.

Arjuna says O Lord in the Cosmic Form I do not know where to turn and to whom to address myself. I am frightened. I am longing to see Thee with conch, discus, mace and lotus. Withdraw Thy Cosmic Form. Assume that same…

The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, this Cosmic Form has graciously been shown to you by Me through My own Yogic power. It is full of splendour, primeval, and infinite; this Cosmic Form of Mine has never been seen before by anyone other than you."

Lord Krishna eulogises the Cosmic Form because Arjuna should be regarded to have achieved all his ends by seeing this Cosmic Form.It is also an inducement to all spiritual aspirants to strive to attain this sublime…

Neither by the study of the Vedas, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifices, nor by severe austerities, can I be seen in this form in the world of men by any other than yourself, O great hero of the Kurus (Arjuna).

Do not be afraid, nor be bewildered on seeing such a terrible form of Mine; with your fear dispelled and with a gladdened heart, now behold again this former form of Mine.

Former form is the form with four hands with conch, discus, club or mace and lotus.The Lord was Arjuna in a state of terror. Therefore, He withdrew the Cosmic Form and assumed His usual gentle form. He consoled Arjuna…

Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken to Arjuna, Krishna again showed His own form. The great Soul, assuming His gentle form, then consoled Arjuna, who was terrified.

His own form His form as the son of Vasudeva.

Arjuna said, "Having seen this Thy gentle human form, O Krishna, now I am composed and have been restored to my own nature."

Arjuna says to Lord Krishna O Lord, I now behold Thy human form. Now my thoughts are collected and I am serene. I can speak. My senses perform their proper functions. My fear has vanished. Thou hast treated me as a…

The Blessed Lord said, "It is very hard indeed to see this form of Mine which thou hast seen; even the gods are ever longing to behold it."

Lord Krishna says to Arjuna Though the gods long to behold the Cosmic Form yet they have not seen it as you have done. THey can never behold it.Just as the Chataka (a bird) longs for a drop of rain, eagerly turning its…

Neither by the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gift, nor by sacrifice can I be seen in this form as thou hast seen Me so easily.

This Cosmic Form which thou hast seen so easily cannot be obtained either by the study of the Vedas and the six modes of philosophy, nor by the practice of manifold austerities (penances), nor by charity, nor by…

But by single-minded devotion, I can be known, seen, and entered into in reality, O Arjuna.

Devotion is the sole means to the realisation of the Cosmic Form.AnanyaBhakti Singleminded devotion. Onepointed unbroken devotion the devotion which does not seek any other object but the Lord alone. In this type of…

He who does all actions for Me, who regards Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears no enmity towards any creature, he comes to Me, O Arjuna.

This is the essence of the whole teaching of the Gita. He who practises this teaching will attain Supreme Bliss and Immortality. This verse contains the summary of the entire philosophy of the Gita.He who performs…