Bg11.45

TEXT 45

adṛṣṭa-pūrvaṁ hṛṣito ’smi dṛṣṭvā

bhayena ca pravyathitaṁ mano me

tad eva me darśaya deva rūpaṁ

prasīda deveśa jagan-nivāsa

adṛṣṭa-pūrvam—never seen before; hṛṣitaḥ—gladdened; asmi—I am; dṛṣṭvā—by seeing; bhayena—out of fear; ca—also; pravyathitam—perturbed; manaḥ—mind; me—mine; tat—therefore; eva—certainly; me—unto me; darśaya—show; deva—O Lord; rūpam—the form; prasīda—just be gracious; deveśa—O Lord of lords; jagat-nivāsa—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

TEXT 46

kirīṭinaṁ gadinaṁ cakra-hastam

icchāmi tvāṁ draṣṭum ahaṁ tathaiva

tenaiva rūpeṇa catur-bhujena

sahasra-bāho bhava viśva-mūrte

kirīṭinam—with helmet; gadinam—with club; cakra-hastam—disc in hand; icchāmi—I wish; tvām—You; draṣṭum—to see; aham—I; tathā eva—in that position; tena eva—by that; rūpeṇa—with form; catur-bhujena—four-handed; sahasra-bāho—O thousand-handed one; bhava—just become; viśva-mūrte—O universal form.

TRANSLATION

O universal Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your hands. I long to see You in that form.

PURPORT

TEXT 47

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

mayā prasannena tavārjunedaṁ

rūpaṁ paraṁ darśitam ātma-yogāt

tejo-mayaṁ viśvam anantam ādyaṁ

yan me tvad anyena na dṛṣṭa-pūrvam

śrī bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; mayā—by Me; prasannena—happily; tava—unto you; arjuna—O Arjuna; idam—this; rūpam—form; param—transcendental; darśitam—shown; ātma-yogāt—by My internal potency; tejomayam—full of effulgence; viśvam—the entire universe; anantam—unlimited; ādyam—original; yat me—that which is Mine; tvat-anyena—besides you; na dṛṣṭa-pūrvam—no one has previously seen.

TRANSLATION

The Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, happily do I show you this universal form within the material world by My internal potency. No one before you has ever seen this unlimited and glaringly effulgent form.

PURPORT

TEXT 48

na veda-yajñādhyayanair na dānair

na ca kriyābhir na tapobhir ugraiḥ

evaṁ-rūpaḥ śakya ahaṁ nṛ-loke

draṣṭuṁ tvad anyena kuru-pravīra

na—never; veda—Vedic study; yajña—sacrifice; adhyayanaiḥ—studying; na dānaiḥ—by charity; na—never; ca—also; kriyābhiḥ—by pious activities; na tapobhiḥ—by serious penances; ugraiḥ—severe; evam—thus; rūpaḥ—form; śakyaḥ—can be seen; aham—I; nṛloke—in this material world; draṣṭum—to see; tvat—you; anyena—by another; kuru-pravīra—O best among the Kuru warriors.

TRANSLATION

O best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever seen this universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by performing sacrifices, nor by charities or similar activities can this form be seen. Only you have seen this.

PURPORT

The divine vision in this connection should be clearly understood. Who can have divine vision? Divine means godly. Unless one attains the status of divinity as a demigod, he cannot have divine vision. And what is a demigod? It is stated in the Vedic scriptures that those who are devotees of Lord Viṣṇu are demigods. Those who are atheistic, i.e., who do not believe in Viṣṇu, or who only recognize the impersonal part of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme, cannot have the divine vision. It is not possible to decry Kṛṣṇa and at the same time have the divine vision. One cannot have the divine vision without becoming divine. In other words, those who have divine vision can also see like Arjuna.

The Bhagavad-gītā gives the description of the universal form, and this description was unknown to everyone before Arjuna. Now one can have some idea of the viśva-rūpa after this incidence; those who are actually divine can see the universal form of the Lord. But one cannot be divine without being a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. The devotees, however, who are actually in the divine nature and who have divine vision, are not very much interested to see the universal form of the Lord. As described in the previous verse, Arjuna desired to see the four-handed form of Lord Kṛṣṇa as Viṣṇu, and he was actually afraid of the universal form.

In this verse there are some significant words, just like veda-yajñādhya-yanaiḥ, which refers to studying Vedic literature and the subject matter of sacrificial regulations. Veda refers to all kinds of Vedic literature, namely the four Vedas (Ṛk, Yajus, Sāma and Atharva) and the eighteen Purāṇas and Upaniṣads, and Vedānta-sūtra. One can study these at home or anywhere else. Similarly, there are sūtras, Kalpa-sūtras and Mīmāṁsā-sūtras, for studying the method of sacrifice. Dānaiḥ refers to charity which is offered to a suitable party. such as those who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the brāhmaṇas and the Vaiṣṇavas. Similarly, pious activities refer to the agni-hotra, etc., the prescribed duties of the different castes. Pious activities and the voluntary acceptance of some bodily pains are called tapasya. So one can perform all these, can accept bodily penances, give charity, study the Vedas, etc., but unless he is a devotee like Arjuna, it is not possible to see that universal form. Those who are impersonalists are also imagining that they are seeing the universal form of the Lord, but from Bhagavad-gītā we understand that the impersonalists are not devotees. Therefore they are unable to see the universal form of the Lord.

TEXT 49

mā te vyathā mā ca vimūḍha-bhāvo

dṛṣṭvā rūpaṁ ghoram īdṛṅ mamedam

vyapeta-bhīḥ prīta-manāḥ punas tvaṁ

tad eva me rūpam idaṁ prapaśya

mā—let it not be; te—unto you; vyathā—trouble; mā—let it not be; ca—also; vimūḍha-bhāvaḥ—bewilderment; dṛṣṭvā—by seeing; rūpam—form; ghoram—horrible; īdṛk—like this; mama—My; idam—as it is; vyapetabhīḥ—just become free from all fear; prīta-manāḥ—be pleased in mind; punaḥ—again; tvam—you; tat—that; eva—thus; me—My; rūpam—form; idam—this; prapaśya—just see.

TRANSLATION

Your mind has been perturbed upon seeing this horrible feature of Mine. Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free from all disturbance. With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you desire.

PURPORT

TEXT 50

sañjaya uvāca

ity arjunaṁ vāsudevas tathoktvā

svakaṁ rūpaṁ darśayām āsa bhūyaḥ

āśvāsayām āsa ca bhītam enaṁ

bhūtvā punaḥ saumya-vapur mahātmā

sañjayaḥ uvāca—Sañjaya said; iti—thus; arjunam—unto Arjuna; vāsudevaḥ—Kṛṣṇa; tathā—that way; uktvā—saying; svakam—His own; rūpam—form; darśayāmāsa—showed; bhūyaḥ—again; āśvāsayāmāsa—also convinced him; ca—also; bhītam—fearful; enam—him; bhūtvā punaḥ—becoming again; saumya-vapuḥ—beautiful form; mahātmā—the great one.

TRANSLATION

Sañjaya said to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, while speaking thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed form, and at last He showed him His two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful Arjuna.

PURPORT

TEXT 51

arjuna uvāca

dṛṣṭvedaṁ mānuṣaṁ rūpaṁ

tava saumyaṁ janārdana

idānīm asmi saṁvṛttaḥ

sa-cetāḥ prakṛtiṁ gataḥ

arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; idam—this; mānuṣam—human being; rūpam—form; tava—Your; saumyam—very beautiful; janārdana—O chastiser of the enemies; idānīm—just now; asmi—I am; saṁvṛttaḥ—settled; sa-cetāḥ—in my consciousness; prakṛtim—my own; gataḥ—I am.

TRANSLATION

When Arjuna thus saw Kṛṣṇa in His original form, he said: Seeing this humanlike form, so very beautiful, my mind is now pacified, and I am restored to my original nature.

PURPORT

TEXT 52

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

su-durdarśam idaṁ rūpaṁ

dṛṣṭavān asi yan mama

devā apy asya rūpasya

nityaṁ darśana-kāṅkṣiṇaḥ

śrī bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; sudur-darśana- very difficult to be seen; idam—this; rūpam—form; dṛṣṭavān asi—as you have seen; yat—which; mama—of Mine; devāḥ—the demigods; api asya—also this; rūpasya—of the form; nityam—eternally; darśana-kāṅkṣiṇaḥ—always aspire to see.

TRANSLATION

The Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, the form which you are now seeing is very difficult to behold. Even the demigods are ever seeking the opportunity to see this form which is so dear.

PURPORT

In the forty-eighth verse of this chapter Lord Kṛṣṇa concluded revealing His universal form and informed Arjuna that this form is not possible to be seen by so many activities, sacrifices, etc. Now here the word sudurdarśam is used, indicating that Kṛṣṇa’s two-handed form is still more confidential. One may be able to see the universal form of Kṛṣṇa by adding a little tinge of devotional service to various activities like penance, Vedic study and philosophical speculation, etc. It may be possible, but without a tinge of bhakti, one cannot see; that has already been explained. Still, beyond that universal form, the form of Kṛṣṇa as a two-handed man is still more difficult to see, even for demigods like Brahmā and Lord Śiva. They desire to see Him, and we have evidences in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that when He was supposed to be in the womb of His mother, Devakī, all the demigods from heaven came to see the marvel of Kṛṣṇa. They even waited to see Him. A foolish person may deride Him, but that is an ordinary person. Kṛṣṇa is actually desired to be seen by demigods like Brahmā and Śiva in His two-armed form.

TEXT 53

nāhaṁ vedair na tapasā

na dānena na cejyayā

śakya evaṁ-vidho draṣṭuṁ

dṛṣṭavān asi māṁ yathā

na—never; aham—I; vedaiḥ—by study of the Vedas; na—never; tapasā—by serious penances; na—never; dānena—by charity; na—never; ca—also; ijyayā—by worship; śakyaḥ—is it possible; evam-vidhaḥ—like this; draṣṭum—to see; dṛṣṭavān—seeing; asi—you are; mām—Me; yathā—as.

TRANSLATION

The form which you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means that one can see Me as I am.

PURPORT

TEXT 54

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya

aham evaṁ-vidho ’rjuna

jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena

praveṣṭuṁ ca parantapa

bhaktyā—by devotional service; tu—but; ananyayā—without being mixed with fruitive activities or speculative knowledge; śakyaḥ—possible; aham—I; evam-vidhaḥ—like this; arjuna—O Arjuna; jñātum—to know; draṣṭum—to see; tattvena—in fact; praveṣṭum—and to enter into; ca—also; parantapa—O mighty-armed one.

TRANSLATION

My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.

PURPORT

Kṛṣṇa can be understood only by the process of undivided devotional service. He explicitly explains this in this verse so unauthorized commentators, who try to understand Bhagavad-gītā by the speculative process, will know that they are simply wasting their time. No one can understand Kṛṣṇa or how He came from parents in a four-handed form and at once changed Himself into a two-handed form. It is clearly stated here that no one can see Him. Those who, however, are very experienced students of Vedic literature can learn about Him from the Vedic literature in so many ways. There are so many rules and regulations, and if one at all wants to understand Kṛṣṇa, he must follow the regulative principles described in the authoritative literature. One can perform penance in accordance with those principles. As far as charity is concerned, it is plain that charity should be given to the devotees of Kṛṣṇa who are engaged in His devotional service to spread the Kṛṣṇa philosophy or Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a benediction to humanity. Lord Caitanya was appreciated by Rūpa Gosvāmī as the most munificent man of charity because love of Kṛṣṇa, which is very difficult to achieve, was distributed freely by Him. And if one worships as prescribed in the temple (in the temples in India there is always some statue, usually of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa), that is a chance to progress. For the beginners in devotional service to the Lord, temple worship is very essential, and this is confirmed in the Vedic literature.

One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Lord and is directed by the spiritual master can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revelation. For one who does not take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Kṛṣṇa. The word tu is specifically used here to indicate that no other process can be used, can be recommended, or can be successful in understanding Kṛṣṇa.

The personal forms of Kṛṣṇa, the two-handed form and the four-handed, are completely different from the temporary universal form shown to Arjuna. The four-handed form is Nārāyaṇa, and the two-handed form is Kṛṣṇa; they are eternal and transcendental, whereas the universal form exhibited to Arjuna is temporary. The very word sudurdarśam, meaning difficult to see, suggests that no one saw that universal form. It also suggests that amongst the devotees there was no necessity of showing it. That form was exhibited by Kṛṣṇa at the request of Arjuna because in the future, when one represents himself as an incarnation of God, people can ask to see his universal form.

Kṛṣṇa changes from the universal form to the four-handed form of Nārāyaṇa and then to His own natural form of two hands. This indicates that the four-handed forms and other forms mentioned in Vedic literature are all emanations of the original two-handed Kṛṣṇa. He is the origin of all emanations. Kṛṣṇa is distinct even from these forms, not to speak of the impersonal conception. As far as the four-handed forms of Kṛṣṇa are concerned, it is stated clearly that even the most identical four-handed form of Kṛṣṇa (which is known as Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is lying on the cosmic ocean and from whose breathing so many innumerable universes are passing out and entering) is also an expansion of the Supreme Lord. Therefore one should conclusively worship the personal form of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is eternity, bliss and knowledge. He is the source of all forms of Viṣṇu, He is the source of all forms of incarnation, and He is the original Supreme Personality, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā.

In the Vedic literature it is stated that the Supreme Absolute Truth is a person. His name is Kṛṣṇa, and He sometimes descends on this earth. Similarly, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a description of all kinds of incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and there it is said that Kṛṣṇa is not an incarnation of God but is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Similarly, in Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says, mattaḥ parataram nānyāt: “There is nothing superior to My form as the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa.” He also says elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā, aham ādir hi devānām: “I am the origin of all the demigods.” And after understanding Bhagavad-gītā from Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna also confirms this in the following words: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: “I now fully understand that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, and that You are the refuge of everything.” Therefore the universal form which Kṛṣṇa showed to Arjuna is not the original form of God. The original is the Kṛṣṇa form. The universal form, with its thousands and thousands of heads and hands, is manifest just to draw the attention of those who have no love for God. It is not God’s original form.

TEXT 55

mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo

mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ

nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu

yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

mat-karma-kṛt—engaged in doing My work; mat-paramaḥ—concerning Me, the Supreme; mat-bhaktaḥ—engaged in My devotional service; saṅga-varjitaḥ—freed from the contamination of previous activities and mental speculation; nirvairaḥ—without an enemy; sarva-bhūteṣu—to every living entity; yaḥ—one who; saḥ—he; mām—unto Me; eti—comes; pāṇḍava—O son of Pāṇḍu.

TRANSLATION

My dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of previous activities and from mental speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes to Me.

PURPORT

Anyone who wants to approach the Supreme of all the Personalities of Godhead, on the Kṛṣṇaloka planet in the spiritual sky, and be intimately connected with the Supreme Personality, Kṛṣṇa, must take this formula, as is stated by the Supreme Himself. Therefore, this verse is considered to be the essence of Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā is a book directed to the conditioned souls, who are engaged in the material world with the purpose of lording it over nature and who do not know of the real, spiritual life. The Bhagavad-gītā is meant to show how one can understand his spiritual existence and his eternal relationship with the Supreme Spiritual Personality and to teach one how to go back home, back to Godhead. Now here is the verse which clearly explains the process by which one can attain success in his spiritual activity: devotional service. As far as work is concerned, one should transfer his energy entirely to Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. No work should be done by any man except in relationship to Kṛṣṇa. This called Kṛṣṇa-karma. One may be engaged in various activities, but one should not be attached to the result of his work, but the result should be done for Him. For example, one may be engaged in business, but to transform that activity into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has to do business for Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the business, then Kṛṣṇa should enjoy the profit of the business. If a businessman is in possession of thousands and thousands of dollars, and if he has to offer all this to Kṛṣṇa, he can do it. This is work for Kṛṣṇa. Instead of constructing a big building for his sense gratification, he can construct a nice temple for Kṛṣṇa, and he can install the Deity of Kṛṣṇa and arrange for the Deity’s service, as is outlined in the authorized books of devotional service. This is all Kṛṣṇa-karma. One should not be attached to the result of his work, but the result should be offered to Kṛṣṇa. One should also accept as prasādam, food, the remnants of offerings to Kṛṣṇa. If, however, one is not able to construct a temple for Kṛṣṇa, one can engage himself in cleansing the temple of Kṛṣṇa; that is also Kṛṣṇa-karma. One can cultivate a garden. Anyone who has land—in India, at least, any poor man has a certain amount of land—can utilize that for Kṛṣṇa by growing flowers to offer Him. He can sow tulasī plants because tulasī leaves are very important, and Kṛṣṇa has recommended this in Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa desires that one offer Him either a leaf, or a flower, or a little water—and He is satisfied. This leaf especially refers to the tulasī So one can sow tulasī leaves and pour water on the plant. Thus, even the poorest man can engage in the service of Kṛṣṇa. These are some of the examples of how one can engage in working for Kṛṣṇa.

The word mat-paramaḥ refers to one who considers the association of Kṛṣṇa in His supreme abode to be the highest perfection of life. Such a person does not wish to be elevated to the higher planets such as the moon or sun or heavenly planets, or even the highest planet of this universe, Brahmaloka. He has no attraction for that. He is only attracted to being transferred to the spiritual sky. And even in the spiritual sky he is not satisfied with merging into the glowing brahmajyoti effulgence, for he wants to enter the highest spiritual planet, namely Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana. He has full knowledge of that planet, and therefore he is not interested in any other. As indicated by the word mad-bhaktaḥ, he fully engages in devotional service, specifically in the nine processes of devotional engagement: hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering prayers, carrying out the orders of the Lord, making friends with Him, and surrendering everything to Him. One can engage in all nine devotional processes, or eight, or seven, or at least in one, and that will surely make one perfect.

The term saṅga-varjitaḥ is very significant. One should disassociate himself from persons who are against Kṛṣṇa. Not only are the atheistic persons against Kṛṣṇa, but also those who are attracted to fruitive activities and mental speculation. Therefore the pure form of devotional service is described in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu as follows: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. In this verse Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī clearly states that if anyone wants to execute unalloyed devotional service, he must be freed from all kinds of material contamination. He must be freed from the association of persons who are addicted to fruitive activities and mental speculation. When, freed from such unwanted association and from the contamination of material desires, one favorably cultivates knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, that is called pure devotional service. Ānukūlyasya saṅkaplaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam. One should think of Kṛṣṇa and act for Kṛṣṇa favorably, not unfavorably. Kaṁsa was an enemy of Kṛṣṇa’s. From the very beginning of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, he planned in so many ways to kill Him, and because he was always unsuccessful, he was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Thus while working, while eating and while sleeping, he was always Kṛṣṇa conscious in every respect, but that Kṛṣṇa consciousness was not favorable, and therefore in spite of his always thinking of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, he was considered a demon, and Kṛṣṇa at last killed him. Of course anyone who is killed by Kṛṣṇa attains salvation immediately, but that is not the aim of the pure devotee. The pure devotee does not even want salvation. He does not want to be transferred even to the highest planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana. His only objective is to serve Kṛṣṇa wherever he may be.

A devotee of Kṛṣṇa is friendly to everyone. Therefore it is said here that he has no enemy. How is this? A devotee situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness knows that only devotional service to Kṛṣṇa can relieve a person from all the problems of life. He has personal experience of this, and therefore he wants to introduce this system, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, into human society. There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord risking their lives for the spreading of God consciousness. The favorite example is Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified by the nondevotees, but He sacrificed His life for spreading God consciousness. Of course, it would be superficial to understand that He was killed. Similarly, in India also there are many examples, such as Ṭhākur Haridāsa. Why such risk? Because they wanted to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is difficult. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person knows that if a man is suffering, it is due to his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the highest benefit one can render to human society is relieving one’s neighbor from all material problems. In such a way, a pure devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord. Now, we can imagine how merciful Kṛṣṇa is to those engaged in His service, risking everything for Him. Therefore it is certain that such persons must reach the supreme planet after leaving the body.

In summary, the universal form of Kṛṣṇa, which is a temporary manifestation, and the form of time which devours everything, and even the form of Viṣṇu, four-handed, have all been exhibited by Kṛṣṇa. Thus Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all these manifestations. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is a manifestation of the original viśva-rūpa, or Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all forms. There are hundreds and thousands of Viṣṇus, but for a devotee, no form of Kṛṣṇa is important but the original form, two-handed Śyāmasundara. In the Brahmā-saṁhitā it is stated that those who are attached to the Śyāmasundara form of Kṛṣṇa in love and devotion can see Him always within the heart and cannot see anything else. One should understand, therefore, that the purport of this Eleventh Chapter is that the form of Kṛṣṇa is essential and supreme.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Eleventh Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā in the matter of the Universal Form.

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