Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11: Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 23

|| श्रीमद्भगवद्‌ गीता  11.23 ||

Chapter 11 · Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga · Bhakti Yoga

Sanskrit verse

रूपं महत्ते बहुवक्त्रनेत्रं महाबाहो बहुबाहूरुपादम्। बहूदरं बहुदंष्ट्राकरालं दृष्ट्वा लोकाः प्रव्यथितास्तथाऽहम्।।11.23।।

Transliteration

rūpaṁ mahat te bahu-vaktra-netraṁ mahā-bāho bahu-bāhūru-pādam bahūdaraṁ bahu-danṣhṭrā-karālaṁ dṛiṣhṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitās tathāham

Word meanings

rūpam—form; mahat—magnificent; te—your; bahu—many; vaktra—mouths; netram—eyes; mahā-bāho—mighty-armed Lord; bahu—many; bāhu—arms; ūru—thighs; pādam—legs; bahu-udaram—many stomachs; bahu-danṣhṭrā—many teeth; karālam—terrifying; dṛiṣhṭvā—seeing; lokāḥ—all the worlds; pravyathitāḥ—terror-stricken; tathā—so also; aham—I

English translation

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.

Translation by Swami Sivananda

Hindi meaning

।।11.23।। हे महाबाहो! आपके बहुत मुख तथा नेत्र वाले, बहुत बाहु, उरु (जंघा) तथा पैरों वाले, बहुत-ंंसी उदरों वाले तथा बहुतसी विकराल दाढ़ों वाले महान् रूप को देखकर सब लोग व्यथित हो रहे हैं और उसी प्रकार मैं भी (व्याकुल हो रहा हूँ)।।  

Hindi rendering by Swami Tejomayananda

English meaning

Seeing Thy stupendous Form, O Most Mighty One, with its myriad faces, its innumerable eyes, limbs, and terrible jaws, I myself and all the worlds are overwhelmed with awe.

Shri Purohit Swami

O Mighty-armed One! Having seen Your mighty form, with its many faces and eyes, many arms, thighs, feet, and bellies, and its terrible array of tusks, the worlds are frightened, as am I.

Dr. S. Sankaranarayan

Detailed explanation

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.

Commentary by Swami Sivananda

Hindi commentary

।।11.23।। See commentary under 11.24

Swami Chinmayananda

।।11.23।। व्याख्या--[पन्द्रहवेंसे अठारहवें श्लोकतक विश्वरूपमें 'देव'-रूपका, उन्नीसवेंसे बाईसवें श्लोकतक 'उग्र'-रूपका और तेईसवेंसे तीसवें श्लोकतक 'अत्यन्त उग्र'-रूपका वर्णन हुआ है।]

Swami Ramsukhdas

Key teachings

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

Spiritual significance

In Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga (Yoga through Beholding the Cosmic Form of God), this verse belongs to the Gita’s teaching on bhakti yoga. Here the text presents that teaching through these words: 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.

This verse sits inside Chapter 11: Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga, part of the Gita’s Bhakti Yoga section.

Questions about this verse

What is Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 23 about?

Chapter 11, verse 23 is part of Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga. In the English translation used on this page, it says: 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.

What is the spiritual context of this verse?

It appears in Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga, a chapter associated with Bhakti Yoga. The cosmic form.