From previous chapters, we have been witnessing the unfolding of the cosmic form of the eternal Parabrahman. We have seen his presence in every single creation in the universe (macro) and manifesting as our senses and indriya (micro). He pervades the entire universe or in other words, the universe is a small reflection of uncomprehensible form.
Arjuna, who has the best seat in the entire situation, pleads to Sri Krishna that he wishes to see the rare cosmic form of his.
एवमेतद्यथात्थ त्वमात्मानं परमेश्वर ।
द्रष्टुमिच्छामि ते रूपमैश्वरं पुरुषोत्तम ॥ 11.3॥
O Supreme Lord, You are precisely what You declare yourself to be. Now I desire to see Your divine cosmic form, O Greatest of persons.
The Vishwaroopa of Sri Krishna / Maha Vishnu is so rare that we focus on the same even at the onset of Vishnu Sahasranama : श्रीविश्वरूप इति ध्यानम् ।
Sri Krishna takes benevolence on his friend and starts to show his enormous form that comprises of various shapes, sizes, colours, 12 Adityas, 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras, Ashwini Kumaras, 49 Maruts and the entire universe comprising of all moving and non-moving objects (11.5 - 11.7)
इहैकस्थं जगत्कृत्स्नं पश्याद्य सचराचरम् ।
मम देहे गुडाकेश यच्चान्यद्द्रष्टुमिच्छसि ॥ 11.7॥
Behold now, Arjun, the entire universe, with everything moving and non-moving, assembled together in My universal form. Whatever else you wish to see, observe it all within this universal form.
It is not surprising that Vishnu Sahasranama has a name describing this colossal form of Sri Krishna.
अनन्तरूपोऽनन्त श्रीर्जितमन्युर्भयापहः || VSN.100 ||
Anantarupa = One who has innumerable forms, dwelling in all-comprehending universe
Sri Krishna clarifies that his form can’t be comprehended by natural vision and requires a divine vision for the same. He blesses Arjuna with the divine vision to view the unravelling Gigantic form of Sri Krishna.
न तु मां शक्यसे द्रष्टुमनेनैव स्वचक्षुषा ।
दिव्यं ददामि ते चक्षु: पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् ॥ 11.8॥
But you cannot see My cosmic form with these physical eyes of yours. Therefore, I grant you divine vision. Behold My majestic opulence!
From this point onwards, we are witness to the sublime, limitless, forever expanding form of the Parabrahman through the words of Sanjaya. It is Sanjaya’s commentary to Dhritarashtra that leads us to comprehend the cosmic form of the parabrahman i.e. Vishwaroopa
Arjuna starts to have a hair-raising experience of a form that has no beginning or end, with countless arms, faces, stomachs, eyes, universes. In one of the verses, Arjuna describes the cosmic form in the best way which is relevant across time.
त्वमक्षरं परमं वेदितव्यं त्वमस्य विश्वस्य परं निधानम् ।
त्वमव्यय: शाश्वतधर्मगोप्ता सनातनस्त्वं पुरुषो मतो मे ॥ 11.18॥
I recognize You as the supreme imperishable being, the Ultimate Truth to be known by the scriptures. You are the support of all creation; You are the eternal protector of Sanātan Dharma (the Eternal Religion); and You are the everlasting Supreme Divine Personality.
Sri Krishna is the eternal protector of Santana Dharma. In the modern age, this becomes a very important verse for our belief, psyche is shattered with instigations that crowd our mind every nanosecond in the form of notifications. Sri Krishna’s teachings if taken appropriately advises us to focus on Bhakti and keep our belief intact for he is overseeing his creation and will take care to reestablish Dharma as he had earlier claimed in Chapter 4 also.
At one point of time, Arjuna starts to tremble with fear and literally begs Sri Krishna to come back to his normal form. We can only imagine the fear that Arjuna would have gone through. While we read and imagine such a being, watching this closely as a multi-dimensional space with gut wrenching visuals, perhaps Arjuna being the mighty warrior that he was, was the only one who could stomach the same.
नभ:स्पृशं दीप्तमनेकवर्णं
व्यात्ताननं दीप्तविशालनेत्रम् ।
दृष्ट्वा हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा
धृतिं न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो ॥ 11.24॥
O Lord Vishnu, seeing Your form touching the sky, effulgent in many colors, with mouths wide open and enormous blazing eyes, my heart is trembling with fear. I have lost all courage and peace of mind.
Perhaps this is the first instance where Arjuna calls Sri Krishna as Vishnu. As Arjuna continues to describe the gory fierce form, he poses a question: Who are you?
Sri Krishna replies with a very famous verse of Srimad Bhagwad Gita that has international acclaim due to a recent movie also (Oppenheimer).
श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो
लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्त: ।
ऋतेऽपि त्वां न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे
येऽवस्थिता: प्रत्यनीकेषु योधा: ॥ 11.32॥
The Supreme Lord said: I am mighty Time, the source of destruction that comes forth to annihilate the worlds. Even without your participation, the warriors arrayed in the opposing army shall cease to exist.
I wanted to chose this verse as my preferred verse for the chapter, but felt that it could be a popular choice. However, I prefer Sri Krishna’s sage counsel on what exactly is our role in the grand scheme of things. This is my preferred verse for this chapter.
तस्मात्त्वमुत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व
जित्वा शत्रून्भुङ् क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम् ।
मयैवैते निहता: पूर्वमेव
निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन् ॥ 11.33॥
Therefore, arise and attain honor! Conquer your foes and enjoy prosperous rulership. These warriors stand already slain by Me, and you will only be an instrument of My work, O expert archer.
We are just nimittas (निमित्तमात्रं) in the grand scheme of things. It is not a surprise that Albert Einstein famously quoted: I am just an actor in the great drama of existence. We are born to carry out certain functions of him. We need to elevate our beings to understand our role in the grand scheme of things and focus our energies towards the same. The core principles still remain: Stithaprajna, Nishkama Karma, Bhakti, Yoga
Having seen the universal form, Arjuna chants a short Stuti from 11.36 - 11.45 and finally pleads him to return to his original form. Sri Krishna, finally returning to his normal form, tells Arjuna that how lucky the latter (and through him the complete universe) is to view his cosmic form, which is not easily attained after many sacrifices or penance or Vedic study (11.52 - 11.53)
Sri Krishna concludes the chapter by reiterating that performing one’s karmas by keeping one free from attachment is the way to attain his abode.
मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्त: सङ्गवर्जित: ।
निर्वैर: सर्वभूतेषु य: स मामेति पाण्डव ॥ 11.55॥
Those who perform all their duties for My sake, who depend upon Me and are devoted to Me, who are free from attachment, and are without malice toward all beings, such devotees certainly come to Me.
The phalasruthi of Vishnu Sahasranama also enlists so many benefits of chanting his divine names. It should be recalled that in previous chapter, Sri Krishna had confirmed that Nama Smarane is his form among chants.
Please do share your view on the choice of shloka and my interpretations thereof. I would like to get your thoughts and feedback and maybe we discover something hidden in Srimad Bhagwad Gita.
Sarvam Sri Krishnaarpanamastu
Verses and meanings from:
- https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/
- https://shlokam.org/shloka/vishnu-sahasranamam.htm
Previous Chapters:
- Arjuna Vishada Yoga
- Sankhya Yoga
- Karma Yoga
- Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga
- Karma Sanyasa Yoga
- Dhyana Yoga
- Jnana Vijnana Yoga
- Akshara Brahma Yoga
- Raja Vidya Yoga
- Vibhuti Yoga
Comments