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Pancharatra: Bhagavad Gita 11th chapter.
Arjuna said:
The supreme secret of spiritual knowledge, spoken by you for my benefit, has dispelled my delusion.
I have heard from you in detail about the creation and dissolution of beings, O lotus-eyed one, and also about your eternal glory.
O Supreme Lord, as you have described yourself, I desire to see your divine form, O Supreme Person.
If you believe it is possible for me to see that, O Lord, then please, O master of yoga, reveal to me your eternal self.
The Blessed Lord said:
"O Arjuna, behold my divine forms in hundreds and thousands, of various kinds and colors."
Behold, O Bhārata, the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Aśvins, and the Maruts, along with many wonders that have never been seen before.
O Gudakesha, behold today the entire universe, with all its moving and non-moving entities, assembled together in one place within my body, and also see whatever else you wish to see.
"But you cannot see me with your own eyes. Therefore, I give you divine vision; behold my majestic power."
Sanjaya said:
After speaking thus, O King, the great lord of yoga, Hari, revealed to Arjuna his supreme divine form.
The form with many faces and eyes, displaying many wonderful sights, adorned with many divine ornaments and wielding many divine weapons.
The god, adorned with divine garlands and garments, anointed with celestial fragrance, is infinite and faces all directions, embodying all wonders.
If a thousand suns were to rise at once in the sky, their light might resemble the splendor of that great soul.
Then, the son of Pandu saw the entire universe, with its manifold divisions, gathered together in one place, within the body of the God of gods.
Then Arjuna, filled with awe and with his hair standing on end, bowed his head to the Lord and spoke with folded hands.
Arjuna said:
In your body, O God, I behold the gods, all the distinct groups of beings, Brahma, the Lord seated on a lotus, and all the sages and divine serpents.
I behold you with countless arms, bellies, faces, and eyes; your infinite form is everywhere. I see neither your end, nor your middle, nor your beginning; O Lord of the Universe, you are the universal form.
I see you adorned with a crown, holding a mace and discus, a radiant mass of splendor on all sides. You are difficult to behold, blazing with the immeasurable brilliance of fire and sun, beyond comprehension.
You are the imperishable and supreme entity to be known; the ultimate abode of the universe. You are immutable, the protector of eternal dharma, and the eternal being as I perceive you.
I see you, who is without beginning, middle, and end, possessing infinite power and arms, with the moon and sun as your eyes, and a mouth blazing like fire, causing this universe to burn with your radiance.
The entire space between heaven and earth, as well as all directions, is pervaded by you alone. Seeing your wondrous and terrifying form, the three worlds are trembling, O great one.
Indeed, these groups of gods enter you; some, fearful, praise with folded hands. Having said 'well-being', groups of great sages and perfected beings praise you with abundant hymns.
All the Rudras, Ādityas, Vasus, Sādhyas, Viśvedevas, Aśvins, Maruts, ancestors, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Asuras, and Siddhas are observing you with amazement.
Seeing your great form with many faces, eyes, arms, thighs, feet, bellies, and terrifying teeth, O mighty-armed, the worlds are terrified, and so am I.
O Vishnu, seeing your form touching the sky, radiant and multicolored, with a wide-open mouth and large blazing eyes, my inner self is disturbed. I find neither courage nor peace.
Seeing your mouths, which are terrifying with fangs and resemble the fire of destruction, I am unable to find my way and cannot find peace; please be gracious, O Lord of the gods, O abode of the universe.
These sons of Dhritarashtra, along with all the groups of kings, Bhishma, Drona, and Karna, are ready for battle alongside our chief warriors.
Your terrifying mouths, with dreadful tusks, are hastily devouring. Some are seen stuck between the teeth, crushed with their heads.
Just as the many currents of rivers flow towards the ocean, so do these heroes of the human world enter your blazing mouths.
Just as moths rush with full speed into a blazing fire to their destruction, so do people rush with full speed into your mouths to their destruction.
O Vishnu, you lick and devour all the worlds with your blazing mouths, filling the entire universe with your radiance. Your fierce lights burn everything.
Please tell me who you are, fierce in form. Salutations to you, O best of gods, be gracious. I wish to know you, the original one, as I do not understand your activities.
The Blessed Lord said:
I am time, the mighty force that leads to the destruction of the world. I have come here to annihilate all living beings. Even without you, all the warriors standing in the opposing armies will cease to exist.
Therefore, arise and gain glory; conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. These warriors have already been slain by me; you are merely an instrument, O Savyasacin.
You must conquer Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other brave warriors who have been killed by me. Do not be distressed; fight, and you shall conquer your enemies in battle.
Sanjaya said:
Hearing these words of Keshava, Arjuna, with folded hands and trembling, bowed down again and spoke to Krishna with a faltering voice, overwhelmed by fear, after prostrating.
Arjuna said:
O Hrishikesha, it is only appropriate that the world rejoices and is enamored by your glorification; the fearful demons flee in all directions, and all the assemblies of perfected beings offer their obeisances.
Why should they not bow to you, O great one? You are greater than even Brahma, the original creator. O limitless one, O Lord of the gods, O abode of the universe, you are the imperishable, beyond both existence and non-existence.
You are the primeval god and the ancient person, the ultimate refuge of this universe. You are the knower and the knowable, and the supreme abode; the universe is pervaded by you in infinite forms.
You are the wind, Yama, fire, Varuna, the moon; you are Prajapati and the great-grandfather. Salutations to you a thousand times; again and again, salutations to you.
Salutations to you from the front and the back; may there be salutations to you from all sides, indeed from everywhere. You are of infinite strength and immeasurable prowess; you pervade everything, therefore you are everything.
Considering you as a friend, I have rashly addressed you as 'O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend,' not knowing this greatness of yours, either out of negligence or affection.
O Krishna, whatever I have done in jest or disrespectfully, whether in relaxation, resting, sitting, or eating, whether alone or in front of others, I seek your forgiveness, O immeasurable one.
You are the father of the entire universe, both animate and inanimate; you are the most revered and the greatest teacher. There is no one equal to you, nor superior; how could there be anyone else with such unparalleled power in all the three worlds?
Therefore, bowing down and placing my body, I seek your grace, O Lord, worthy of worship. Just as a father forgives his son, or a friend forgives a friend, you, O Lord, should forgive me, your dear one.
I am thrilled to see what I have never seen before, but my mind is also disturbed with fear. Please show me that form, O God; be gracious, O Lord of Gods, O abode of the universe.
I wish to see you adorned with a crown, holding a mace and discus, in that same form with four arms. O thousand-armed one, manifest as the universal form.
The Blessed Lord spoke:
O Arjuna, being pleased with you, I have shown you this supreme form through my own yoga. It is full of splendor, universal, infinite, and primeval, a form that has not been seen by anyone other than you before.
O best of the Kurus, it is not possible for anyone other than you to see me in this form in the human world through the Vedas, sacrifices, study, gifts, rituals, or severe austerities.
Do not be distressed or bewildered upon seeing this terrible form of mine. Free from fear and with a joyful heart, behold once again this form of mine.
Sanjaya said:
Thus, Vasudeva, after speaking to Arjuna, reverted to his original form and comforted the frightened Arjuna by assuming his gentle form once more.
Arjuna said:
Seeing your gentle human form, O Janardana, I am now restored to my senses and have returned to my natural state.
The Blessed Lord spoke:
The form you have witnessed is exceedingly rare to behold. Even the gods eternally yearn to witness this form.
I cannot be seen in this form through the Vedas, austerity, charity, or sacrifice, as you have seen me.
Through unwavering devotion, you, O Arjuna, can truly know, see, and enter into My essence, O conqueror of enemies.
O son of Pāṇḍu, one who acts for Me, regards Me as the Supreme, is devoted to Me, free from attachments and without enmity towards all beings, he reaches Me.
