THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 11
VERSE NUMBER 41 AND 42
VISVARUPA DARSANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE VISION OF THE COSMIC FORM:
TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:
sakhe ‘ti matvaa prasabham yad uktam
he krrshna he yaadava he sakhe ‘ti
ajaanataa mahimaanam tave ‘dam
mayaa pramaadaat pranayena vaa ‘pi
yach chaa ‘vahaasaarthum asatkrrto ‘si
vihaara sayyaasana bhojanesu
chko ‘thavaa ‘py acuta tat samaksham
tat kshaamaye tvaam aham aprameyam
SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH: sloka number 41
sakhaa = friend: iti = as: matvaa = regarding: prasabham = presumptuously: yat = whatever: uktam = said: he krrshna = O Krishna: he yaadava = O Yadava: he yaadava = O Yadava: he sakhaa = O friend: iti = thus: ajaanataa = unknowing: mahimaanam = greatness: tava = thy: idam = this: mayaa = by me: pramaadaat = from carelessness: pranayena = due to love: vaa = or: api = even.
yat = whatever: cha = and: avahaasaartham = for the sake of fun: asatkrrtah = disrespectfully: aasana bhojaneshu = while at play, on bed, while sitting or at means: ekah = (when) one: athavaa = or: api = even: achyuta = O Achyuta: tat = so: samaksham = in company: tat = that: kshaamaye = implore to forgive: tvaam = thee: aham = I: aprameyam = immeasurable.
TEXT IN ENGLISH:
Verse number 41
Whatever I have rashly said from carelessness or love, addressing You as “O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend,” looking on You merely as a friend, ignorant of this Your greatness;
Verse number 42
In whatever way I may have insulted You for jest while at play, reposing, sitting or at meals, when alone, O Achyuta, or in company—that I implore You, Immeasurable One, to forgive.
COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
It is but natural that the vision of the cosmic form of Iswara brings a dramatic change in the attitude of Arjuna. His assuming a spontaneous reverent relationship with Sri Krishnais theimmediate transformation that has come over him. Not only in him, but in all sadhakas this solemn attitude requires to be invoked and extended to the entire creation. The truth is that the Lord is manifesting Himself in all of these forms. All are therefore unknowingly cognizing fragments of His cosmic form. Cultivation of reverent attitude towards the entire creation is the most potent among spiritual practices.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN: for the Verse 41:
tavedam. Another reading is tavemam.
For the Verse 42:
The vision of God produces a deep sense of unworthiness and sin. When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, he said, “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips...for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lords of Hosts.”
COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA: FOR THE VERSE 42:
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 friend on account of misconception. I have behaved badly with Thee. Thou art the origin of this universe and yet I have joked with Thee. I have taken undue liberties with Thee. Kindly forgive me, O Lord.”
Tat: All those offences.
Achyuta: He Who is unchanging.
In company: In the presence of others.
Aprameyam: Immeasurable. He Who has unthinkable glory and splendor.
Comments by the blogger:
Arjuna gives more samples of his bewilderment at the sight of the Lord’s Cosmic Form. He begs for forgiveness for having treated the Lord in human form with familiarity. Only after the vision of the Lord’s Cosmic Form Arjuna realizes this is the Lord’s real form and it was out of compassion for the human beings on the earth the Lord had come down to the earth in an endearingly human form.
Arjuna is unduly afraid of his having treated the Lord in His human form with casual familiarity.
But Arjuna, even before the sight of the Cosmic Form had had great regard for the Lord notwithstanding his conviction that Sri Krishna was an ordinary human being.
Before the war at Krukshetra both Arjuna and Dhuriyodana came to visit Sri Krishna in his palace and the first comer, Arjuna, went in and found the Lord’s faked slumber, sat silently at His feet. Within a short while Dhuriyodana went into the bedroom of Sri Krishna and on seeing the Lord in slumber, Dhuriyodana unhesitatingly sat at the head of the bed! So when the Lord woke up from His faked sleep, he automatically gazed at Arjuna who had been sitting at His feet. Then only the Lord turned His head and welcomed Dhuriyodana. The Lord had tried His level best to avert the war. But Dhuriyodana and his men were ancious to fight Pandavas and grab their kingdom forever. So now the Lord proposed that He and His army were available to Arjuna and Dhuriyodana. He would not fight in the war. Arjuna and Dhuriyodana should choose between Him and His army. Dhuriyodana was anxious that Arjuna should not choose Sri Krishna’s big army. Since the Lord had seen Arjuna first, He asked Arjuna to choose first. This made Dhuriyodana grow restless. He was afraid that Arjuna should not choose Sri Krishna’s vast army. True to type, Arjuna chose the Lord without any hesitation. Immeadiately a releaved Dhuriyodana chose without any hesitation Sri Krishna’s vast army. For he thought the Lord who would not fight in the war was of no consequence and His army would double the strength of Dhuriyodana.
From this anecdote, we come to know that Arjuna naturally had high regard for Sri Krishna in His human form. Despite his merit, Arjuna is afraid of his having treated the Lord as though He was his friend. This is the result of the trepidation at the sight of the mighty vision of the Lord. An uninitiated Arjuna who had not been practising meditation was naturally afraid of the sight of the Cosmic Form.
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