THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER NUMBER 11, VERSE NUMBER 30, VISVARUPA DARSANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE VISION OF THE COSMIC FORM

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 11

VERSE NUMBER 30

VISVARUPA DARSANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE VISION OF THE COSMIC FOR:

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

lelihyase grasamaanah samantaa

     lokaan samagraan vadanair jvaladbhih

tefobhir aapoorya jagat samagram

     bhaasas tavo ‘graah pratapanti vishno

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

lelihyase = thou lickest: grasamaanah = devouring: samantaat = on every side: lokaan = the worlds: samagraan = all: vadaanaih = with mouths: jvaladbhih = flaming: tejobhih = with radiance: aapoorya = filling: jagat = the world: samagram = the whole: bhaasah = rays: tava = thy: ugraah = fierce: pratapanti = are burning: vishno = O Vishnu.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

Devouring all the worlds on every side with Your flaming mouths, You lick Your lips. Your fiery rays, filling the whole world with radiance, are burning, O Vishnu!

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Vishnu is he who is all-pervading. He pervades the world as a force creative and destructive. At this juncture the Lord appears to Arjuna as a destructive force.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

Vishnu means all-pervading, Vyapanasila.

Comments by the blogger:

The mouths of Vishnu are flaming. At the time of Pralaya or Destruction of the Universe the Lord is seen as simply slurping up the entire world on every side. Swami Chidbhavananda says that the Lord appears as a Destructive force. In the previous sentence the Swamiji notes that the all-pervading radiance of Vishnu is seen as the Force both Creative and Destructive. It has been uttered in the Hindu Scriptures that at the time of Destruction of the Universe, the Lord appears saddling a white horse. It is said through Arjuna that the fierce rays emanating from the Lord fills up the whole world with radiance. May be it is this radiant light pervading the Universe is said poetically as the White Horse. Sri Vishnu  is said in the Puranas to have taken nine Incarnations and He will appear on a White Steed at the time of Pralaya or the wholesale Destruction of the Universe. This avatar or Incarnation is called as Kalki Avatar.

Brahma is said to be the Creator in the Puranas, and Vishnu as the Sustainor of the Universe and Lord Siva as the Destructive Force. But this distinction and a sort of a Separation of Power is not acceptable to either the worshipper of Vishnu or Lord Siva. In the Scriptural Texts eulogizing Vishnu He is shown as doing the Creation, Sustenance and Destruction. On the contrary, the Scriptural Texts eulogizing Lord Siva He is said to be indulging in Creation, Sustenance  and Destruction. We need not get confused by this apparent difference. It is good for the followers of Sri Vishnu to salute the Lord as indulging in the three functions of creation, sustenance and destruction. And there is no bar for the followers of Lord Siva to hold and believe that it is He indeed who creates, sustaince and destruct the Universe. The Ultimate Lord of the Universe may be eulogised and worshipped as any one of the Gods like, Vishnu, Siva, Mahalakshmi, Parvati, Vinayaga or Murugan. We need not indulge in nit-picking to force our ideology on others worship as God someone other than the deity we are worshiping. I am a staunch devouty of the Lord Siva in His Linga Form. I am not delusive and nothing mars my worship and belieaf on Siva while I worshipfully read various commentaries by Great Authorities. All forms of worship flow as various rivers toward the One Truth of the Universe notwithstanding the particular Deity we worship.

It is very sad to note the differences between the followers of Vishnu and Siva. This is pure nit-picking which will mar and dilute our single-minded worship of our Ishta Devata or Personal Deity. Suits are filed in the Courts of Law on the question of how the temple elephant should be painted on its face and forehead! The followers of Vishnu maintain  that the Pachyderm should be adorned on its forehead with the sign peculiar to them. On the contrary, the followers of Lord Siva maintain that the Pachederm’s forehead should be adorned with triple horizontal lines using the Holy Ash which is peculiar to the followers of Lord Siva. This is purely nit-picking indeed. Whatever be the form of the personal Deity if we adhere to the way of worship as said in the particular group of us we can surely attain the One Ultimate Whole Potential Power of this Universe.