अदृष्टपूर्वं हृषितोऽस्मि दृष्ट्वा भयेन च प्रव्यथितं मनो मे। तदेव मे दर्शय देव रूपं प्रसीद देवेश जगन्निवास।।11.45।।
adṛṣṭapūrvaṃ hṛṣito'smi dṛṣṭvā bhayena ca pravyathitaṃ manaḥ me. tadeva me darśaya deva rūpam prasīda deveśa jagannivāsa.
Translation
Having seen Your universal form that I had never seen before, I feel great joy. And yet, my mind trembles with fear. Please have mercy on me and again show me Your pleasing form, O God of gods, O Abode of the universe.
Word Meanings
adṛṣṭa-pūrvam — never seen before; hṛṣitaḥ — gladdened; asmi — I am; dṛṣṭvā — by seeing; bhayena — out of fear; ca — also; pravyathitam — perturbed; manaḥ — mind; me — my; tat — that; eva — certainly; me — unto me; darśaya — show; deva — O Lord; rūpam — the form; prasīda — just be gracious; deva-īśa — O Lord of lords; jagat-nivāsa — O refuge of the universe.
Understanding the Verse
In this moving verse Arjuna, still reeling from the vision of Krishna's cosmic Vishvarupa, expresses a profound inner conflict. The first half of the verse captures his ecstatic gratitude – "adṛṣṭapūrvaṃ hṛṣito'smi dṛṣṭvā" – meaning that the sight of the divine form, never before beheld by mortal eyes, fills his heart with unparalleled joy. This exhilaration stems from his realization of the all‑encompassing nature of the divine, which confirms the supreme reality behind the battlefield and validates the righteousness of his cause.
However, the same vision also overwhelms his senses, provoking fear: "bhayena ca pravyathitaṃ manaḥ me". The sheer magnitude of the universal form, containing endless worlds, life, and death, confronts Arjuna with the humbling truth of his own finitude. The terror is not a dread of personal harm but an existential awe at the infinite power and responsibility that the divine embodies. It reflects the timeless human experience of being simultaneously uplifted and humbled when confronting the divine mystery.
Arjuna's plea, "tadeva me darśaya deva rūpam", is a sincere request for the divine to reveal a more approachable aspect of His presence. By asking Krishna to display a form that is "devakṛta" and friendly, Arjuna seeks the comfort of a personal deity who can be related to, rather than an incomprehensible cosmic totality. This underscores a key teaching of the Gita: while the ultimate reality is vast and indescribable, the divine also manifests in forms that are accessible to human devotion and love.
The concluding invocation, "prasīda deveśa jagannivāsa", is both a prayer for mercy and an expression of surrender. By addressing Krishna as "deveśa" (Lord of the gods) and "jagannivāsa" (Abode of the universe), Arjuna acknowledges Krishna's supreme sovereignty over all creation. The word "prasīda" implies a desire for grace that transforms fear into confidence, allowing Arjuna to continue his duty (dharma) without being paralyzed by the enormity of the cosmic vision.
Philosophically, this verse illustrates the Gita’s central paradox: the same reality that overwhelms with its boundlessness also offers refuge through personal devotion. Arjuna's dual reaction models the seeker’s path – embracing awe while cultivating devotion, and seeking the divine’s compassionate aspect to sustain one’s spiritual resolve. The verse thus encourages readers to honor both the transcendental and immanent facets of the divine, integrating wonder with surrender for a balanced spiritual practice.
