Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 13

Chapter 11 – Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga · Speaker: Sanjaya

Sanskrit verse

तत्रैकस्थं जगत्कृत्स्नं प्रविभक्तमनेकधा ।
अपश्यद्देवदेवस्य शरीरे पाण्डवस्तदा ॥

Transliteration

tatraikasthaṃ jagatkṛtsnaṃ pravibhaktamanekadhā .
apaśyaddevadevasya śarīre pāṇḍavastadā ॥

Meaning

There, in the body of the God of gods, the son of Pandu then beheld the entire universe, with its manifold divisions, gathered together in one place.

Word meanings

तत्र – there, in that (cosmic form)
एकस्थम् – resting in one place
जगत् – the universe, the world
कृत्स्नम् – entire, whole
प्रविभक्तम् – divided, differentiated
अनेकधा – in many ways
अपश्यत् – saw, beheld
देवदेवस्य – of the God of gods
शरीरे – in the body
पाण्डवः – the son of Pandu, Arjuna
तदा – then, at that time

Anvaya (word order)

तदा पाण्डवः तत्र देवदेवस्य शरीरे अनेकधा प्रविभक्तम् कृत्स्नम् जगत् एकस्थम् अपश्यत् ।

Explanation

Having conveyed the light of the cosmic form, Sanjaya now tells what it contained. Arjuna saw the whole universe, divided in countless ways into gods, humans, animals, mountains, rivers and worlds upon worlds, standing together in one place within the single body of the Lord. This is the central marvel of the vision: multiplicity is not erased, yet it is wholly held within the One.

In 11.7 Krishna had said, ‘Behold today the whole universe, moving and unmoving, gathered here in My body.’ Sanjaya now confirms that Arjuna saw exactly that. The word of the Lord and the experience of the disciple meet.

The acharyas each find their vision reflected here. For Shankara, the verse shows how the differences of name and form appear upon one underlying reality; the divisions are real at the empirical level, while the essence is one. Ramanuja treats it as the clearest illustration of the body-soul relationship: the entire universe of sentient and insentient beings is the Lord’s body, and He is its inner Self, so that both the distinctions and the unity are real. Madhva emphasizes that the world rests in and is governed by the Lord while remaining distinct from Him.

The title devadeva, God of gods, reminds us that even Indra and Brahma are limbs of this one body. For Arjuna, this realization becomes the source of both awe and devotion, as the next verse shows.

Context

Sanjaya continues his narration. After the image of a thousand suns in 11.12, this verse describes the universe seen within the cosmic body, fulfilling the Lord’s words in 11.7. Verse 11.14 will describe Arjuna’s response.

Life lesson

The world’s diversity can seem to divide us, but one reality underlies it all. Learning to see unity within difference softens conflict and makes living together easier.

Key terms

Ekastha: standing in one place; the many held within the One
Pravibhakta: divided into many distinct parts
Devadeva: God of gods, the Supreme Lord