Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 17

Chapter 11 – Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रिणं च
तेजोराशिं सर्वतो दीप्तिमन्तम् ।
पश्यामि त्वां दुर्निरीक्ष्यं समन्ताद्
दीप्तानलार्कद्युतिमप्रमेयम् ॥

Transliteration

kirīṭinaṃ gadinaṃ cakriṇaṃ ca tejorāśiṃ sarvato dīptimantam .
paśyāmi tvāṃ durnirīkṣyaṃ samantād dīptānalārkadyutimaprameyam ॥

Meaning

I see You crowned, bearing mace and discus, a mass of radiance shining on every side, hard to behold from any direction, blazing like flaming fire and the sun, beyond all measure.

Word meanings

किरीटिनम् – wearing a crown
गदिनम् – bearing a mace
चक्रिणम् – bearing a discus
च – and
तेजोराशिम् – a mass of radiance
सर्वतः – everywhere, on all sides
दीप्तिमन्तम् – shining
पश्यामि – I see
त्वाम् – You
दुर्निरीक्ष्यम् – difficult to look at
समन्तात् – from all around
दीप्त – blazing
अनल – fire
अर्क – sun
द्युतिम् – having the brilliance of
अप्रमेयम् – immeasurable, beyond all means of knowing

Anvaya (word order)

किरीटिनम् गदिनम् चक्रिणम् च, सर्वतः दीप्तिमन्तम् तेजो-राशिम्, समन्तात् दुर्निरीक्ष्यम्, दीप्त-अनल-अर्क-द्युतिम् अप्रमेयम् त्वाम् पश्यामि ।

Explanation

Amid the boundless and overwhelming form, Arjuna suddenly recognizes familiar signs: the crown, the mace and the discus. These are the well-known emblems of Vishnu. In a sea of light the devotee finds the face he knows and loves. Later, in 11.46, Arjuna will beg to see again this very form, crowned and holding mace and discus; the seed of that prayer is planted here.

Yet even the familiar emblems are wrapped in a tejorashi, a heaped-up mass of radiance. The word durnirikshya, hard to look upon, tells us that even with divine sight the vision strains the eye. Sanjaya compared the light to a thousand suns in 11.12; now Arjuna himself reaches for blazing fire and the sun. Two witnesses independently confirm the same experience.

Aprameya means that which no pramana, no means of valid knowledge, can fully measure. Shankara glosses it as that which cannot be delimited. Ramanuja explains that the Lord’s qualities and glories are without limit, hence immeasurable, even though He can truly be known through scripture and devotion. Here lies a profound paradox of the Gita: Arjuna is seeing Him, and in the same breath declaring that He cannot be wholly seen.

The verse thus holds together beauty and terror, the familiar and the unfathomable, intimacy and mystery.

Context

Arjuna’s hymn continues. In 11.16 he described the form’s infinity; here he speaks of its emblems and unbearable radiance. In 11.18 he moves from description to conclusion, declaring who the Lord truly is.

Life lesson

When life feels vast and incomprehensible, the familiar form of one’s chosen ideal of God remains a refuge. Not understanding the whole of truth need not discourage us; love and reverence are the way forward.

Key terms

Kiriti, Gadi, Chakri: crowned, bearing mace and discus; emblems of Vishnu
Tejorashi: a vast mass of radiance
Durnirikshya: extremely difficult to look upon
Aprameya: immeasurable; beyond the full reach of any means of knowledge