Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 2

Chapter 11 – Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

भवाप्ययौ हि भूतानां श्रुतौ विस्तरशो मया ।
त्वत्तः कमलपत्राक्ष माहात्म्यमपि चाव्ययम् ॥

Transliteration

bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṃ śrutau vistaraśo mayā .
tvattaḥ kamalapatrākṣa māhātmyamapi cāvyayam ॥

Meaning

O lotus-eyed One, I have heard from You in detail of the origin and dissolution of beings, and also of Your imperishable greatness.

Word meanings

भवाप्ययौ – origin and dissolution
हि – indeed
भूतानाम् – of beings
श्रुतौ – have been heard (both)
विस्तरशः – in detail
मया – by me
त्वत्तः – from You
कमलपत्राक्ष – O You whose eyes are like lotus petals
माहात्म्यम् – greatness, glory
अपि – also
च – and
अव्ययम् – imperishable, undiminishing

Anvaya (word order)

हे कमल-पत्र-अक्ष, भूतानाम् भव-अप्ययौ हि मया त्वत्तः विस्तरशः श्रुतौ, अव्ययम् माहात्म्यम् अपि च (श्रुतम्) ।

Explanation

Arjuna now sums up what he has heard. The ‘origin and dissolution of beings’ has been a recurring theme from chapter seven onwards: ‘I am the source of the whole world and also its dissolution’ (7.6); ‘I send forth again and again this whole multitude of beings’ (9.8). The universe issues from the Lord and returns to Him; He is both its material and its efficient cause.

But Arjuna has heard something more than cosmology. He has heard of the Lord’s avyaya mahatmya — a greatness that is not diminished by the endless rise and fall of worlds. Creation changes; its ground does not. Shankara understands this greatness as the Lord’s sovereignty: He dispenses the fruits of all actions while remaining Himself untouched by them. Ramanuja sees it as the Lord’s infinite auspicious qualities — omniscience, omnipotence, compassion — which never wane however much is drawn from them.

The address kamala-patraksha, ‘lotus-eyed’, is tender. In the middle of talk about cosmic power, Arjuna calls his teacher by an intimate, affectionate name. Majesty and sweetness (aishvarya and madhurya) sit side by side. The lotus, too, is apt: it grows in water yet is never wet, just as the Lord is the cause of the world yet free of its taint. Arjuna’s review of what he has heard prepares for his next step: the wish to see what he has only been told.

Context

Having expressed his gratitude in verse 1, Arjuna recalls the substance of the teaching he received. This becomes the basis for the request in verse 3: what he has heard, he now wishes to see.

Life lesson

Beneath the constant making and unmaking of life lies an imperishable ground; resting the mind there gives steadiness amid change. And reverence for God’s greatness need never crowd out warmth and closeness towards Him.

Key terms

Bhavapyaya: the arising and dissolving of beings
Mahatmya: greatness, glory, majesty
Avyaya: imperishable, undiminishing
Kamalapatraksha: lotus-eyed; an affectionate epithet of Krishna