Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 20

Chapter 11 – Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

द्यावापृथिव्योरिदमन्तरं हि
व्याप्तं त्वयैकेन दिशश्च सर्वाः ।
दृष्ट्वाद्भुतं रूपमुग्रं तवेदं
लोकत्रयं प्रव्यथितं महात्मन् ॥

Transliteration

dyāvāpṛthivyoridamantaraṃ hi vyāptaṃ tvayaikena diśaśca sarvāḥ .
dṛṣṭvādbhutaṃ rūpamugraṃ tavedaṃ lokatrayaṃ pravyathitaṃ mahātman ॥

Meaning

O Great-souled One, this space between heaven and earth and all the directions are pervaded by You alone. Seeing this wondrous and terrible form of Yours, the three worlds are trembling in distress.

Word meanings

द्यावापृथिव्योः – of heaven and earth
इदम् – this
अन्तरम् – intervening space
हि – indeed
व्याप्तम् – pervaded, filled
त्वया – by You
एकेन – alone, by the One
दिशः – the directions
च – and
सर्वाः – all
दृष्ट्वा – having seen
अद्भुतम् – wondrous
रूपम् – form
उग्रम् – fierce, terrible
तव – Your
लोकत्रयम् – the three worlds
प्रव्यथितम् – deeply distressed, trembling
महात्मन् – O Great-souled One

Anvaya (word order)

महात्मन्, द्यावापृथिव्योः इदम् अन्तरम् सर्वाः दिशः च हि त्वया एकेन व्याप्तम्; तव इदम् अद्भुतम् उग्रम् रूपम् दृष्ट्वा लोकत्रयम् प्रव्यथितम् ।

Explanation

Arjuna now speaks of the sheer extent of the vision. The whole expanse between heaven and earth, and every direction, is filled by You alone. The word ekena, ‘by the One’, carries the weight of the verse: amid this immensity there is no second presence, only one Being spread everywhere. It is the living sight of the Isha Upanishad’s declaration that all this is to be dwelt in by the Lord, and of Krishna’s own words in 9.4, ‘By Me, in My unmanifest form, all this is pervaded.’

Two adjectives describe the form: adbhuta, wondrous, because nothing like it has ever been seen, and ugra, fierce, because it holds the terror of dissolution. The Divine is not only gentle; it is the ground of creation, preservation and destruction at once. So the three worlds are pravyathita, shaken to their core.

Commentators raise a natural question: only Arjuna received divine sight, so how can the three worlds see this form? Several answers are given. One holds that Arjuna, overwhelmed, sees his own fear reflected everywhere. Another notes that all the worlds exist within the Cosmic Form itself, so Arjuna sees them trembling inside it. Ramanuja suggests that gods and other beings were also granted some vision of it according to their capacity.

The address mahātman, ‘Great-souled One’, is apt: He whose Self is vast enough to hold the cosmos. Even in fear, Arjuna’s reverence remains.

Context

Verse 19 described the endless, blazing form; here Arjuna tells how it fills all space and frightens the worlds. Verse 21 will describe how the hosts of gods and sages respond, some entering the form, some praising it in awe.

Life lesson

The Divine is present not only in the pleasant and gentle, but also in what is stern and frightening. Seeing even life’s fierce side as part of the One can slowly turn fear into reverence.

Key terms

Dyāvā-pṛthivī: heaven and earth taken as a pair
Vyāpta: pervaded, completely filled
Loka-traya: the three worlds: earth, the intermediate region and heaven
Ugra: fierce, awe-inspiring, terrible