Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 24

Chapter 11 – Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

नभःस्पृशं दीप्तमनेकवर्णं
व्यात्ताननं दीप्तविशालनेत्रम् ।
दृष्ट्वा हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा
धृतिं न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो ॥

Transliteration

nabhaḥspṛśaṃ dīptamanekavarṇaṃ vyāttānanaṃ dīptaviśālanetram .
dṛṣṭvā hi tvāṃ pravyathitāntarātmā dhṛtiṃ na vindāmi śamaṃ ca viṣṇo ॥

Meaning

O Vishnu, seeing You touching the sky, ablaze, of many colours, with mouths wide open and vast shining eyes, my inmost being trembles, and I find neither steadiness nor peace.

Word meanings

नभःस्पृशम् – touching the sky
दीप्तम् – blazing, radiant
अनेकवर्णम् – of many colours
व्यात्ताननम् – with mouths wide open
दीप्तविशालनेत्रम् – with vast shining eyes
दृष्ट्वा – having seen
हि – indeed
त्वाम् – You
प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा – trembling in my inmost self
धृतिम् – steadiness, fortitude
न – not
विन्दामि – I find
शमम् – peace, calm
च – and
विष्णो – O Vishnu, the all-pervading

Anvaya (word order)

विष्णो, नभःस्पृशम् दीप्तम् अनेकवर्णम् व्यात्ताननम् दीप्तविशालनेत्रम् त्वाम् दृष्ट्वा हि प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा (अहम्) धृतिम् शमम् च न विन्दामि ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Arjuna hinted at his fear; now he states it plainly. The form is nabhaḥ-spṛś, touching the sky, its height without limit. It is aneka-varṇa, flashing with many colours, as though every hue of creation streamed from it. Its mouths gape wide, ready to swallow, and its vast eyes burn like fire.

The effect on Arjuna is pravyathitāntarātmā: not merely his body but his antarātmā, his inner centre, is shaken. He says he has lost both dhṛti and śama. Dhṛti is the holding power that keeps the mind steady; śama is the calm that comes from mastery of mind and senses. In Chapter 18 Krishna will analyse dhṛti into sattvic, rajasic and tamasic kinds; here Arjuna confesses that no such steadiness remains to him.

The address viṣṇo is fitting. Vishnu means ‘the one who pervades’. For a form that has filled the whole sky, no name could be more exact. Shankara takes it in this etymological sense of the all-pervading Lord; for Ramanuja and Madhva it is the very name of Narayana, the supreme Person they worship, now revealed in His cosmic majesty.

The verse teaches something subtle: the unveiled sight of ultimate reality, if the mind is not ready for it, may bring trembling rather than peace. Vision alone is not enough; it must be matched by inner preparation and grace. This is why Arjuna will soon ask to see again the gentle, familiar form of Krishna, and why Krishna, in verses 53 and 54, will declare that only exclusive devotion makes such vision truly possible.

Context

In verse 23 Arjuna admitted that he too was terrified; here he describes the loss of his inner steadiness and peace. In verse 25 he will confess complete disorientation and pray for the Lord’s grace.

Life lesson

It is natural for the mind to falter before vast truths or sweeping changes. In such moments steadiness and peace return not by our own strength alone but through taking refuge in the Divine.

Key terms

Nabhaḥ-spṛś: touching the sky; of boundless height
Dhṛti: fortitude, the power that holds the mind steady
Śama: inner calm, tranquillity of mind
Viṣṇu: the all-pervading Lord