Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 31

Chapter 11 – Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

आख्याहि मे को भवानुग्ररूपो
नमोऽस्तु ते देववर प्रसीद ।
विज्ञातुमिच्छामि भवन्तमाद्यं
न हि प्रजानामि तव प्रवृत्तिम् ॥

Transliteration

ākhyāhi me ko bhavānugrarūpo namo.astu te devavara prasīda .
vijñātumicchāmi bhavantamādyaṃ na hi prajānāmi tava pravṛttim ॥

Meaning

Tell me who You are, so terrible in form. Salutations to You, O best of gods; be gracious. I long to know You, the Primal One, for I do not understand what You are doing.

Word meanings

आख्याहि – tell, declare
मे – to me
कः – who
भवान् – You
उग्ररूपः – fierce of form
नमः अस्तु – let there be salutation
ते – to You
देववर – O best among the gods
प्रसीद – be gracious
विज्ञातुम् – to know fully
इच्छामि – I wish
भवन्तम् – You
आद्यम् – the Primal, the origin of all
न हि – for not
प्रजानामि – I understand
तव – Your
प्रवृत्तिम् – activity, purpose

Anvaya (word order)

उग्ररूपः भवान् कः (इति) मे आख्याहि; देववर, ते नमः अस्तु, प्रसीद; आद्यम् भवन्तम् विज्ञातुम् इच्छामि; हि तव प्रवृत्तिम् न प्रजानामि ।

Explanation

This verse gives voice to the deep bewilderment that has risen in Arjuna. The Krishna he knew as friend, charioteer and guide now stands before him in a terrifying form that swallows the worlds. So he asks, ‘ko bhavan ugra-rupah?’ — who are You? The question springs not from ignorance but from awe. He had asked to see this form himself, yet what he now sees lies far beyond anything he imagined.

Notice that even as he asks, Arjuna bows and seeks grace: ‘namo’stu te devavara prasida’. His faith has not broken in the moment of fear. That is the mark of a true seeker: he questions, but with humility and surrender. Gita 4.34 lays down the same path to knowledge — reverent prostration, sincere inquiry and service.

The word ‘pravritti’ is important. Arjuna wants to know not only who the Lord is but why He is acting in this way — why this destruction? Shankara takes the word as the Lord’s ‘cheshta’, His activity. Ramanuja explains that Arjuna wishes to know what the Lord intends to accomplish through this awesome form. The answer to this question comes in the very next verse, in one of the most famous lines of the Gita: ‘kalo’smi’, I am Time.

Context

From verse 15 to verse 30 Arjuna has been describing the cosmic form. Now he asks directly what this vision means. In verse 32 the Lord replies that He is Time, the destroyer of worlds.

Life lesson

When an experience is larger than our understanding, the right response is not panic but humble inquiry. When faith and questioning walk together, even fear can become a doorway to wisdom.

Key terms

Ugra-rupa: fierce, awe-inspiring form
Adya: the Primal Being, the origin of all
Pravritti: activity, working, and its purpose