Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 52

Chapter 11 – Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
सुदुर्दर्शमिदं रूपं दृष्टवानसि यन्मम ।
देवा अप्यस्य रूपस्य नित्यं दर्शनकाङ्क्षिणः ॥

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca .
sudurdarśamidaṃ rūpaṃ dṛṣṭavānasi yanmama .
devā apyasya rūpasya nityaṃ darśanakāṅkṣiṇaḥ ॥

Meaning

The Blessed Lord said: This form of Mine that you have seen is exceedingly hard to behold. Even the gods are ever longing to see it.

Word meanings

सुदुर्दर्शम् – extremely difficult to see
इदम् – this
रूपम् – form
दृष्टवान् असि – you have seen
यत् – which
मम – of Mine
देवाः – the gods
अपि – even
अस्य – of this
रूपस्य – form
नित्यम् – always
दर्शनकाङ्क्षिणः – longing for a vision

Anvaya (word order)

श्रीभगवान् उवाच — मम यत् इदम् रूपम् (त्वम्) दृष्टवान् असि, (तत्) सुदुर्दर्शम्; देवाः अपि अस्य रूपस्य नित्यम् दर्शनकाङ्क्षिणः (सन्ति) ।

Explanation

Now that Arjuna has regained his calm, Krishna helps him appreciate the magnitude of the grace he has received. The word is not merely ‘durdarśa’, hard to see, but ‘su-durdarśa’, exceedingly hard to see. Even the gods, with their divine powers and vast lifespans, long for this vision ‘nityam’, constantly — and still it eludes them.

Which form does Krishna mean — the cosmic form just withdrawn, or the four-armed and human form now before Arjuna? Shankara relates it chiefly to the universal form Arjuna has just witnessed. Ramanuja and several Vaishnava teachers also apply it to the Lord’s divine four-armed form, the supreme object of devotion. The spirit of the verse is the same on either reading: a true vision of God is supremely rare.

The gods are mentioned so that no one imagines that high status or great power automatically brings God-realisation. Heaven too is a realm of enjoyment; even there, the direct vision of the Lord comes only through devotion and grace.

The verse opens a three-step conclusion. First Krishna states the rarity of the vision (11.52), then the inadequacy of all other means (11.53), and finally the one means that succeeds — undivided devotion (11.54). Through this sequence Arjuna, and every reader, is led to see that the way to God is love.

Context

In 11.51 Arjuna said he was composed again. Krishna now begins to draw the chapter to a close by emphasising how rare the vision is. In 11.53 He will repeat that neither the Vedas, austerity, charity nor sacrifice can produce it.

Life lesson

Recognise the worth of the spiritual opportunities you have been given — what even the gods yearn for can come as grace. Let good fortune become a reason for practice and gratitude, never for pride.

Key terms

Sudurdarśa: exceedingly difficult to behold
Darśana-kāṅkṣī: one who longs intensely for a vision of God
Deva: celestial beings, who themselves long to see the Lord