Bhagavad-gītā 11.23
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
रूपं महत्ते बहुवक्त्रनेत्रं महाबाहो बहुबाहूरुपादम्। बहूदरं बहुदंष्ट्राकरालं दृष्ट्वा लोकाः प्रव्यथितास्तथाऽहम्।।11.23।।
rūpaṁ mahat te bahu-vaktra-netraṁ mahā-bāho bahu-bāhūru-pādam bahūdaraṁ bahu-danṣhṭrā-karālaṁ dṛiṣhṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitās tathāham
Having seen Thy immeasurable Form:with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed, with many arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs, and fearful with many tusks,:the worlds are terrified, and so am I.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| rūpam | form |
| mahat | magnificent |
| te | your |
| bahu | many |
| vaktra | mouths |
| netram | eyes |
| mahā-bāho | mighty-armed Lord |
| bahu | many |
| bāhu | arms |
| ūru | thighs |
| pādam | legs |
| bahu-udaram | many stomachs |
| bahu-danṣhṭrā | many teeth |
| karālam | terrifying |
| dṛiṣhṭvā | seeing |
| lokāḥ | all the worlds |
| pravyathitāḥ | terror-stricken |
| tathā | so also |
| aham | I |
Use the word map to follow the relation among rūpam (form), ūru (thighs), and aham (I). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the universal form and personal refuge. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 11.23.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Sequence request, granted sight, description, response, revelation, fear, apology and return to the familiar form.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Having seen Thy immeasurable Form
- 2
with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed, with many arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs
- 3
fearful with many tusks,
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the universal form.
Link
Use the line starts: rūpaṁ mahat / mahā-bāho bahu-bāhūru-pādam / bahūdaraṁ bahu-danṣhṭrā-karālaṁ / dṛiṣhṭvā lokāḥ.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 11.23, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 11.23 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 11.23 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 11.23 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 11.23, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition