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
Seeing Thy stupendous Form, O Most Mighty One, with its myriad faces, its innumerable eyes, limbs, and terrible jaws, I myself and all the worlds are overwhelmed with awe.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
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 |
Lokah The worlds: all living beings in the world. Arjuna describes below the nature of the Cosmic Form which has caused terror in his heart.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Sequence request, granted sight, description, response, revelation, fear, apology and return to the familiar form.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaO Mighty-Armed One, seeing Your immense form with many mouths, eyes, arms, thighs, feet, bellies, and teeth, the creatures are struck with terror, and so am I.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaBeholding Your great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs, and feet, many stomachs, and terrible with many teeth, the worlds tremble, and I too quake, O mighty-armed one.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaLokah The worlds: all living beings in the world. Arjuna describes below the nature of the Cosmic Form which has caused terror in his heart.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Seeing Thy stupendous Form, O Most Mighty One, with its myriad faces, its innumerable eyes, limbs
- 2
terrible jaws, I myself and all the worlds are overwhelmed with awe
- 3
rūpam: form
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.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.