1 Arjuna said: This word of the supreme Secret concerning the Self, Thou hast spoken out of compassion; by this my delusion is taken away.
Into Thy gaping mouths they hurrying rush, Tremendous 11:27
Trivia: What are the eight things that Krishna is composed of?
11:1-31
1 Arjuna said: This word of the supreme Secret concerning the Self, Thou hast spoken out of compassion; by this my delusion is taken away.
Arjuna said to Krishna,
2The production and destruction of beings have been heard by me in detail from Thee, O Lotus-eyed, and also Thy imperishable greatness.
3O supreme Lord, even as Thou describest Thyself, O best of beings, I desire to see Thy Form omnipotent.
I'd like to see what you look like, O Lord of Yoga.
4If Thou thinkest that by me It can be seen, O Lord, Lord of Yoga, then show me Thine imperishable Self.
5The Blessed Lord said: Behold, O Pârtha, a Form of Me, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, various in kind, divine, various in colours and shapes.
Krishna said,
Behold a form of me, or a hundred or a thousand of different kinds, in various shapes and colors.
6Behold the Âdityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Ashvins and also the Maruts; behold many marvels never seen ere this, O Bhârata.
7Here, to-day, behold the whole universe, movable and immovable, standing in one in My body, O Gudâkesha, with aught else thou desirest to see.
8But verily thou art not able to behold Me with these thine eyes; the divine eye I give unto thee. Behold My sovereign Yoga.
But you can't see me with your eyes, so I'll give you a divine eye to see my sovereign Yoga.
9Having thus spoken, O King, the great Lord of Yoga, Hari, showed to Pârtha His supreme Form as Lord.
Then Krishna (The great Lord of Yoga, aka Hari) showed himself to Arjuna.
10With many mouths and eyes, with many visions of marvel, with many divine ornaments, with many upraised divine weapons;
He had many mouths, eyes, ornaments, and weapons,
11Wearing divine necklaces and vestures, anointed with divine unguents, the God all-marvellous, boundless, with face turned everywhere.
wearing necklaces, with his face turned everywhere,
12If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blaze out together in the sky, that might resemble the glory of that Mahâtman.
with the splendor of a thousand suns.
13There Pândava beheld the whole universe, divided into manifold parts, standing in one in the body of the Deity of Deities.
14Then he, Dhananjaya, overwhelmed with astonishment, his hair upstanding, bowed down his head to the Shining One, and with joined palms spake.
Arjuna, overwhelmed with astonishment, his hair standing on end, said,
15Within Thy Form, O God, the Gods I see, All grades of beings with distinctive marks; Brahma, the Lord, upon His lotus-throne, The Rishis all, and Serpents, the Divine.
O God, I see the Gods,
16With mouths, eyes, arms, breasts multitudinous, I see Thee everywhere, unbounded Form. Beginning, middle, end, nor source of Thee, Infinite Lord, infinite Form, I find;
with mouths, eyes, and many breasts,
17Shining, a mass of splendour everywhere, With discus, mace, tiara, I behold: Blazing as fire, as sun dazzling the gaze, From all sides in the sky, immeasurable.
18Lofty beyond all thought, unperishing, Thou treasure-house supreme, all-immanent; Eternal Dharma's changeless Guardian, Thou; As immemorial Man I think of Thee.
19Nor source, nor midst, nor end; infinite force, Unnumbered arms, the sun and moon Thine eyes I see Thy face, as sacrificial fire Blazing, its splendour burneth up the worlds.
innumerable arms, with a flaming face burning up the worlds,
20By Thee alone are filled the earth, the heavens, And all the regions that are stretched between; The triple worlds sink down, O mighty One, Before Thine awful manifested Form.
21To Thee the troops of Suras enter in, Some with joined palms in awe invoking Thee; Banded Maharshis, Siddhas, cry: "All hail"! Chanting Thy praises with resounding songs.
22 Rudras, Vasus, Sâdhyas and Adityas, Vishvas, the Ashvins, Maruts, Ushmapas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Siddhas, Asuras, In wondering multitudes beholding Thee.
23Thy mighty Form, with many mouths and eyes, Long armed, with thighs and feet innumerate, Vast-bosomed, set with many fearful teeth, The worlds see terror-struck, as also I.
innumerable thighs and feet, big bosomed, with many fearful teeth,
24Radiant, Thou touchest heaven, rainbow-hued, With opened mouths and shining vast-orbed eyes. My inmost self is quaking, having seen, My strength is withered, Vishnu, and my peace.
rainbow-colored, with opened mouths.
25Like Time's destroying flames I see Thy teeth, Upstanding, spread within expanded jaws; Nought know I anywhere, no shelter find; Mercy, O God! reâ of all the worlds!
26The sons of Dhritarashtra, and with them The multitude of all these kings of earth, Bhîshma, and Drona, Sûta's royal son, And all the noblest warriors of our hosts,
27Into Thy gaping mouths they hurrying rush, Tremendous-toothed and terrible to see; Some caught within the gaps between Thy teeth Are seen, their heads to powder crushed and ground.
All the kings and warriors of earth fall into your gaping mouth,
caught between the gaps between your teeth,
and are crushed into powder.
28As river-floods impetuously rush, Hurling their waters into ocean's lap, So fling themselves into Thy flaming mouths, In haste, these mighty men, these lords of earth.
Mighty men fling themselves into your flaming mouths,
29As moths with quickened speed will headlong fly Into a flaming light, to fall destroyed, So also these, in haste precipitate, Enter within Thy mouths destroyed to fall.
like moths flying into a flaming light.
30On every side, all-swallowing, fiery-tongued, Thou lickest up mankind, devouring all; The glory filleth space: the universe Is burning, Vishnu, with Thy blazing rays.
You lick up and swallow mankind with your fiery tongue.
31Reveal Thy Self; what awful Form art Thou? I worship Thee! Have mercy, God supreme! Thine inner Being I am fain to know; This Thy forth-streaming Life bewilders me.
Reveal yourself. How awful-looking are you? I worship you, God supreme!
11:32-55
32 Krishna said: Time am I, laying desolate the world, Made manifest on earth to slay mankind! Not one of all these warriors ranged for strife Escapeth death; thou shalt alone survive.
33Therefore stand up! win for thyself renown, Conquer thy foes, enjoy the wealth filled realm, By Me they are already overcome, Be thou the outward cause, left-handed one.
Krishna said:
I am time, destroyer the world.
I am here to kill everyone on earth. [1]
All of these warriors will die, except for you.
So stand up, left-handed one! Win for yourself renown. Conquer your foes, enjoy the wealth of the realm.
34 Drona and Bhîshma and Jayadratha, Karna, and all the other warriors here, Are slain by Me. Destroy them fearlessly. Fight! thou shalt crush thy rivals in the field.
I've already killed the leaders in the Kaurava army. Kill the rest.
Fight and kill! You'll crush them all.
35 Sanjaya said: Having heard these words of Keshava, he who weareth a diadem, with joined palms, quaking and prostrating himself, spake again to Krishna, stammering with fear, casting down his face.
36 Arjuna said: Hrishîkesha! in Thy magnificence Rightly the world rejoiceth, hymning Thee; The Râkshasas to every quarter fly In fear; the hosts of Siddhas prostrate fall.
Arjuna said,
37How should they otherwise, O loftiest Self! First Cause! Brahmâ Himself less great than Thou. Infinite, God of Gods, home of all worlds, Unperishing, Sat, Asat, That supreme!
You're the greatest God, the first cause, greater than Brahmâ, infinite God of Gods, most ancient man, etc.
38First of the Gods, most ancient Man Thou art. Supreme receptacle of all that lives; Knower and known, the dwelling-place on high; In Thy vast Form the universe is spread.
39Thou art Vâyu and Yama, Agni, moon, Varuna, Father, Grandsire of all; Hail, hail to Thee! a thousand times all hail! Hail unto Thee! again, again all hail!
40Prostrate in front of Thee, prostrate behind; Prostrate on every side to Thee, O All. In power boundless, measureless in strength, Thou holdest all: then Thou Thyself art All.
41If, thinking Thee but friend, importunate, O Krishna! or O Yâdava! O friend! I cried, unknowing of Thy majesty, And careless in the fondness of my love;
42If jesting I irreverence showed to Thee, At play, reposing, sitting or at meals, Alone, O sinless One, or with my friends, Forgive my error, O Thou boundless One.
43Father of worlds, of all that moves and stands, Worthier of reverence than the Guru's self, There is none like to Thee. Who passeth Thee? Pre-eminent Thy power in all the worlds.
44Therefore I fall before Thee; with my body I worship as it fitting; bless Thou me. As father with the son, as friend with friend, With the beloved as lover, bear with me.
45I have seen that which none hath seen before, My heart is glad, yet faileth me for fear; Show me, O God, Thine other Form again— Mercy, O God of Gods, home of all worlds—
I've seen what no one has seen before. Let me see you again.
46Diademed, mace and discus in Thy hand. Again I fain would see Thee as before; Put on again Thy four-armed shape, O Lord, O thousand-armed, of forms innumerate.
Put on your four-armed shape, O thousand-armed one.
47The Blessed Lord said: Arjuna, by My favour thou hast seen, This loftiest Form by yoga's self revealed! Radiant, all-penetrating, endless, first, That none except thyself hath ever seen.
Krishna said,
You're the first and only one who has ever seen me.
48Nor sacrifice, nor Vedas, alms, nor works, Nor sharp austerity, nor study deep, Can win the vision of this Form for man, Foremost of Kurus, thou alone hast seen.
49Be not bewildered, be thou not afraid, Because thou hast beheld this awful Form; Cast fear away, and let thy heart rejoice; Behold again Mine own familiar shape.
Don't be afraid because you've seen my awful form.
Look again at my familiar shape.
50 Vâsudeva, having thus spoken to Arjuna, again manifested His own Form, and consoled the terrified one, the Mahâtman again assuming a gentle form.
Krishna now assumed a gentle form.
51Beholding again Thy gentle human Form, O Janârdana, I am now collected, and am restored to my own nature.
52The Blessed Lord said: This Form of Mine beholden by thee is very hard to see. Verily the Shining Ones ever long to behold this form.
Krishna said,
My form is very hard to see. The Shining Ones always want to see this form.
53Nor can I be seen as thou hast seen Me by the Vedas, nor by austerities, nor by alms, or by offerings;
I can't be seen as you have seen me by the Vedas, alms, or offerings.
54But by devotion to Me alone I may thus be perceived, Arjuna, and known and seen in essence, and entered, O Parantapa.
I can be seen only by devotion to me alone,
55He who doeth actions for Me, whose supreme good I am, My devotee, freed from attachment without hatred of any being, he cometh unto Me, O Pândava.
and those who serve me and who make me their supreme good.
This is the famous verse that J. Robert Oppenheimer is said to have quoted when the first atomic bomb exploded at the Trinity site on July 16, 1945. Here is how Oppenheimer quoted it: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
The Gita of J. Robert Oppenheimer by James A. Hijiya
