Readers will recall that in the previous chapter Lord Krishna, entreated by Arjuna, had described in the most lucid details the spheres of the phenomenal world – both sentient and insentient, where His glories were most resplendently manifest. It was a most beautiful exposition of ‘One Reality’ immanent in multiplicity of names and forms. Now, in this chapter, Arjuna wants to see all those glories of the Lord in His Cosmic-Form, just like a humble pupil demands of his teacher a practical demonstration of what he has been taught. And Lord Krishna, out of compassion for his dear disciple, obliges. This chapter presents a vivid description of the Cosmic-Form of the Lord, in a figurative language marked for its matchless literary beauty and simplicity.

The chapter opens with Arjuna acknowledging to Lord Krishna that the word of the highest secret concerning the Self, which the Lord has spoken out of compassion for him, has completely dispelled his delusion. He also acknowledges to have heard from the Lord, in great detail, the origin and destruction of beings of the universe as also the greatness of His inexhaustible glories immanent in all things and beings of the phenomenal world. Thus his intellectual curiosity has been fully satiated (v.1-2).

Yet the curious disciple in Arjuna wants to have a visual experience of the Divine Form of the Lord and as such, in utmost humility, implores Lord Krishna to show him His Imperishable Cosmic-Form, only if He thinks it possible for him to see It. Here Arjuna is a picture of humility and so, despite the keenness of his curiosity, leaves it to the Lord to decide whether he is eligible for it or not (v.3-4).

Impelled by love for Arjuna, Lord Krishna now begins to unravel His Cosmic-Form and asks him to behold His forms, all divine, by hundreds and thousands, of various shapes and colours. In the endless expansion of this Form, he can also behold all the Vedic gods like Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Ashwins and Maruts (who find mention in the last chapter also, in descriptions of the glories of the Lord) and also many wonders never seen before; he may also behold the whole universe of the moving and unmoving beings compressed as one in this Body, and also anything else he may like to see. The philosophical import of this figurative description of the Cosmic-Form is that the Supreme Self (Parmatman) is not only immanent in various names and forms of the universe but all various names and forms known as the phenomenal world exist in It alone (v.5-7).

The Lord says further to Arjuna that he will not be able to see this wonderful Form of His with his own eyes, and so He would give him a divine-vision whereby he can behold the power of His Divine Yoga. Physical eyes can perceive only physical objects and beings but in order to grasp the philosophical truth of ‘unity-in-diversity’ one needs to have a spiritual vision which Lord Krishna wants to give to Arjuna (v.8).

Thus far it has been a one-to-one dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna but now the scene suddenly shifts from the battle-field of Kurukshetra to the palace at Hastinapur where Sanjay endowed with divine vision has been making a running commentary of the happenings of the battle-ground to the Kaurava King, Dhritrashtra. Lord Krishna is busy unraveling His Cosmic-Form and Arjuna gazing this wondrous sight being too dazed for words, this scene has been introduced to fill these speechless moments in the divine dialogue. Sanjay narrates to the blind king as to how Lord Krishna, having spoken so to Arjuna, reveals to him His Divine Form full of numerous mouths and eyes, numerous wonderful sights, numerous divine ornaments, numerous divine weapons uplifted; and also wearing divine garlands and apparel, anointed with divine unguents, all-wonderful, resplendent, endless and facing all sides. The finite human intellect finds itself too short to grasp the totality of the Infinite, and so Sanjay finds this sight to be unbearable for him and compares its splendour to the radiance of a thousand Suns blazing all at once in the sky. Thus, Sanjay tells the blind king, Arjuna saw there in the body of the God of gods the whole universe with all its various parts, as if compressed into one. In the pluralistic universe of names and forms, various objects appear distinct from each other by the concept of space. In the Cosmic-Form being shown to Arjuna, the concept of space seems to have been frozen so as to enable him to see the entire pluralistic universe in a single frame. This was an unprecedented sight which Sanjay finds to be unbearable (v.9-13).

Arjuna, so far dazed and speechless, somehow recovers his composure, though still filled with wonder with his hair standing on end, bows down his head to the Lord and speaks with joined palms, “O Lord, I see all the gods in your body, and also hosts of various classes of beings; Brahma, the Lord of creation seated on lotus as also all the rishis and celestial serpents; I see You of boundless form on every side with manifold arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; O, Lord of the universe, I see neither the beginning, nor middle, nor the end of Your Cosmic-Form.” The Supreme Self is boundless without any beginning or an end, and is also the dynamic force behind all actions and perceptions – celestial or mundane. Even the Trinity of the Creator (Bramha), the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva) have their existence in It alone. The play of cosmic creation, sustenance and destruction is nothing but evolution of the Unmanifest (avyakta) into various names and forms (nama-rupa) enjoying their existence for an allotted time, and then merging back into the Unmanifest according to the settled laws of nature (prakriti). This very idea has been figuratively conveyed through these verses (v.14-16).

Arjuna says further as he beholds the Cosmic-Form, “I see Thee with Crown, Club and Discus (the insignia associated with Lord Vishnu); a mass of radiance shining on all sides and very hard to look at, all around blazing like burning fire and Sun; I find Thee to be incomprehensible.”  Howsoever hard Arjuna tries to comprehend the Cosmic-Form, ultimately he finds it to be incomprehensible since the Infinite cannot be comprehended by the finite intellect (v.17).

“You are the Imperishable, the Supreme Being worthy to be known; the great treasure-house of  this universe; the Immutable Protector of eternal Dharma; and also the Eternal Purusha, so I believe.” Though not clearly comprehensible to Arjuna, he describes the Cosmic-Form as he thinks it to be. The universe (Vishwa) is the sum-total of all our experiences at the physical, mental and intellectual levels, which become possible by the Conscious-Principle (chit) without which the universe would be blank and empty to us. Hence the Lord has been called its treasure-house. Immutable is that which never undergoes any change or modification and Purusha represents the Higher-Self of the Supreme Bing referred to earlier (chapter VII-5) in this discourse (v.18).

“I see you without beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of endless arms, the Sun and Moon as Your eyes, the burning fire as your mouth, heating the universe with Your radiance. All the space between earth and the heavens and all the quarters is filled by You alone; having seen this awful and terrible Form of Yours, the three worlds are trembling with fear, O the Supreme Soul.” The view of Infinity in its endless vastness eludes human comprehension and inspires awe and fear. Mind is the window through which we perceive the world. By saying that the three worlds are trembling with fear, Arjuna is virtually stating his own mental condition (v.19-20).

What Arjuna sees further is bound to inspire more awe and wonder. “The host of gods entering into You, some of them extolling You in fear with joined palms; ‘May it be well’ thus saying, bands of rishis and perfect-ones (siddhas) praising You with profuse prayers”. Here the process of destruction, which is a logical corollary of creation, is being unfolded. The ignorant dread it but the wise view into it only the well-being of the universe (v.21).

“The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishwadevas, Aashwins, Maruts, Ushmapas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras and Siddhas – they all are looking at You, quite astonished.”  The gods and other celestial beings mentioned here were so popular in the Vedic age when the Vedic sacrificial rites were quite in vogue, which had continued till the Mahabharata age. There is no doubt that they have lost their relevance with the passage of time and, as such, may appear strange to a modern reader (v.22)

“Having viewed Your great Form with many mouths and eyes, O Mighty-armed, with many arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs and fearsome tusks, the worlds are terrified, and so am I. On seeing You, with Your Form touching the sky, flaming in many colours, with mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart, and I find neither courage nor peace, O Vishnu!” Vishnu is known as the Lord of Preservation and it is natural for Arjuna to remember Him in his present state of mind and, as such, he seeks to pacify the Lord and prays to Him to be gracious in the following verse (v.23-24).

“Having seen Your mouths with fearsome tusks and blazing like the fires of Pralaya (the time of dissolution when all beings and objects disintegrate and dissolve into the Unmanifest), I know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace; so be gracious, O God of the gods, O Abode of the Universe.” (v.25)

But despite his prayer to pacify the Lord, he is destined to see many more wonders which unfold to him in the following verses. “I see all the sons of Dhritrashtra along with hosts of kings of the earth; Bhishma, Drona and the son of a charioteer, Karna, and also along with warrior chieftains on our side – all hastily entering Your mouths with terrible teeth and fearful to behold. Some are found sticking in the gaps between the teeth with their heads crushed into pulp.” The cosmic reality, viewed in its totality, is awful as well as repulsive as it carries in its folds both the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad, the creative and the destructive impulses of nature at work. The blood-curdling and gruesome description as we find above is a pointer to the destructive aspect of the Ultimate Reality, which is as true as its creative aspect. That is the reason why in Hindu religious tradition Shiva (the Lord of Destruction) is as much adored as Vishnu (the Lord of Preservation). The multiplicity of various names and forms must ultimately dissolve into the One from which it has sprung (v.26-27).

Arjuna’s words are quite significant in the vivid description above. The Principle-of-Destruction represented in the Cosmic-Form is not itself devouring the names and forms but they themselves are gushing into it. That is the law of nature. The multiplicity of names and forms that has arisen from the Whole, after playing its part, must rush back and merge with the Whole. This very idea finds further expression in the following two verses when Arjuna says,”Just as many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean, so these heroes of the mortal world are entering Your flaming mouths. Similarly, as moths rush hurriedly into a blazing fire for their own destruction, so also these realms of creatures are hastily rushing into Your mouths.” (v.28-29)           

‘Devouring all worlds on every side with Your flaming mouths, You are licking as if relishing in enjoyment. Your fiery rays, filling the whole world with radiance, are burning, O Vishnu.” The principle of destruction has a never-ending appetite. Whatever is created must face destruction. Thus creation and destruction are con-current phenomena in the law of nature. Destruction is not total annihilation but only a change of form or raw material for further creation. This simple truth is experienced by us in our daily life. A pot made of clay is broken and converts into raw clay without a name or form. The pot-maker uses the same raw clay to make another pot with a name and form and preserves it until it breaks again. Thus all beings, sentient and insentient, come and go in the plane of our experience and this continuity is what we experience as ‘existence’. This implication is brought out so beautifully in the concept of the Trinity of Brhma, Vishnu and Shiva so popular in the Hindu religious tradition (v.30).

Arjuna has been passing through a strange mental condition. The sight of the Cosmic-Form is terrifying to him, yet he wants to know the purpose of the Lord in showing to him such a fierce Form. So, with all humility at his command, he prays to the Lord to please and satisfy his query (v31).

Now the Lord, still in His Cosmic-Form, replies, “I am the All-Consuming-Time, now engaged in destroying the worlds. Even without you, none of the warriors arrayed in the hostile armies shall live.” The concept of time is essentially related to the law of nature. No creation is possible without a corresponding destruction of its previous condition and this end is achieved by the instrument of time, which is ruthless in its precision and execution. Human effort is but a nominal vehicle for carrying out this process. The rest is taken care of by the law of nature (v.32).

So the Lord exhorts Arjuna to stand up and obtain glory by conquering the enemies and enjoying the kingdom flourishing with riches because by Him i.e. the All-Consuming-Time they have already been killed, and as such, he has to become just an instrument. Drona, Bhishma, Jayadrath and Karna, the four invincible warriors of the Kaurava army, along with other brave warriors, already stand slain by Him. So, Arjuna need not be distressed with fear. He must fight and kill them as an instrument of the Lord and he is sure to conquer his enemies in battle. None of the warriors mentioned above have been really killed yet, as a matter of fact. What Lord Krishna is indicating to Arjuna is the course of future happenings by the inevitable law of nature, in the web of which human effort acts just like an instrument of the Divine Will. In our finite concept of time, past, present and future are distinguishable from each other but in the infinite concept, time is like a flowing stream in which the past, present and future become intermingled. It is this aspect of nature that the Lord wants to show to Arjuna (v.33-34).

The scene shifts once again to the palace of Dhritrashtra where Sanjay narrates to the blind kind as to how listening to the words of Lord Krishna, Arjuna with joined palms, trembling and prostrating, again addresses the Lord in a voice choked with emotion and himself overwhelmed with fear (v.35).

Hereafter follow a set of prayers addressed by Arjuna, in a state of complete egolessness and absolute surrender to the Lord: “Well it is, O Krishna, that the world delights and exults in the praise of Thy glories; Rakshasas (demons) fly in fear to all quarters, all hosts of Siddhas (perfect-ones) bow to Thee. And why should they not, O Great-souled one, bow to Thee, greater than all others, the Primal Cause even of Brahma (the Lord of creation), O Infinite Being, O God of gods, Thou are the Imperishable, that which transcends both the real and the unreal.” The process of creation originates from the Primal Cause, the Unmanifest. The Absolute or Brahman permeates both the real (atman) as well as the unreal (the world of objects) and also transcends both (v.36-37).

“You are the Primal God, the Ancient Purusha; You are the ultimate resort of this universe; You are the knower, the knowable, and the Abode-Supreme; by Thee is the universe pervaded, O Being of infinite forms.” Purusha is the Principle-of-Consciousness by whose contact the inert prakriti (nature) unfolds itself into the world of manifold forms. The universe springs from and enjoys existence in Brahman only. The Lord is the Knowledge Absolute and as such, the only Knower and also the object of knowledge by all seekers of Truth (v.38).

“You are Vayu (the Wind-god), Yama (the Destroyer), Agni (the Fire-god), Varuna (the Sea-god), Shashanka (the Moon), Prajapati (the Creator) and the great grandfather of all. Salutations! Salutations to You a thousand times, and again salutations to You.” These deities are representations of the manifested phenomenal powers. The Lord is the Source of all beings – celestial as well as mortal, and hence is identified with all of them (v.39).

“Salutations to You, from before and from behind, O All, salutations to You from every side; You Infinite in Power and Infinite in Prowess, pervade all, wherefore You are All.” Here the omnipotence and omnipresence of the Lord has been extolled (v.40).

Prior to this divine dialogue, Arjuna usually had taken Lord Krishna to be just a good friend born in the clan of Yadavas and behaved with Him accordingly. Now, with the realization of His divine nature, Arjuna feels overwhelmed with a variety of emotions which find expression in the following two verses.

“Whatever I have said importunately to You out of carelessness or love, addressing You as ‘O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend’ and so on, regarding You merely as a friend, unknowing of this greatness of Yours; in whatever way You have been slighted by me in jest, O Sinless One, while at play, reposing, sitting or at meals, when alone or in the presence of others – for all that I crave  forgiveness from You, the Infinite One” (v.41-42).

“You are the Father of this moving and unmoving world; You are to be adored as the greatest Teacher; there is none equal to You, not to speak of there being anybody superior to You even in the three worlds, O Lord of Incomparable Might.”  The Lord as the Primal Cause is the origin from where all the moving and unmoving realms spring. Teacher is one who shows light. The Lord, as the Principle-of-Consciousness, gives the light of consciousness to all instruments of our cognition (v.43).

The Lord is still in His Cosmic-Form which is repulsive and also terrifying to Arjuna. So he implores the Lord to please and revert to the gentle god-like form: “Therefore, bowing down, prostrating my body, I crave Your forgiveness, adorable Lord. As a father forgives his son, a friend his friend, a lover his beloved, even so You should forgive me, O God. I am delighted having seen what was never seen before, yet my mind is distressed with fear. Show me, therefore, Your gentle god-like form, have mercy, O God of gods, O Abode of the universe. I desire to see You in that form only, crowned, bearing a mace, with a discuss in hand, and having four arms, O thousand-armed, O Cosmic-Form.” The form Arjuna wants to see instantly is the traditional form of Lord Vishnu, not the form of his friend and charioteer, but in the mental condition Arjuna finds himself, this form only appears to be most consoling and benevolent (v.44-46).

Now the Lord, pleased with the prayers of Arjuna, tells him that it was out of sheer graciousness that He had shown to him, by His Yoga-power, this Cosmic-Form full of splendour, primeval, and infinite, which has never been seen before by anybody other than himself. Lord Krishna tells him further that neither by the study of the Vedas, nor by charity or rituals, nor by severe austerities can He be seen in this Form by anyone other than himself in the world of mortals. Yoga power means the Cosmic power of the Lord by which the created world of names and forms appears to be real. In Vedantic terms, it called Maya. The study of the Vedas and observance of rituals prescribed therein can help a spiritual seeker on the road to self-discovery but the final experience of the Self has to be harnessed by conscious self-effort (v.47-48).

Now the Lord has reverted to His former form and lovingly asks Arjuna not to be afraid or bewildered on seeing such a terrible form of His; with his fear dispelled and mind recomposed, he should behold again His former form as desired (v.49).       

Sanjay intervenes once again to narrate to Dhritrashtra that having thus spoken to Arjuna, Lord Krishna showed His former benevolent form again, and thus consoled the terrified Arjuna. Frequent shifting of the scene from the battle-field to the palace of Dhritrashtra, where Sanjay has been narrating to the blind king every happening including the showing of the Cosmic-Form by the Lord and destruction of Kauravas, goes only to heighten the intensity of terror struck in the heart of Dhritrashtra, yet by the force of destiny his delusion does not end. Or, as the later events showed, he was too powerless to change the course of destiny (v.50).

Thus consoled and with his fear gone, Arjuna says to Lord Krishna that having seen His gentle human-form, he feels composed and restored to his own nature. To this the Lord replies that this Form of His, which he has seen, is very hard to be seen even by gods who are ever longing to behold this Form (v.51-52).

The Cosmic-Form of the Lord is no easy experience even for gods, not to speak of men of the mortal world. Yet, by sheer Divine Grace, the Lord showed it to his friend, Arjuna. The Lord is not arbitrary in distribution of His Grace, as He says in the following two verses: “Neither by Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by charity, nor by sacrifices can I be seen in this Form as you have seen Me. But, by single-minded devotion can I, of this Form, be seen, known in essence and entered into.” Identification is the truest measure of love and the divine love in which the devotee identifies himself with the Lord is the highest from of bhakti so eloquently described time and again in the Gita. In such moments of identification with the Lord with complete detachment from the sense of ego, the devotee can visualize Him in totality and essence, and merge with Him (v.53-54).

In the concluding verse (v.55) of this high-profile chapter, Lord Krishna outlines the picture of a spiritual seeker who ultimately goes to Him. He who dedicates all his actions to the Lord, whose goal is nothing but the Lord, who is a devotee of the Lord, who is free from all attachments, and who is devoid of all enmity towards all beings, finally goes to Him. These are the five disciplines a spiritual seeker has to practice to reach his goal.