Bg. 11.20

BG 11.20

Devanagari

द्यावापृथिव्योरिदमन्तरं हि व्याप्‍तं त्वयैकेन दिशश्च सर्वा: । दृष्ट्वाद्‍भुतं रूपमुग्रं तवेदं लोकत्रयं प्रव्यथितं महात्मन् ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

dyāv ā-pṛthivyor idam antaraṁ hi vyāptaṁ tvayaikena diśaś ca sarvāḥ dṛṣṭvādbhutaṁ rūpam ugraṁ tavedaṁ loka-trayaṁ pravyathitaṁ mahātman

Synonyms

dyau from outer space ; ā-pṛthivyoḥ to the earth ; idam this ; antaram between ; hi certainly ; vyāptam pervaded ; tvayā by You ; ekena alone ; diśaḥ directions ; ca and ; sarvāḥ all ; dṛṣṭvā by seeing ; adbhutam wonderful ; rūpam form ; ugram terrible ; tava Your ; idam this ; loka the planetary systems ; trayam three ; pravyathitam perturbed ; mahā-ātman O great one.

Translation

Although You are one, You spread throughout the sky and the planets and all space between. O great one, seeing this wondrous and terrible form, all the planetary systems are perturbed.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

20. The space between heaven and earth and all directions are filled with You alone. Seeing this astonishing and ferocious form of Yours, the three worlds have become terrified, O great soul.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

20. The space between heaven and earth and all directions are filled with You alone. Seeing this astonishing and ferocious form of Yours, the three worlds have become terrified, O great soul.

Purport

Dyāv ā-pṛthivyoḥ (“the space between heaven and earth”) and loka-trayam (“the three worlds”) are significant words in this verse because it appears that not only did Arjuna see this universal form of the Lord, but others in other planetary systems saw it also. Arjuna’s seeing of the universal form was not a dream. All whom the Lord endowed with divine vision saw that universal form on the battlefield.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Now that Arjuna had the proper qualification, the Lord shows him His form as time. This is described in ten verses.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

In ten verses the Lord shows His form as time, after Arjuna had attained fitness in disposition for seeing that form. The space between heaven and earth and all directions are pervaded by You alone, one form. Seeing this ferocious, astounding and unlimited form of Yours, the three worlds are agitated and fearful (pravyathitam). O shelter of all (mahātman-great soul, covering the three worlds)! It is understood that now, for seeing the war, the devas, asuras, gandharvas, kinnaras and others who were friendly or neutral had gathered. Not only Arjuna was given celestial eyes. They also were given celestial eyes by the Lord to see this form. If only Arjuna could see that form, it would have been like a sleeping person seeing chariots or other objects in a dream, while others could not see them. The Lord did this so that many others could bear witness His powers.

Surrender Unto Me

Now Arjuna is going to describe another element ‑ the disturbing element. There was 'everything situated in one place with a great effulgence', now another element is entering in ‑ it is called Krsna's 'kala rupa', or form of time which Krsna has already sais "it is the destructive element". Krsna, out of His mercy, is giving also the vision of His universal form to the demigods. They all have come to see it, they are witnessing Arjuna's great vision.