Bg. 11.23

BG 11.23

Devanagari

रूपं महत्ते बहुवक्‍त्रनेत्रं महाबाहो बहुबाहूरुपादम् । बहूदरं बहुदंष्ट्राकरालं दृष्ट्वा लोका: प्रव्यथितास्तथाहम् ॥ २३ ॥

Verse text

rūpaṁ mahat te bahu-vaktra-netraṁ mahā-bāho bahu-bāhūru-pādam bahūdaraṁ bahu-daṁṣṭrā-karālaṁ dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitās tathāham

Synonyms

rūpam the form ; mahat very great ; te of You ; bahu many ; vaktra faces ; netram and eyes ; mahā-bāho O mighty-armed one ; bahu many ; bāhu arms ; ūru thighs ; pādam and legs ; bahu-udaram many bellies ; bahu-daṁṣṭrā many teeth ; karālam horrible ; dṛṣṭvā seeing ; lokāḥ all the planets ; pravyathitāḥ perturbed ; tathā similarly ; aham I.

Translation

O mighty-armed one, all the planets with their demigods are disturbed at seeing Your great form, with its many faces, eyes, arms, thighs, legs and bellies and Your many terrible teeth; and as they are disturbed, so am I.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

23. O mighty-armed one, seeing this great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, many thighs and feet, many stomachs, fearful with many teeth, the world and I as well are filled with terror.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

23. O mighty-armed one, seeing this great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs and feet, many stomachs, fearful with many teeth, the world is filled with terror.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

This verse concludes the description of the three worlds being agitated on seeing the form. This form was ferocious (karālam) with many teeth. The rest of the verse is clear. The last phrase tathāham (I also) is connected to the next verse as the subject.

Surrender Unto Me

Now Arjuna starts to see the fear even of the demigods, he also becomes affraid. His rasa changes from wonder (adbhuta) to fear (bhaya).