Bg. 11.51 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

अर्जुन उवाच दृष्ट्वेदं मानुषं रूपं तव सौम्यं जनार्दन । इदानीमस्मि संवृत्त: सचेता: प्रकृतिं गत: ॥ ५१ ॥

Verse text

arjuna uvāca dṛṣṭvedaṁ mānuṣaṁ rūpaṁ tava saumyaṁ janārdana idānīm asmi saṁvṛttaḥ sa-cetāḥ prakṛtiṁ gataḥ

Synonyms

arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said ; dṛṣṭvā — seeing ; idam — this ; mānuṣam — human ; rūpam — form ; tava — Your ; saumyam — very beautiful ; janārdana — O chastiser of the enemies ; idānīm — now ; asmi — I am ; saṁvṛttaḥ — settled ; sa-cetāḥ — in my consciousness ; prakṛtim — to my own nature ; gataḥ — returned.

Translation

When Arjuna thus saw Kṛṣṇa in His original form, he said: O Janārdana, seeing this humanlike form, so very beautiful, I am now composed in mind, and I am restored to my original nature.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

51. Arjuna said: O Janārdana, seeing this pleasant human form of Yours, I have regained my consciousness and have gained composure.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

51. Arjuna said: O Janārdana, seeing Your pleasant human form, I have regained my consciousness and have gained composure.

Purport

Here the words mānuṣaṁ rūpam clearly indicate the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be originally two-handed. Those who deride Kṛṣṇa as if He were an ordinary person are shown here to be ignorant of His divine nature. If Kṛṣṇa is like an ordinary human being, then how is it possible for Him to show the universal form and again to show the four-handed Nārāyaṇa form? So it is very clearly stated in Bhagavad-gītā that one who thinks that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary person and who misguides the reader by claiming that it is the impersonal Brahman within Kṛṣṇa speaking is doing the greatest injustice. Kṛṣṇa has actually shown His universal form and His four-handed Viṣṇu form. So how can He be an ordinary human being? A pure devotee is not confused by misguiding commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā because he knows what is what. The original verses of Bhagavad-gītā are as clear as the sun; they do not require lamplight from foolish commentators.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Then Arjuna, seeing the very sweet form of Kṛṣṇa, bathing in an ocean of bliss, spoke. “O Janārdana, now I have regained my consciousness (sa-cetāḥ saṁvṛttaḥ), and have gained composure (prakṛtiṁ gataḥ).”

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

Becoming peaceful and pleased, Arjuna spoke. O Janārdana, seeing Your attractive (saumyam) four-armed form, I have now become happy in mind (sa cetaḥ): I have attained (saṁvṛttaḥ) a healthy state without fear (prakṛtim). What type of form is this? It is a human form. But Kṛṣṇa is also a form of knowledge and bliss, as will be shown by later quotations from the śṛutis and smṛtis (in verse 54 commentary). Among the Yadu family and among the Pāṇḍavas, He sometimes appears with two arms and sometimes with four arms. In these two forms He is called human because of the human-like form and human-like activities. His designation as “human” has been previously discussed.