Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 52-55

 Chapter 11 verse 52-55 

“The Supreme Lord said: This form of mine that you are seeing is exceedingly difficult to behold. Even the celestial gods are eager to see it. Neither by the study of the Vedas, nor by penance, charity, or fire sacrifices, can I be seen as you have seen me.

O Arjuna, by unalloyed devotion alone can I be known as I am, standing before you. Thereby, on receiving my divine vision, O scorcher of foes, one can enter into union with me.

Those who perform all their duties for my sake, who depend upon me and are devoted to me, who are free from attachment, and are without malice toward all beings, such devotees certainly come to me.” 

Even this 2 armed form of Bhagwan Krishna in his most personalized form is not visible to mere mortal not even celestial gods. They are unable to see it even with the study of Vedas, doing fire sacrifices or by deep penance. So why is Arjuna getting to see this divine vision and how can someone see this vision? Bhagwan explains that only through deep devotion and surrender to Bhagwan, any being is able to attain Him and have divine vision. Those who perform their duties as an offering to Him, who depend on Him and Him alone, free from all and any desires and only love towards fellow beings are Krishna’s dearest devotees and they will attain Him and behold His divine form.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 51

 Chapter 11 verse 51 

“Arjuna said: O Shree Krishna, seeing your gentle human form (two-armed), I have regained my composure and my mind is restored to normal.” 

A person obtains the highest possible divine vision of the Supreme Universal entity-Bhagwan and he is terrified at that vision. There is a saying “watch what you wish for since it might come true”. As well, as long as a human being has desires for something particular in their bosom, both anger and fear take center stage. In this case, Arjuna asked for that divine cosmic form from Bhagwan Krishna not knowing what he is going to see with divine vision given to him by the Lord. He probably was expecting something more pleasing to the eye, mind and intellect. Instead he was given a vision of the stark reality of the Universe and that several of his friends and relatives were about to perish and Arjuna himself is just an instrument of all these future happenings. Also surrendering completing is important to fully accept whatever is going to come our ways. I am not sure Arjuna has fully surrendered his body, mind and intellect to Bhagwan Krishna yet. This is a huge wakeup call that it is important to be ready for His Grace and get over the hurdle and attain enlightenment when presented the opportunity. This is the classic saying that great things happen when opportunity meets readiness. Let us all be ready for his GRACE!!!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 50

 Chapter 11 verse 50 

“Sanjay said: Having spoken thus, the compassionate son of vasudeva displayed his personal (four-armed) form again. Then, he further consoled the frightened Arjun by assuming his gentle (two-armed) form.” 

Divine cosmic grand form of Bhagwan Krishna was too frightening and majestic for Arjuna to comprehend and feel safe and devotional. Hence upon his request and deep compassion towards his friend and devotee, Bhagwan transitions first  to the 4 armed Bhagwan Krishna form which is still worshipped by the devout and the pious and quickly comes back to the 2 armed Krishna who Arjuna is used to seeing. The 2 armed Krishna is Arjuna’s friend, cousin and fellow warrior. Sanatana dharma understands the psychology of the being and offers various ways to know and reach Almighty. Both the form and formless are contained in the monotheistic parabrahmam (Supreme Being) displayed in polytheistic ways to the world of beings. The different forms and even the formless are just manifestations of the body, mind, intellect of the being but the individual soul still resides as part of the Supreme Soul albeit might take eons to merge with that Supreme Being.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 49

 Chapter 11 verse 49 

“Be neither afraid nor bewildered on seeing this terrible form of mine. Be free from fear and with a cheerful heart, behold me once again in my personal form.” 

Arjuna is being reassured by Bhagwan not to be afraid or bewildered by His cosmic form and that he afforded this vision of His not to scare him but to bless him with Grace not easily obtained by mere mortals. Fear and anger are two sides of the coin originating from expectations and association of the soul with the body and mind. Arjuna had a particular expectation of the divine cosmic form and was not expecting to see a dreadful form. Expectation of particular happening in future is root cause of fear or anger. Bhagwan shows immense compassion towards Arjuna to help him overcome his fear and inhibitions to prod forward on this path to righteous karma uploading Dharma.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary Chapter 11 verse 48

 Chapter 11 verse 48 

“Not by study of the Vedas, nor by the performance of sacrifice, rituals, or charity, nor even by practicing severe austerities, has any mortal ever seen what you have seen, O best of the Kuru warriors.” 

We discussed that there are 2 forms of energy of Bhagwan-material and spiritual energy. All His creation is from his material energy and the laws of karma are valid for the entire material realm. All our good actions such as studying the Vedas, living by the Vedas, performing action according to Dharma etc., would lend us merit in the material world according to the karma phala (fruits of those actions). Karma phala itself is orchestrated justly by Bhagwan. However, gaining entry into the spiritual energy realm happens only by His Grace. Therefore Bhagwan states that His divine cosmic form was visible to Arjuna only due to His infinite Grace. This form is not available for any other mortal.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 47

 Chapter 11 verse 47 

“The Blessed Lord said: Arjuna, being pleased with you, by my Yogamaya power, I gave you a vision of my resplendent, unlimited, and primeval cosmic form. No one before you has ever seen it.” 

Arjuna is being reassured by Bhagwan that disclosing and displaying the universal cosmic form of Lord is not a punishment meted out to Arjuna for which he needs to be fearful but it is His Grace to show him this form which none have seen before him. Arjuna did not get this vision just because he was Krishna’s friend in this lifetime. He has done severe penance in multiple life times to get to this stage of receiving His cosmic vision. However even with the gift of the vision, Arjuna required wherewithal of absorbing this vision. This shows how difficult it is to attain complete control of our senses and mind. Ways of laws of karma are complex indeed. The reason behind every action of the paramatma is inexplicable but only for the benefit of the Universe. ALWAYS!

How will you measure your life? A Book Excerpt and ode to a great person

 

How will you measure your life by Clayton M. Christensen

Book Excerpt

Clayton, who recently passed away in early 2020 was a leading innovations expert and professor at Harvard Business School and a fairly successful entrepreneur. However the most endearing aspect of Clayton is that he is a long term devoted member of a community for which I have deep respect due to the amazingly committed and awesome people it has brought forth. In order to aid in answering the question of “How to measure one’s life”, 3 basic questions are being asked by Clayton and his co-authors.

1.      How to be successful and happy in your career?

2.      How can my relationships with my spouse, children, and extended family and close friends become an enduring source of happiness?

3.      How to live a life of integrity and stay out of jail?

To answer 1, Clayton calls out the theory of motivation by Fredrick Herzberg, who distinguishes hygiene factors at work such as status, compensation, job security, company politics, working conditions etc., and motivating factors such as meaningful work, development opportunity, learning new things, recognition and achievement, additional responsibilities.  In the quest for a combination of motivating and hygiene factors to determine the right career, it is advised to remain flexible about any emerging opportunities or strategy and not stick to the first career strategy one embarks on. 93% of companies fail in their original strategy and succeed in what they attempt next if they still have resources and capital left to address the new and emergent strategy. Likewise it is important to stay open to new developments in our careers as well when the combination of motivating and hygiene factors meet up. The real strategy for a company or your own life is NOT what one says it is but where one employs all their resources and energies into.

To answer 2, we need to be able to answer the question- what job does my spouse or children most needs me to do? Once we realize the answer to that question, we need to be able to invest all our energies in doing that even if that is not what we like to do or is our priority. One may think that by sacrificing this way, one will be unhappy but contrary to that, this is the shortest way to happiness. Begin with the question “What job needs to get done for the other person”. This is very similar to business question of “what is the problem customer wants solved?” As parents, all of us want to provide our children infinite opportunities and resources at their beck and call. Instead what is being signified is to provide capabilities. Capability is defined as the sum total of resources, processes and priorities. Children need to do more than learn new skills. The theory of capabilities suggests they need to be challenged. When you find yourself providing more and more experiences that are not giving children an opportunity to be deeply engaged, one is not equipping them with the processes they need to succeed in the future. They will learn when they are ready to learn and when the time is right, you need to be there to shape their priorities and their lives.  What “schools of experience” do our children go through as enabling processes to develop the capability and in the area of their priority to develop? Coping with a difficult individual in their lives, failing in sports, learning to navigate complex cliques at school, dealing with bullying and doing the right thing-all become “courses” in the school of experience. Usually people who don’t succeed in particular roles in their career or life are due to not been prepared with previous “courses” taken to prepare them for that particular challenge. How do we prepare children to go out in the world and live their lives best way possible? The best way is to instill the family values growing up and being consistent with it throughout that it becomes second nature for them.

To answer 3, we need to avoid the trap of marginal thinking? Why would doing this just once is a bad idea? As in business decisions made on marginal thinking, the only way to avoid consequences of uncomfortable moral concessions in life is to never start making them in the first place.

Life will be well lived when lived with a purpose. What are the 3 tenets of purpose? Likeness- the person one wants to become, Commitment (to that likeness) and finding the right metric to measure that likeness. Being clear on the measurement is also important to evaluating how successful one has been in living their purpose.  This is a great book for anyone who has a passion for something and also searching for meaning in their lives. Others who have arrived can also validate what they know with the easy to understand principles articulated in this easy read. It took me 3 years to finally get to finish my first read of this book. Something tells me I might get back to another read a few years later.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 46

 Chapter 11 verse 46 

“O thousand-armed one, though you are the embodiment of all creation, I wish to see you in your four-armed form, carrying the mace and disc, and wearing the crown.” 

Today is Bhagavat Gita Jayanti, Vaikunta Ekadashi and also happens to be the birth date of Jesus Christ. An auspicious day and date for Arjuna to request to see the 4 armed vision of Shree Krishna with his mace, disc, conch and crown. We have a very lovely gita stoopa in Bentonville, Arkansas and are celebrating Gita Jayanti and Vaikunta Ekadashi today in our temple here. This morning we got the divya darshan of chathurbuja Krishna in all splendor and reading Arjuna’s request after that feels like a huge blessing. I personally feel like Sree Krishna is blessing us with his cosmic form the same way he blessed his beloved Arjuna with his brilliant form. Reading this sloka today is a blessing for me. Bhagwan’s grace is infinite and we are just a speck in his creation.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 45

 Chapter 11 verse 45 

“Having seen your universal form that I had never seen before, I feel great joy. And yet, my mind trembles with fear. Please have mercy on me and again show me your pleasing form, O God of gods, O abode of the universe.” 

Arjuna it is said in Srimad Bhagavatam in his previous life was the accomplished sage Nara and who along with sage Narayana, who in this avatar is Bhagwan himself-Krishna used to do deep penance in Badarika ashram in Himalayas and gathered a lot of merit over thousands of years. Arjuna does not remember his connection with Bhagwan from his previous lives while Bhagwan ofcourse remembers everything. Arjuna in this life doesn’t remember since he has a particular purpose to fulfill in this life and remembering his past life was not going to help accomplish those tasks. Arjuna has mixed feelings about seeing the Universal Cosmic form of Bhagwan who hitherto he has seen as only his friend Krishna. The mind usually wants to relegate its experience to what it is used to and comfortable with. Hence here Arjuna is asking Bhagwan to revert to his original form as seen so far by Arjuna. The big question is what is His original form? What the levels of devotion from a devotee? What are the different emotions which well up in their mind and intellect for the object of their devotion? What is the highest form of devotion? I am going to again quote Swami Mukundananda’s commentary verbatim. 

There are two kinds of bhakti—aiśhwarya bhakti and mādhurya bhakti. Aiśhwarya bhakti is that where the devotee is motivated to engage in devotion by contemplating upon the almighty aspect of God. The dominant sentiment in aiśhwarya bhakti is of awe and reverence. In such devotion, the feeling of remoteness from God and the need for maintaining propriety of conduct is always perceived. Examples of aiśhwarya bhakti are the residents of Dwaraka and the residents of Ayodhya, who worshipped Shree Krishna and Lord Ram respectively as their kings. Ordinary citizens are highly respectful and obedient toward their king, although they never feel intimate with him. 

Mādhurya bhakti is that where the devotee feels an intimate personal relationship with God. The dominant sentiment in such devotion is “Shree Krishna is mine and I am his.” Examples of mādhurya bhakti are the cowherd boys of Vrindavan who loved Krishna as their friend, Yashoda and Nanda baba, who loved Krishna as their child, and the gopīs who loved him as their beloved. Mādhurya bhakti is infinitely sweeter than aiśhwarya bhakti. 

“The divine bliss of God is immensely sweet in all his forms. Yet, there is a gradation in it—the bliss of his Dwaraka pastimes is sweet, the bliss of his Mathura pastimes is sweeter, and the bliss of his Braj pastimes is the sweetest.” 

In Mādhurya bhakti, forgetting the almightiness of God, devotees establish four kinds of relationships with Shree Krishna: 

Dāsya bhāv—Shree Krishna is our Master and I am his servant. The devotion of Shree Krishna’s personal servants, such as Raktak, Patrak, etc. was in dāsya bhāv. The sentiment that God is our Father or Mother is a variation of dāsya bhāv and is included in it. 

Sakhya bhāv—Shree Krishna is our Friend and I am his intimate companion. The devotion of the cowherd boys of Vrindavan, such as Shreedama, Madhumangal, Dhansukh, Mansukh, etc. was in sakhya bhāv. 

Vātsalya bhāv—Shree Krishna is our Child and I am his parent. The devotion of Yashoda and Nand baba was in vātsalya bhāv. 

Mādhurya bhāv—Shree Krishna is our Beloved and I am his lover. The devotion of the gopīs of Vrindavan was in mādhurya bhāv. 

Arjuna is a sakhya bhāv devotee and relishes a fraternal relationship with the Lord. On seeing the universal form of God, Arjuna experienced tremendous awe and reverence, and yet he longed for the sweetness of sakhya bhāv that he was used to savoring. Hence, he prays to Shree Krishna to hide the almighty form that he is now seeing and again show his human form.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 44

 Chapter 11 verse 44 

“Therefore, O adorable Lord, bowing deeply and prostrating before you, I implore you for your grace. As a father tolerates his son, a friend forgives his friend, and a lover pardons the beloved, please forgive me for my offences.” 

There are 2 lessons to be learnt from this sloka. One is that Arjuna is asking for forgiveness for his behavior with his dear friend Krishna thinking that he was his friend, cousin and fellow royal. He does not need to apologize but he is asking for forgiveness from a feeling of deep gratitude and devotion. The lesson to be learnt in the 1^st instance is devotion and genuine love trumps all other emotions and the Lord enjoys that pure affection. The 2^nd lesson is that instead of regretting behavior towards fellow beings, why cannot we treat all of them as divine in their souls and behave appropriately as one would behave with Bhagwan. Interacting amongst all beings with love, affection and empathy will ensure we will not regret our behavior ever.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 43

 Chapter 11 verse 43 

“You are the father of the entire universe, of all moving and non-moving beings. You are the most deserving of worship and the supreme spiritual master. When there is none equal to you in all the three worlds, then who can possibly be greater than you, O possessor of incomparable power?” 

Arjuna is able to conclude and realize that Bhagwan Krishna is indeed the creator or originator of the Universe and hence the father and mother of all beings both sentient and insentient. He is the Guru of gurus, master of masters. There is no greater number than infinity and there is no greater person or being than paramatma. Arjuna realizes that words cannot describe the greatness of Supreme Being who stood before him.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 41-42

 Chapter 11 verse 41-42 

“Thinking of you as my friend, I presumptuously addressed you as, “O Krishna,” “O Yadav,” “O my dear mate.” I was ignorant of your majesty, showing negligence and undue affection. And if, jestfully, I treated you with disrespect, while playing, resting, sitting, eating, when alone, or before others—for all that I crave forgiveness” 

Arjuna reflect now on all the times he has not realized that his playmate, friend, cousin, confidant etc., is indeed the Bhagwan of the Universe. He is asking for skhama prathana (prayer of repentance and pardon). Arjuna thinks he has wronged Krishna Bhagwan since he treated him as his equal. This attitude shows his surrender to the cosmic form Krishna is exhibiting and his realization of how grand his so called charioteer is indeed. Don’t we all have this happen in our lives? We demand great things from the Supreme Lord as if He is here to do only our biding. However Bhagwan loves it if we develop this intimate relationship however without expectations of quid pro quo. True devotion does not come forth unless there is surrender of the ego within us. Drop that and we can merge with Him.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 40

 Chapter 11 verse 40 

“O Lord of infinite power, my salutations to you from the front and the rear, indeed from all sides! You possess infinite valor and might and pervade everything, and thus, you are everything.” 

Arjuna praises sincerely Bhagwan Krishna and realizes that he should be worshipped from all sides and pervades all space and ether. All his glories are infinite and limitless and He is in and is everything.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 39

Chapter 11 verse 39 

“You are Vāyu (the god of wind), Yamraj (the god of death), Agni (the god of fire), Varuṇ (the god of water), and Chandra (the moon-God). You are the creator Brahma, and the great-grandfather of all beings. I offer my salutations unto you a thousand times, again and yet again!” 

Finally I feel that Arjuna has internalized the teaching of Bhagwan Krishna and showing his understanding of what Krishna himself uttered earlier in the Bhagavat Gita. He had stated that all the celestial gods also pray to him and any prayers towards these celestial gods also go to the paramatma alone. Just like we show gratitude to our ancestors for bringing us to this earth, wouldn’t we show faith and reverence to the One who brought our ancestors to life? Arjuna is exhibiting that reverence and realization.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 38

 Chapter 11 verse 38 

“You are the primeval God and the original Divine Personality; you are the sole resting place of this universe. You are both the knower and the object of knowledge; you are the Supreme Abode. O possessor of infinite forms, you alone pervade the entire universe.” 

Nature’s laws states that there is a cause for every effect and without the cause, there is no effect. Hence everything originates from something. If we trace it all the way back, the only entity which doesn’t have a cause, beginning or end is the Supreme Being. Think of it as Vishnu, Krishna, Shiva or Jaganmata, the Universe or multi-verse started from that paramatma where the whole genesis of all creation started. Therefore pure knowledge exists in the Supreme cosmic form of Bhagwan. Whatever there is to know-“Veda is to know”, is known first by Bhagwan and that knowledge is imparted to all his material creation which is all of us. Arjuna also says that Supreme Being is the ultimate abode or destination and is both formless and contains all known and perceivable forms. He is omnipresent, omniscient and transcends time and space.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 37

 Chapter 11 verse 37 

“O Great one, who are even greater than Brahma, the original creator, why should they not bow to you? O limitless One, O Lord of the devatās, O Refuge of the universe, you are the imperishable reality beyond both the manifest and the non-manifest.” 

Arjuna has switched completely to realizing that his charioteer is none other than the Supreme Lord of the Universe. So he is not puzzled why all beings who were creations from his material energy bow down to Him. Arjuna realizes that He is the imperishable one and even though He is the cause of both the spiritual and material energy as well as the entire multi-verse, He is not contained in his creation. Describing Bhagawan is like trying to describe infinity. It is in describable and beyond comprehension.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 36

 Chapter 11 verse 36 

“Arjuna said: O Master of the senses, it is but apt that the universe rejoices in giving you praise and is enamored by you. Demons flee fearfully from you in all directions and the hosts of perfected saints bow to you.” 

After Krishna’s big reveal about his true cosmic form, Arjuna initially trembles with awe, some fear and excitement all combined. After he recovers from those emotions, deep devotion pervades his mortal self and he effuses in the praise of the Supreme Lord standing before him. He says that the whole world rejoices in His presence, wicked minded fear him but naturally and the wise and pious revere him constantly.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 35

 Chapter 11 verse 35 

“Sanjaya said: Hearing these words of Keshava, Arjuna trembled with dread. With palms joined, he bowed before Shree Krishna and spoke in a faltering voice, overwhelmed with fear.” 

Arjuna’s existential reality is shaken to the core since he has just been told that he is not the doer of all the action and is just an instrument and the near future has been foretold to him by Krishna and that’s a lot to take for Arjuna. He is overwhelmed with multiple emotions but the most obvious one is that of fear and awe that he does not fully realize who is around him and what is happening. He does not control anything much. It can be a very depressing feeling while thought of correctly could be a great relief. What comes to Arjuna’s mind after this BIG REVEAL?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 34

 Chapter 11 verse 34 

“Dronacharya, Bheeshma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other brave warriors have already been killed by me. So slay them without being disturbed. Just fight and you will be victorious over your enemies in battle.” 

What more does a person want that the Supreme Being Himself is providing highest life insurance policy to Arjuna. He is stating in unequivocal terms that the result of this war is going to be in Arjuna’s favor and all his enemies will be killed even though the odds of their death was very low to begin with. Since they were all bestowed with great valor, power and blessings by various celestial gods, it would have been difficult to vanquish them in any battle until the Kurushetra war where the tables were turned due to the presence of the Divine on Arjuna and pandava’s side. Where there is dharma, there is victory! To his credit, Arjuna was never afraid of going to war and that he will be killed or defeated, he was just not sure the utility of this war and killing of his own relatives and friends. What will be Arjuna’s response to this?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 33

 Chapter 11 verse 33 

“Therefore, arise and attain honor! Conquer your foes and enjoy prosperous rulership. These warriors stand already slain by me, and you will only be an instrument of my work, O expert archer.” 

Arjuna was a highly accomplished warrior of his times. He could wield the bow with dexterity in either hand. Even then, faced with the dilemma of killing his own kith and kin in a battlefield, he is confused about what to do. Bhagwan is advising him to do his duty of fighting the war he is destined to win with Grace of Krishna and enjoy the consequences of the victory-kingdom and fame. He further says that Arjuna is “nimmitha maatram-only an instrument of His work”. All the orchestration is happening from Him-Supreme Lord. Are we all not the instrument of His will? Infinite glories are awaiting us if we do His bidding in our lives. Instead we get distracted and keep second guessing what we are supposed to do with our lives. Living life as ordained by Him is the only thing for us to do.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 32

 Chapter 11 verse 32 

“The Supreme Lord said: I am mighty Time, the source of destruction that comes forth to annihilate the worlds. Even without your participation, the warriors arrayed in the opposing army shall cease to exist.” 

In response to the question posed by Arjuna in the earlier verse on who Krishna really was, what was his true form, Bhagwan answers that he is purveyor of time, source of all creation, preservation and destruction. Time and tide wait for none is the saying. What has been destined due to laws of the universe and karma of the individual beings will come to pass even without other actors involved. Numerous warriors are supposed to die in this kurushetra war whether Arjuna kills them or not. Then why should Arjuna himself kill them?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 31

 Chapter 11 verse 31 

“Tell me who you are, so fierce of form. O God of gods, I bow before you; please bestow your mercy on me. You, who existed before all creation, I wish to know who you are, for I do not comprehend your nature and workings.” 

Having seen the universal and cosmic form of Bhagwan encompassing all beings, time and space, Arjuna is shaken to his core and wasn’t expecting this huge and infinite a vision. Now he pleads to Bhagwan who realizes is not anymore a mere mortal but the Lord of Lords of the universe to show him the real nature and workings of this divine supreme being. Arjuna pretty much asks again-who are you really?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 30

 Chapter 11 verse 30 

“With your fiery tongues you are licking up the hosts of living beings on all sides and devouring them with your blazing mouths. O Vishnu, you are scorching the entire universe with the fierce, all-pervading rays of your effulgence.” 

Arjuna is getting a vision of future happenings where both his enemies and even several of his allies are going to be dying and entering the next phase of their journey with paramatma. Arjuna is seeing the destructive part of the Supreme Being who also plays the role of creator and preserver. Why is the Lord providing this vision to Arjuna? It could be to shake him out of inaction and instill either the thought that he is not the doer or if he doesn’t execute his duty of winning the war and restoring dharma back in bharata varsha, he is not going to reap the merits of his current life. Bhagwan being ever kind and compassionate does not practice punitive action but reminding him to do his duty of fighting a righteous battle since all beings born on earth have to die anyways. It is his duty to restore dharma for that particular time.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 28-29

 Chapter 11 verse 28-29 

“As many waves of the rivers flowing rapidly into the ocean so are all these great warriors entering into your blazing mouths. As moths rush with great speed into the fire to perish, so are all these armies entering with great speed into your mouths.” 

Arjuna asked to be shown the cosmic form and He is seeing His form with the divine vision afforded by the Lord Himself. Why is he getting this vision though? Arjuna has a role to play in this kurushetra war and in that he is supposed to kill his own cousins, close relatives, teacher and other elders he grew up respecting and revering. He is also supposed to fight and kill various kings who might have been friendly to Him personally in the past. I feel the Lord is offering this vision of all the kings and great men entering Krishna’s wide mouth rapidly and even violently to drive home the point that Arjuna is NOT the DOER and these men who are standing before Arjuna are doomed to perish anyways. As well, there is a greater philosophy in these slokas that everything ultimately merges with the Supreme consciousness. The jiva atma merges with the paramatma eventually. Just like all the rivers constantly merge into the ocean, all the individual souls merge with the Supreme Soul. As well, we get to see moths being attracted to the fire even though it will kill them since brightness is what is sought by them. Likewise all beings who are born on this earth ultimately seek permanent bliss and hence seek the Supreme consciousness whether they are aware of that concept or not due to the Bhagwan’s maya.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 26-27

 Chapter 11 verse 26-27 

“I see all the sons of Dhritarashtra, along with their allied kings, including Bheeshma, Dronacharya, Karna, and also the generals from our side, rushing headlong into your fearsome mouths. I see some with their heads smashed between your terrible teeth.” 

Since Sri Krishna is the controller of time and space, all realms of time are contained in Him. Past, present and future happenings are evident to Him and now Arjuna gets a glimpse of those happenings. Thus Arjuna sees that all the warriors on both sides are entering his mouth and getting crushed to destruction of this body form. This is a symbolic representation of the merging of the body into His cosmic form and that this body is very temporary. Destruction is a given for anything created in this universe. The permanent aspect is the immutable soul of each being. Earlier in Bhagavat Gita, Krishna goads Arjuna to kill his opponents since they are already dead whether Arjuna kills them or not.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 25

 Chapter 11 verse 25 

“O Bhagwan, having seen your many mouths bearing your terrible teeth, resembling the raging fire at the time of annihilation, I forget where I am and do not know where to go. O Lord of lords, you are the shelter of the universe; please have mercy on me.” 

Arjuna has lost his bearings having witnessed the cosmic form of Bhagwan Krishna with infinite mouths, teeth and the raging fire of destruction at the time of dissolution of the universe. He was not expecting this form of His hitherto cousin and friend and feels lost, directionless and disoriented. He is asking for mercy from Bhagwan thinking that Krishna is angry with him for some reason or other. What should be our relationship with almighty-one of fear and trepidation or love and devotion? How does one get from fear to love for God? God is our friend, fellow traveler in our lives and protector of dharma. One who follows dharma and lives a righteous life doesn’t need to fear almighty. God loves everyone of His creation. There is nothing to fear!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 24

 Chapter 11 verse 24 

“O Lord Vishnu, seeing your form touching the sky, effulgent in many colors, with mouths wide open and enormous blazing eyes, my heart is trembling with fear. I have lost all courage and peace of mind.” 

Arjuna having realized that his cousin, lifelong friend and now his charioteer is indeed Bhagwan Vishnu Himself. So the love and affection he had for Krishna as his friend and close relative has now turned into fear of the Lord of the Universe. This happened in all Krishna’s interactions with Yashoda, Devaki, Vasudeva, cowherds of Brindavan etc. Therefore Krishna had to use his maya to restore back their ignorance of who Krishna really was so he can get on with his avatar. Arjuna describes here the massive, infinite form of Sri Krishna, multi colored, huge mouth open, enormous eyes and this form makes Arjuna tremble with uncertainty and fear that he knows that the person who he dearly asked to be his charioteer is in fact the Lord of the Universe and Supreme Being!. This fact drains all of Arjuna’s courage and mental stability. This aspect of knowing Divine avatars among the contemporaries of the avatars has happened time and again in our sanatana dharma history. All the way from dashavatars to Shirdi Sai Baba, Satya Sai Baba, Kanchi Mahaperiyava etc.,

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 23

 Chapter 11 verse 23 

“O mighty Lord, in veneration of your magnificent form with its many mouths, eyes, arms, thighs, legs, stomachs, and terrifying teeth, all the worlds are terror-stricken, and so am I.” 

In the srimad bhagavatam, when prahlada calls out to Bhagwan Vishnu to prove that he is omnipresent, Vishnu in the form of narasimha avatar appears before everyone and most of the people around him are morbidly terrified with his form. However prahlada is able to approach him with complete devotion and love even though he was such a young boy. It is the strength of the faith and surrender in us which will qualify to have the vishwaroopa darshan (divine vision of the cosmic form of Bhagwan) without trepidation. Arjuna in this verse describes that Bhagwan’s grand standing image contains countless arms, legs, stomach, eyes, thighs, mouths and all forms of teeth. A normal human will find it difficult to comprehend this form and that’s why so many legends in countless cultures around the world depict monsters in quasi human form with multiple body parts and/or gruesome forms. In this case, Bhagwan is showing that all beings are included within Him and that could be a terrifying thought for many but assuring view for a few strong and faithful devotees.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 22

 Chapter 11 verse 22 

“The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvadevas, Ashwini Kumaras, Marutas, ancestors, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas are all beholding you in wonder.” 

In sandhya vandanam ritual stipulated to worship the sun and to remind ourselves of the inherent supreme consciousness in all of us, there is a sloka which says that just like all water from rains, ponds, lakes and rivers merge into the ocean eventually, all prayers end up for Supreme Brahman. Likewise Arjuna here talks about that all the gods and various beings including our ancestor and the best of us (siddhas) all look up to the Supreme Lord and pray to Him. Arjuna is able to view that all their prayers and reverence are for the Supreme Lord whose vision he is receiving through His Grace!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 21

 Chapter 11 verse 21 

“All the celestial gods are taking your shelter by entering into you. In awe, some are praising you with folded hands. The great sages and perfected beings are extolling you with auspicious hymns and profuse prayers.” 

Arjuna is describing the time transcending form of Supreme Being. In that all beings eventually merge into Him including the celestial gods who are righteous and praise his glories or who fear Him for consequences of their actions. As well, the great sages and exalted/enlightened beings are also singing His praises and hymns and enter into His cosmic form transcending time.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 20

Chapter 11 verse 20 

“The space between heaven and earth and all the directions are pervaded by you alone. Seeing your wondrous and terrible form, I see the three worlds trembling in fear, O Greatest of all beings.” 

The whole universe is pervaded by him and Him alone. The world is trembling in the fear of the consequences of wrong actions. The consequence of wrong action is dictated by Supreme Being and according to the laws of karma is executed with Grace, impartiality and justice. There is nothing to fear nature’s laws if we adhere to Dharma and do the right thing. Fear is always of the unknown. If our conscience is centered towards Supreme consciousness, there is no need to fear any consequences.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 11 verse 19

Chapter 11 verse 19 

“You are without beginning, middle, or end; your power has no limits. Your arms are infinite; the sun and the moon are like your eyes, and fire is like your mouth. I see you warming the entire creation by your radiance.” 

Arjuna describes again that Krishna has no beginning, middle or end and is infinite in space, time and powers. He is only describing poetically within the limits of language what he is witnessing and therefore he is comparing the radiant eyes of the Lord as Sun and Moon whereas those bodies in the solar system is just a speck in the entire cosmos over which Krishna rules over. The warmth for earth which keeps all the beings alive and well is coming from the warmth of the cosmic form and He is providing vital energies such as heat, air, water etc., due to His Grace.