Bg 11.55

mat-karma-krn mat-paramo
mad-bhaktah sanga-varjitah
nirvairah sarva-bhutesu
yah sa mam eti pandava

Word for word: 
mat-karma-krt — engaged in doing My work; mat-paramah — considering Me the Supreme; mat-bhaktah — engaged in My devotional service; sanga-varjitah — freed from the contamination of fruitive activities and mental speculation; nirvairah — without an enemy; sarva-bhutesu — among all living entities; yah — one who; sah — he; mam — unto Me; eti — comes; pandava — O son of Pandu.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Anyone who wants to approach the supreme of all the Personalities of Godhead, on the Krishnaloka planet in the spiritual sky, and be intimately connected with the Supreme Personality, Krishna, must take this formula, as stated by the Supreme Himself. Therefore, this verse is considered to be the essence of Bhagavad-gita. The Bhagavad-gita is a book directed to the conditioned souls, who are engaged in the material world with the purpose of lording it over nature and who do not know of the real, spiritual life. The Bhagavad-gita is meant to show how one can understand his spiritual existence and his eternal relationship with the supreme spiritual personality and to teach one how to go back home, back to Godhead. Now here is the verse which clearly explains the process by which one can attain success in his spiritual activity: devotional service.

As far as work is concerned, one should transfer his energy entirely to Krishna conscious activities. As stated in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.255),

anasaktasya visayan
yatharham upayunjatah
nirbandhah Krishna-sambandhe
yuktam vairagyam ucyate

No work should be done by any man except in relationship to Krishna. This is called Krishna-karma. One may be engaged in various activities, but one should not be attached to the result of his work; the result should be done only for Him. For example, one may be engaged in business, but to transform that activity into Krishna consciousness, one has to do business for Krishna. If Krishna is the proprietor of the business, then Krishna should enjoy the profit of the business. If a businessman is in possession of thousands and thousands of dollars, and if he has to offer all this to Krishna, he can do it. This is work for Krishna. Instead of constructing a big building for his sense gratification, he can construct a nice temple for Krishna, and he can install the Deity of Krishna and arrange for the Deity’s service, as is outlined in the authorized books of devotional service. This is all Krishna-karma. One should not be attached to the result of his work, but the result should be offered to Krishna, and one should accept as prasadam the remnants of offerings to Krishna. If one constructs a very big building for Krishna and installs the Deity of Krishna, one is not prohibited from living there, but it is understood that the proprietor of the building is Krishna. That is called Krishna consciousness. If, however, one is not able to construct a temple for Krishna, one can engage himself in cleansing the temple of Krishna; that is also Krishna-karma. One can cultivate a garden. Anyone who has land – in India, at least, any poor man has a certain amount of land – can utilize that for Krishna by growing flowers to offer Him. One can sow tulasi plants, because tulasi leaves are very important and Krishna has recommended this in Bhagavad-gita. Patram puspam phalam toyam. Krishna desires that one offer Him either a leaf, or a flower, or fruit, or a little water – and by such an offering He is satisfied. This leaf especially refers to the tulasi. So one can sow tulasi and pour water on the plant. Thus, even the poorest man can engage in the service of Krishna. These are some of the examples of how one can engage in working for Krishna.

The word mat-paramah refers to one who considers the association of Krishna in His supreme abode to be the highest perfection of life. Such a person does not wish to be elevated to the higher planets such as the moon or sun or heavenly planets, or even the highest planet of this universe, Brahmaloka. He has no attraction for that. He is only attracted to being transferred to the spiritual sky. And even in the spiritual sky he is not satisfied with merging into the glowing brahma-jyotir effulgence, for he wants to enter the highest spiritual planet, namely Krishnaloka, Goloka Vrndavana. He has full knowledge of that planet, and therefore he is not interested in any other. As indicated by the word mad-bhaktah, he fully engages in devotional service, specifically in the nine processes of devotional engagement: hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering prayers, carrying out the orders of the Lord, making friends with Him, and surrendering everything to Him. One can engage in all nine devotional processes, or eight, or seven, or at least in one, and that will surely make one perfect.

The term sanga-varjitah is very significant. One should disassociate himself from persons who are against Krishna. Not only are the atheistic persons against Krishna, but so also are those who are attracted to fruitive activities and mental speculation. Therefore the pure form of devotional service is described in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.1.11) as follows:

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena Krishnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama

In this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami clearly states that if anyone wants to execute unalloyed devotional service, he must be freed from all kinds of material contamination. He must be freed from the association of persons who are addicted to fruitive activities and mental speculation. When, freed from such unwanted association and from the contamination of material desires, one favorably cultivates knowledge of Krishna, that is called pure devotional service. Anukulyasya sankalpah pratikulyasya varjanam (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 11.676). One should think of Krishna and act for Krishna favorably, not unfavorably. Kamsa was an enemy of Krishna’s. From the very beginning of Krishna’s birth, Kamsa planned in so many ways to kill Him, and because he was always unsuccessful, he was always thinking of Krishna. Thus while working, while eating and while sleeping, he was always Krishna conscious in every respect, but that Krishna consciousness was not favorable, and therefore in spite of his always thinking of Krishna twenty-four hours a day, he was considered a demon, and Krishna at last killed him. Of course anyone who is killed by Krishna attains salvation immediately, but that is not the aim of the pure devotee. The pure devotee does not even want salvation. He does not want to be transferred even to the highest planet, Goloka Vrndavana. His only objective is to serve Krishna wherever he may be.

A devotee of Krishna is friendly to everyone. Therefore it is said here that he has no enemy (nirvairah). How is this? A devotee situated in Krishna consciousness knows that only devotional service to Krishna can relieve a person from all the problems of life. He has personal experience of this, and therefore he wants to introduce this system, Krishna consciousness, into human society. There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord who risked their lives for the spreading of God consciousness. The favorite example is Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified by the nondevotees, but he sacrificed his life for spreading God consciousness. Of course, it would be superficial to understand that he was killed. Similarly, in India also there are many examples, such as Thakura Haridasa and Prahlada Maharaja. Why such risk? Because they wanted to spread Krishna consciousness, and it is difficult. A Krishna conscious person knows that if a man is suffering it is due to his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Krishna. Therefore, the highest benefit one can render to human society is relieving one’s neighbor from all material problems. In such a way, a pure devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord. Now, we can imagine how merciful Krishna is to those engaged in His service, risking everything for Him. Therefore it is certain that such persons must reach the supreme planet after leaving the body.

In summary, the universal form of Krishna, which is a temporary manifestation, and the form of time which devours everything, and even the form of Visnu, four-handed, have all been exhibited by Krishna. Thus Krishna is the origin of all these manifestations. It is not that Krishna is a manifestation of the original visva-rupa, or Visnu. Krishna is the origin of all forms. There are hundreds and thousands of Visnus, but for a devotee no form of Krishna is important but the original form, two-handed Syamasundara. In the Brahma-samhita it is stated that those who are attached to the Syamasundara form of Krishna in love and devotion can see Him always within the heart and cannot see anything else. One should understand, therefore, that the purport of this Eleventh Chapter is that the form of Krishna is essential and supreme.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Eleventh Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Universal Form.

Bg 11.54

bhaktya tv ananyaya sakya
aham evam-vidho ’rjuna
jnatum drastum ca tattvena
pravestum ca paran-tapa

Word for word: 
bhaktya — by devotional service; tu — but; ananyaya — without being mixed with fruitive activities or speculative knowledge; sakyah — possible; aham — I; evam-vidhah — like this; arjuna — O Arjuna; jnatum — to know; drastum — to see; ca — and; tattvena — in fact; pravestum — to enter into; ca — also; param-tapa — O subduer of the enemy.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Krishna can be understood only by the process of undivided devotional service. He explicitly explains this in this verse so that unauthorized commentators, who try to understand Bhagavad-gita by the speculative process, will know that they are simply wasting their time. No one can understand Krishna or how He came from parents in a four-handed form and at once changed Himself into a two-handed form. These things are very difficult to understand by study of the Vedas or by philosophical speculation. Therefore it is clearly stated here that no one can see Him or enter into understanding of these matters. Those who, however, are very experienced students of Vedic literature can learn about Him from the Vedic literature in so many ways. There are so many rules and regulations, and if one at all wants to understand Krishna, he must follow the regulative principles described in the authoritative literature. One can perform penance in accordance with those principles. For example, to undergo serious penances one may observe fasting on Janmastami, the day on which Krishna appeared, and on the two days of Ekadasi (the eleventh day after the new moon and the eleventh day after the full moon). As far as charity is concerned, it is plain that charity should be given to the devotees of Krishna who are engaged in His devotional service to spread the Krishna philosophy, or Krishna consciousness, throughout the world. Krishna consciousness is a benediction to humanity. Lord Caitanya was appreciated by Rupa Gosvami as the most munificent man of charity because love of Krishna, which is very difficult to achieve, was distributed freely by Him. So if one gives some amount of his money to persons involved in distributing Krishna consciousness, that charity, given to spread Krishna consciousness, is the greatest charity in the world. And if one worships as prescribed in the temple (in the temples in India there is always some statue, usually of Visnu or Krishna), that is a chance to progress by offering worship and respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For the beginners in devotional service to the Lord, temple worship is essential, and this is confirmed in the Vedic literature (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23):

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Lord and is directed by the spiritual master, in whom he has similar unflinching faith, can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revelation. One cannot understand Krishna by mental speculation. For one who does not take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Krishna. The word tu is specifically used here to indicate that no other process can be used, can be recommended, or can be successful in understanding Krishna.

The personal forms of Krishna, the two-handed form and the four-handed, are described as su-durdarsam, very difficult to see. They are completely different from the temporary universal form shown to Arjuna. The four-handed form of Narayana and the two-handed form of Krishna are eternal and transcendental, whereas the universal form exhibited to Arjuna is temporary. The words tvad anyena na drsta-purvam (verse 47) state that before Arjuna, no one had seen that universal form. Also, they suggest that amongst the devotees there was no necessity of showing it. That form was exhibited by Krishna at the request of Arjuna so that in the future, when one represents himself as an incarnation of God, people can ask to see his universal form.

The word na, used repeatedly in the previous verse, indicates that one should not be very much proud of such credentials as an academic education in Vedic literature. One must take to the devotional service of Krishna. Only then can one attempt to write commentaries on Bhagavad-gita.

Krishna changes from the universal form to the four-handed form of Narayana and then to His own natural form of two hands. This indicates that the four-handed forms and other forms mentioned in Vedic literature are all emanations of the original two-handed Krishna. He is the origin of all emanations. Krishna is distinct even from these forms, what to speak of the impersonal conception. As far as the four-handed forms of Krishna are concerned, it is stated clearly that even the most identical four-handed form of Krishna (which is known as Maha-visnu, who is lying on the cosmic ocean and from whose breathing so many innumerable universes are passing out and entering) is also an expansion of the Supreme Lord. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.48),

yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vila-ja jagad-anda-nathah
visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“The Maha-visnu, into whom all the innumerable universes enter and from whom they come forth again simply by His breathing process, is a plenary expansion of Krishna. Therefore I worship Govinda, Krishna, the cause of all causes.” Therefore one should conclusively worship the personal form of Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who has eternal bliss and knowledge. He is the source of all forms of Visnu, He is the source of all forms of incarnation, and He is the original Supreme Personality, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita.

In the Vedic literature (Gopala-tapani Upanisad 1.1) the following statement appears:

sac-cid-ananda-rupaya
Krishnayaklista-karine
namo vedanta-vedyaya
gurave buddhi-saksine

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Krishna, who has a transcendental form of bliss, eternity and knowledge. I offer my respect to Him, because understanding Him means understanding the Vedas, and He is therefore the supreme spiritual master.” Then it is said, krsno vai paramam daivatam: “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Gopala-tapani Upanisad 1.3) Eko vasi sarva-gah Krishna idyah: “That one Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is worshipable.” Eko ’pi san bahudha yo ’vabhati: “Krishna is one, but He is manifested in unlimited forms and expanded incarnations.” (Gopala-tapani Upanisad 1.21)

The Brahma-samhita (5.1) says,

isvarah paramah Krishnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Krishna, who has a body of eternity, knowledge and bliss. He has no beginning, for He is the beginning of everything. He is the cause of all causes.”

Elsewhere it is said, yatravatirnam Krishnakhyam param brahma narakrti: “The Supreme Absolute Truth is a person, His name is Krishna, and He sometimes descends on this earth.” Similarly, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam we find a description of all kinds of incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in this list the name of Krishna also appears. But then it is said that this Krishna is not an incarnation of God but is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself (ete camsa-kalah pumsah Krishnas tu bhagavan svayam).

Similarly, in Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, mattah parataram nanyat: “There is nothing superior to My form as the Personality of Godhead Krishna.” He also says elsewhere in Bhagavad-gita, aham adir hi devanam: “I am the origin of all the demigods.” And after understanding Bhagavad-gita from Krishna, Arjuna also confirms this in the following words: param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan, “I now fully understand that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, and that You are the refuge of everything.” Therefore the universal form which Krishna showed to Arjuna is not the original form of God. The original is the Krishna form. The universal form, with its thousands and thousands of heads and hands, is manifest just to draw the attention of those who have no love for God. It is not God’s original form.

The universal form is not attractive for pure devotees, who are in love with the Lord in different transcendental relationships. The Supreme Godhead exchanges transcendental love in His original form of Krishna. Therefore to Arjuna, who was so intimately related with Krishna in friendship, this form of the universal manifestation was not pleasing; rather, it was fearful. Arjuna, who was a constant companion of Krishna’s, must have had transcendental eyes; he was not an ordinary man. Therefore he was not captivated by the universal form. This form may seem wonderful to persons who are involved in elevating themselves by fruitive activities, but to persons who are engaged in devotional service the two-handed form of Krishna is the most dear.

Bg 11.53

naham vedair na tapasa
na danena na cejyaya
sakya evam-vidho drastum
drstavan asi mam yatha

Word for word: 
na — never; aham — I; vedaih — by study of the Vedas; na — never; tapasa — by serious penances; na — never; danena — by charity; na — never; ca — also; ijyaya — by worship; sakyah — it is possible; evam-vidhah — like this; drastum — to see; drstavan — seeing; asi — you are; mam — Me; yatha — as.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The form you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means that one can see Me as I am.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Krishna first appeared before His parents Devaki and Vasudeva in a four-handed form, and then He transformed Himself into the two-handed form. This mystery is very difficult to understand for those who are atheists or who are devoid of devotional service. For scholars who have simply studied Vedic literature by way of grammatical knowledge or mere academic qualifications, Krishna is not possible to understand. Nor is He to be understood by persons who officially go to the temple to offer worship. They make their visit, but they cannot understand Krishna as He is. Krishna can be understood only through the path of devotional service, as explained by Krishna Himself in the next verse.

Bg 11.52

sri-bhagavan uvaca
su-durdarsam idam rupam
drstavan asi yan mama
deva apy asya rupasya
nityam darsana-kanksinah

Word for word: 
sri-bhagavan uvaca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; su-durdarsam — very difficult to see; idam — this; rupam — form; drstavan asi — as you have seen; yat — which; mama — of Mine; devah — the demigods; api — also; asya — this; rupasya — form; nityam — eternally; darsana-kanksinah — aspiring to see.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, this form of Mine you are now seeing is very difficult to behold. Even the demigods are ever seeking the opportunity to see this form, which is so dear.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
In the forty-eighth verse of this chapter Lord Krishna concluded revealing His universal form and informed Arjuna that this form is not possible to be seen by so many pious activities, sacrifices, etc. Now here the word su-durdarsam is used, indicating that Krishna’s two-handed form is still more confidential. One may be able to see the universal form of Krishna by adding a little tinge of devotional service to various activities like penances, Vedic study and philosophical speculation. It may be possible, but without a tinge of bhakti one cannot see; that has already been explained. Still, beyond that universal form, the form of Krishna with two hands is still more difficult to see, even for demigods like Brahma and Lord Siva. They desire to see Him, and we have evidence in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that when He was supposed to be in the womb of His mother, Devaki, all the demigods from heaven came to see the marvel of Krishna, and they offered nice prayers to the Lord, although He was not at that time visible to them. They waited to see Him. A foolish person may deride Him, thinking Him an ordinary person, and may offer respect not to Him but to the impersonal “something” within Him, but these are all nonsensical postures. Krishna in His two-armed form is actually desired to be seen by demigods like Brahma and Siva.

In Bhagavad-gita (9.11) it is also confirmed, avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam: He is not visible to the foolish persons who deride Him. Krishna’s body, as confirmed by Brahma-samhita and confirmed by Krishna Himself in Bhagavad-gita, is completely spiritual and full of bliss and eternality. His body is never like a material body. But for some who make a study of Krishna by reading Bhagavad-gita or similar Vedic scriptures, Krishna is a problem. For one using a material process, Krishna is considered to be a great historical personality and very learned philosopher, but He is an ordinary man, and even though He was so powerful He had to accept a material body. Ultimately they think that the Absolute Truth is impersonal; therefore they think that from His impersonal feature He assumed a personal feature attached to material nature. This is a materialistic calculation of the Supreme Lord. Another calculation is speculative. Those who are in search of knowledge also speculate on Krishna and consider Him to be less important than the universal form of the Supreme. Thus some think that the universal form of Krishna which was manifested to Arjuna is more important than His personal form. According to them, the personal form of the Supreme is something imaginary. They believe that in the ultimate issue, the Absolute Truth is not a person. But the transcendental process is described in Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Four: to hear about Krishna from authorities. That is the actual Vedic process, and those who are actually in the Vedic line hear about Krishna from authority, and by repeated hearing about Him, Krishna becomes dear. As we have several times discussed, Krishna is covered by His yoga-maya potency. He is not to be seen or revealed to anyone and everyone. Only by one to whom He reveals Himself can He be seen. This is confirmed in the Vedic literature; for one who is a surrendered soul, the Absolute Truth can actually be understood. The transcendentalist, by continuous Krishna consciousness and by devotional service to Krishna, can have his spiritual eyes opened and can see Krishna by revelation. Such a revelation is not possible even for the demigods; therefore it is difficult even for the demigods to understand Krishna, and the advanced demigods are always in hope of seeing Krishna in His two-handed form. The conclusion is that although to see the universal form of Krishna is very, very difficult and not possible for anyone and everyone, it is still more difficult to understand His personal form as Syamasundara.

Bg 11.51

arjuna uvaca
drstvedam manusam rupam
tava saumyam janardana
idanim asmi samvrttah
sa-cetah prakrtim gatah

Word for word: 
arjunah uvaca — Arjuna said; drstva — seeing; idam — this; manusam — human; rupam — form; tava — Your; saumyam — very beautiful; janardana — O chastiser of the enemies; idanim — now; asmi — I am; samvrttah — settled; sa-cetah — in my consciousness; prakrtim — to my own nature; gatah — returned.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 
When Arjuna thus saw Krishna in His original form, he said: O Janardana, seeing this humanlike form, so very beautiful, I am now composed in mind, and I am restored to my original nature.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Here the words manusam rupam clearly indicate the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be originally two-handed. Those who deride Krishna as if He were an ordinary person are shown here to be ignorant of His divine nature. If Krishna 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 Narayana form? So it is very clearly stated in Bhagavad-gita that one who thinks that Krishna is an ordinary person and who misguides the reader by claiming that it is the impersonal Brahman within Krishna speaking is doing the greatest injustice. Krishna has actually shown His universal form and His four-handed Visnu form. So how can He be an ordinary human being? A pure devotee is not confused by misguiding commentaries on Bhagavad-gita because he knows what is what. The original verses of Bhagavad-gita are as clear as the sun; they do not require lamplight from foolish commentators.

Bg 11.50

sanjaya uvaca
ity arjunam vasudevas tathoktva
svakam rupam darsayam asa bhuyah
asvasayam asa ca bhitam enam
bhutva punah saumya-vapur mahatma

Word for word: 
sanjayah uvaca — Sanjaya said; iti — thus; arjunam — unto Arjuna; vasudevah — Krishna; tatha — in that way; uktva — speaking; svakam — His own; rupam — form; darsayam asa — showed; bhuyah — again; asvasayam asa — encouraged; ca — also; bhitam — fearful; enam — him; bhutva — becoming; punah — again; saumya-vapuh — the beautiful form; maha-atma — the great one.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Sanjaya said to Dhrtarastra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, having spoken thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed form and at last showed His two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful Arjuna.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
When Krishna appeared as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, He first of all appeared as four-armed Narayana, but when He was requested by His parents, He transformed Himself into an ordinary child in appearance. Similarly, Krishna knew that Arjuna was not interested in seeing a four-handed form, but since Arjuna asked to see this four-handed form, Krishna also showed him this form again and then showed Himself in His two-handed form. The word saumya-vapuh is very significant. Saumya-vapuh is a very beautiful form; it is known as the most beautiful form. When He was present, everyone was attracted simply by Krishna’s form, and because Krishna is the director of the universe, He just banished the fear of Arjuna, His devotee, and showed him again His beautiful form of Krishna. In the Brahma-samhita (5.38) it is stated, premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: only a person whose eyes are smeared with the ointment of love can see the beautiful form of Sri Krishna.

Bg 11.49

ma te vyatha ma ca vimudha-bhavo
drstva rupam ghoram idrn mamedam
vyapeta-bhih prita-manah punas tvam
tad eva me rupam idam prapasya

Word for word: 
ma — let it not be; te — unto you; vyatha — trouble; ma — let it not be; ca — also; vimudha-bhavah — bewilderment; drstva — by seeing; rupam — form; ghoram — horrible; idrk — as it is; mama — My; idam — this; vyapeta-bhih — free from all fear; prita-manah — pleased in mind; punah — again; tvam — you; tat — that; eva — thus; me — My; rupam — form; idam — this; prapasya — just see.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
You have been perturbed and bewildered by seeing this horrible feature of Mine. Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free again from all disturbances. With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you desire.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
In the beginning of Bhagavad-gita Arjuna was worried about killing Bhisma and Drona, his worshipful grandfather and master. But Krishna said that he need not be afraid of killing his grandfather. When the sons of Dhrtarastra tried to disrobe Draupadi in the assembly of the Kurus, Bhisma and Drona were silent, and for such negligence of duty they should be killed. Krishna showed His universal form to Arjuna just to show him that these people were already killed for their unlawful action. That scene was shown to Arjuna because devotees are always peaceful and they cannot perform such horrible actions. The purpose of the revelation of the universal form was shown; now Arjuna wanted to see the four-armed form, and Krishna showed him. A devotee is not much interested in the universal form, for it does not enable one to reciprocate loving feelings. Either a devotee wants to offer his respectful worshipful feelings, or he wants to see the two-handed Krishna form so that he can reciprocate in loving service with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Bg 11.48

na veda-yajnadhyayanair na danair
na ca kriyabhir na tapobhir ugraih
evam-rupah sakya aham nr-loke
drastum tvad anyena kuru-pravira

Word for word: 
na — never; veda-yajna — by sacrifice; adhyayanaih — or Vedic study; na — never; danaih — by charity; na — never; ca — also; kriyabhih — by pious activities; na — never; tapobhih — by serious penances; ugraih — severe; evam-rupah — in this form; sakyah — can; aham — I; nr-loke — in this material world; drastum — be seen; tvat — than you; anyena — by another; kuru-pravira — O best among the Kuru warriors.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever seen this universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by performing sacrifices, nor by charity, nor by pious activities, nor by severe penances can I be seen in this form in the material world.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The divine vision in this connection should be clearly understood. Who can have divine vision? Divine means godly. Unless one attains the status of divinity as a demigod, he cannot have divine vision. And what is a demigod? It is stated in the Vedic scriptures that those who are devotees of Lord Visnu are demigods (visnu-bhaktah smrto daivah). Those who are atheistic, i.e., who do not believe in Visnu, or who recognize only the impersonal part of Krishna as the Supreme, cannot have the divine vision. It is not possible to decry Krishna and at the same time have the divine vision. One cannot have the divine vision without becoming divine. In other words, those who have divine vision can also see like Arjuna.

The Bhagavad-gita gives the description of the universal form. Although this description was unknown to everyone before Arjuna, now one can have some idea of the visva-rupa after this incident. Those who are actually divine can see the universal form of the Lord. But one cannot be divine without being a pure devotee of Krishna. The devotees, however, who are actually in the divine nature and who have divine vision, are not very much interested in seeing the universal form of the Lord. As described in the previous verse, Arjuna desired to see the four-handed form of Lord Krishna as Visnu, and he was actually afraid of the universal form.

In this verse there are some significant words, just like veda-yajnadhyayanaih, which refers to studying Vedic literature and the subject matter of sacrificial regulations. Veda refers to all kinds of Vedic literature, such as the four Vedas (Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva) and the eighteen Puranas, the Upanisads and the Vedanta-sutra. One can study these at home or anywhere else. Similarly, there are sutras – Kalpa-sutras and Mimamsa-sutras – for studying the method of sacrifice. Danaih refers to charity which is offered to a suitable party, such as those who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord – the brahmanas and the Vaisnavas. Similarly, “pious activities” refers to the agni-hotra and the prescribed duties of the different castes. And the voluntary acceptance of some bodily pains is called tapasya. So one can perform all these – can accept bodily penances, give charity, study the Vedas, etc. – but unless he is a devotee like Arjuna, it is not possible to see that universal form. Those who are impersonalists are also imagining that they are seeing the universal form of the Lord, but from Bhagavad-gita we understand that the impersonalists are not devotees. Therefore they are unable to see the universal form of the Lord.

There are many persons who create incarnations. They falsely claim an ordinary human to be an incarnation, but this is all foolishness. We should follow the principles of Bhagavad-gita, otherwise there is no possibility of attaining perfect spiritual knowledge. Although Bhagavad-gita is considered the preliminary study of the science of God, still it is so perfect that it enables one to distinguish what is what. The followers of a pseudo incarnation may say that they have also seen the transcendental incarnation of God, the universal form, but that is unacceptable because it is clearly stated here that unless one becomes a devotee of Krishna one cannot see the universal form of God. So one first of all has to become a pure devotee of Krishna; then he can claim that he can show the universal form of what he has seen. A devotee of Krishna cannot accept false incarnations or followers of false incarnations.

Bg 11.47

sri-bhagavan uvaca
maya prasannena tavarjunedam
rupam param darsitam atma-yogat
tejo-mayam visvam anantam adyam
yan me tvad anyena na drsta-purvam

Word for word: 
sri-bhagavan uvaca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; maya — by Me; prasannena — happily; tava — unto you; arjuna — O Arjuna; idam — this; rupam — form; param — transcendental; darsitam — shown; atma-yogat — by My internal potency; tejah-mayam — full of effulgence; visvam — the entire universe; anantam — unlimited; adyam — original; yat — that which; me — My; tvat anyena — besides you; na drsta-purvam — no one has previously seen.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, happily have I shown you, by My internal potency, this supreme universal form within the material world. No one before you has ever seen this primal form, unlimited and full of glaring effulgence.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Arjuna wanted to see the universal form of the Supreme Lord, so Lord Krishna, out of His mercy upon His devotee Arjuna, showed His universal form, full of effulgence and opulence. This form was glaring like the sun, and its many faces were rapidly changing. Krishna showed this form just to satisfy the desire of His friend Arjuna. This form was manifested by Krishna through His internal potency, which is inconceivable by human speculation. No one had seen this universal form of the Lord before Arjuna, but because the form was shown to Arjuna, other devotees in the heavenly planets and in other planets in outer space could also see it. They had not seen it before, but because of Arjuna they were also able to see it. In other words, all the disciplic devotees of the Lord could see the universal form which was shown to Arjuna by the mercy of Krishna. Someone has commented that this form was shown to Duryodhana also when Krishna went to Duryodhana to negotiate for peace. Unfortunately, Duryodhana did not accept the peace offer, but at that time Krishna manifested some of His universal forms. But those forms are different from this one shown to Arjuna. It is clearly said that no one had ever seen this form before.

Bg 11.46

kiritinam gadinam cakra-hastam
icchami tvam drastum aham tathaiva
tenaiva rupena catur-bhujena
sahasra-baho bhava visva-murte

Word for word: 
kiritinam — with helmet; gadinam — with club; cakra-hastam — disc in hand; icchami — I wish; tvam — You; drastum — to see; aham — I; tatha eva — in that position; tena eva — in that; rupena — form; catuh-bhujena — four-handed; sahasra-baho — O thousand-handed one; bhava — just become; visva-murte — O universal form.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O universal form, O thousand-armed Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your hands. I long to see You in that form.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
In the Brahma-samhita (5.39) it is stated, ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan: the Lord is eternally situated in hundreds and thousands of forms, and the main forms are those like Rama, Nrsimha, Narayana, etc. There are innumerable forms. But Arjuna knew that Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead assuming His temporary universal form. He is now asking to see the form of Narayana, a spiritual form. This verse establishes without any doubt the statement of the Srimad-Bhagavatam that Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead and all other features originate from Him. He is not different from His plenary expansions, and He is God in any of His innumerable forms. In all of these forms He is fresh like a young man. That is the constant feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who knows Krishna becomes free at once from all contamination of the material world.

Bg 11.45

adrsta-purvam hrsito ’smi drstva
bhayena ca pravyathitam mano me
tad eva me darsaya deva rupam
prasida devesa jagan-nivasa

Word for word: 
adrsta-purvam — never seen before; hrsitah — gladdened; asmi — I am; drstva — by seeing; bhayena — out of fear; ca — also; pravyathitam — perturbed; manah — mind; me — my; tat — that; eva — certainly; me — unto me; darsaya — show; deva — O Lord; rupam — the form; prasida — just be gracious; deva-isa — O Lord of lords; jagat-nivasa — O refuge of the universe.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
After seeing this universal form, which I have never seen before, I am gladdened, but at the same time my mind is disturbed with fear. Therefore please bestow Your grace upon me and reveal again Your form as the Personality of Godhead, O Lord of lords, O abode of the universe.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Arjuna is always in confidence with Krishna because he is a very dear friend, and as a dear friend is gladdened by his friend’s opulence, Arjuna is very joyful to see that his friend Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and can show such a wonderful universal form. But at the same time, after seeing that universal form, he is afraid that he has committed so many offenses to Krishna out of his unalloyed friendship. Thus his mind is disturbed out of fear, although he had no reason to fear. Arjuna therefore is asking Krishna to show His Narayana form, because He can assume any form. This universal form is material and temporary, as the material world is temporary. But in the Vaikuntha planets He has His transcendental form with four hands as Narayana. There are innumerable planets in the spiritual sky, and in each of them Krishna is present by His plenary manifestations of different names. Thus Arjuna desired to see one of the forms manifest in the Vaikuntha planets. Of course in each Vaikuntha planet the form of Narayana is four-handed, but the four hands hold different arrangements of symbols – the conchshell, mace, lotus and disc. According to the different hands these four things are held in, the Narayanas are variously named. All of these forms are one with Krishna; therefore Arjuna requests to see His four-handed feature.

Bg 11.44

tasmat pranamya pranidhaya kayam
prasadaye tvam aham isam idyam
piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuh
priyah priyayarhasi deva sodhum

Word for word: 
tasmat — therefore; pranamya — offering obeisances; pranidhaya — laying down; kayam — the body; prasadaye — to beg mercy; tvam — unto You; aham — I; isam — unto the Supreme Lord; idyam — worshipable; pita iva — like a father; putrasya — with a son; sakha iva — like a friend; sakhyuh — with a friend; priyah — a lover; priyayah — with the dearmost; arhasi — You should; deva — my Lord; sodhum — tolerate.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
You are the Supreme Lord, to be worshiped by every living being. Thus I fall down to offer You my respectful obeisances and ask Your mercy. As a father tolerates the impudence of his son, a friend the impertinence of a friend, or a husband the familiarity of his wife, please tolerate the wrongs I may have done You.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Krishna’s devotees relate to Krishna in various relationships; one might treat Krishna as a son, or one might treat Krishna as a husband, as a friend, or as a master. Krishna and Arjuna are related in friendship. As the father tolerates, or the husband or a master tolerates, so Krishna tolerates.

Bg 11.43

pitasi lokasya caracarasya
tvam asya pujyas ca gurur gariyan
na tvat-samo ’sty abhyadhikah kuto ’nyo
loka-traye ’py apratima-prabhava

Word for word: 
pita — the father; asi — You are; lokasya — of all the world; cara — moving; acarasya — and nonmoving; tvam — You are; asya — of this; pujyah — worshipable; ca — also; guruh — master; gariyan — glorious; na — never; tvat-samah — equal to You; asti — there is; abhyadhikah — greater; kutah — how is it possible; anyah — other; loka-traye — in the three planetary systems; api — also; apratima-prabhava — O immeasurable power.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
You are the father of this complete cosmic manifestation, of the moving and the nonmoving. You are its worshipable chief, the supreme spiritual master. No one is greater than You, nor can anyone be one with You. How then could there be anyone greater than You within the three worlds, O Lord of immeasurable power?

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is worshipable as a father is worshipable for his son. He is the spiritual master because He originally gave the Vedic instructions to Brahma and presently He is also instructing Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna; therefore He is the original spiritual master, and any bona fide spiritual master at the present moment must be a descendant in the line of disciplic succession stemming from Krishna. Without being a representative of Krishna, one cannot become a teacher or spiritual master of transcendental subject matter.

The Lord is being paid obeisances in all respects. He is of immeasurable greatness. No one can be greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, because no one is equal to or higher than Krishna within any manifestation, spiritual or material. Everyone is below Him. No one can excel Him. This is stated in the Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.8):

na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate
na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate

The Supreme Lord, Krishna, has senses and a body like the ordinary man, but for Him there is no difference between His senses, His body, His mind and Himself. Foolish persons who do not perfectly know Him say that Krishna is different from His soul, mind, heart and everything else. Krishna is absolute; therefore His activities and potencies are supreme. It is also stated that although He does not have senses like ours, He can perform all sensory activities; therefore His senses are neither imperfect nor limited. No one can be greater than Him, no one can be equal to Him, and everyone is lower than Him.

The knowledge, strength and activities of the Supreme Personality are all transcendental. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ’rjuna

Whoever knows Krishna’s transcendental body, activities and perfection, after quitting his body, returns to Him and doesn’t come back again to this miserable world. Therefore one should know that Krishna’s activities are different from others. The best policy is to follow the principles of Krishna; that will make one perfect. It is also stated that there is no one who is master of Krishna; everyone is His servant. The Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 5.142) confirms, ekale isvara Krishna, ara saba bhrtya: only Krishna is God, and everyone else is His servant. Everyone is complying with His order. There is no one who can deny His order. Everyone is acting according to His direction, being under His superintendence. As stated in the Brahma-samhita, He is the cause of all causes.

Bg 11.41-42

sakheti matva prasabham yad uktam
he Krishna he yadava he sakheti
ajanata mahimanam tavedam
maya pramadat pranayena vapi

yac cavahasartham asat-krto ’si
vihara-sayyasana-bhojanesu
eko ’tha vapy acyuta tat-samaksam
tat ksamaye tvam aham aprameyam

Word for word: 
sakha — friend; iti — thus; matva — thinking; prasabham — presumptuously; yat — whatever; uktam — said; he Krishna — O Krishna; he yadava — O Yadava; he sakhe — O my dear friend; iti — thus; ajanata — without knowing; mahimanam — glories; tava — Your; idam — this; maya — by me; pramadat — out of foolishness; pranayena — out of love; va api — either; yat — whatever; ca — also; avahasa-artham — for joking; asat-krtah — dishonored; asi — You have been; vihara — in relaxation; sayya — in lying down; asana — in sitting; bhojanesu — or while eating together; ekah — alone; atha va — or; api — also; acyuta — O infallible one; tat-samaksam — among companions; tat — all those; ksamaye — ask forgiveness; tvam — from You; aham — I; aprameyam — immeasurable.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Thinking of You as my friend, I have rashly addressed You “O Krishna,” “O Yadava,” “O my friend,” not knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have dishonored You many times, jesting as we relaxed, lay on the same bed, or sat or ate together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of many friends. O infallible one, please excuse me for all those offenses.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Although Krishna is manifested before Arjuna in His universal form, Arjuna remembers his friendly relationship with Krishna and is therefore asking pardon and requesting Krishna to excuse him for the many informal gestures which arise out of friendship. He is admitting that formerly he did not know that Krishna could assume such a universal form, although Krishna explained it as his intimate friend. Arjuna did not know how many times he may have dishonored Krishna by addressing Him “O my friend,” “O Krishna,” “O Yadava,” etc., without acknowledging His opulence. But Krishna is so kind and merciful that in spite of such opulence He played with Arjuna as a friend. Such is the transcendental loving reciprocation between the devotee and the Lord. The relationship between the living entity and Krishna is fixed eternally; it cannot be forgotten, as we can see from the behavior of Arjuna. Although Arjuna has seen the opulence in the universal form, he cannot forget his friendly relationship with Krishna.

Bg 11.40

namah purastad atha prsthatas te
namo ’stu te sarvata eva sarva
ananta-viryamita-vikramas tvam
sarvam samapnosi tato ’si sarvah

Word for word: 
namah — offering obeisances; purastat — from the front; atha — also; prsthatah — from behind; te — unto You; namah astu — I offer my respects; te — unto You; sarvatah — from all sides; eva — indeed; sarva — because You are everything; ananta-virya — unlimited potency; amita-vikramah — and unlimited force; tvam — You; sarvam — everything; samapnosi — You cover; tatah — therefore; asi — You are; sarvah — everything.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Obeisances to You from the front, from behind and from all sides! O unbounded power, You are the master of limitless might! You are all-pervading, and thus You are everything!

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Out of loving ecstasy for Krishna, his friend, Arjuna is offering his respects from all sides. He is accepting that He is the master of all potencies and all prowess and far superior to all the great warriors assembled on the battlefield. It is said in the Visnu Purana (1.9.69):

yo ’yam tavagato deva
samipam devata-ganah
sa tvam eva jagat-srasta
yatah sarva-gato bhavan

“Whoever comes before You, even if he be a demigod, is created by You, O Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Bg 11.39

vayur yamo ’gnir varunah sasankah
prajapatis tvam prapitamahas ca
namo namas te ’stu sahasra-krtvah
punas ca bhuyo ’pi namo namas te

Word for word: 
vayuh — air; yamah — the controller; agnih — fire; varunah — water; sasa-ankah — the moon; prajapatih — Brahma; tvam — You; prapitamahah — the great-grandfather; ca — also; namah — my respects; namah — again my respects; te — unto You; astu — let there be; sahasra-krtvah — a thousand times; punah ca — and again; bhuyah — again; api — also; namah — offering my respects; namah te — offering my respects unto You.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
You are air, and You are the supreme controller! You are fire, You are water, and You are the moon! You are Brahma, the first living creature, and You are the great-grandfather. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto You a thousand times, and again and yet again!

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The Lord is addressed here as air because the air is the most important representation of all the demigods, being all-pervasive. Arjuna also addresses Krishna as the great-grandfather because He is the father of Brahma, the first living creature in the universe.

Bg 11.38

tvam adi-devah purusah puranas
tvam asya visvasya param nidhanam
vettasi vedyam ca param ca dhama
tvaya tatam visvam ananta-rupa

Word for word: 
tvam — You; adi-devah — the original Supreme God; purusah — personality; puranah — old; tvam — You; asya — of this; visvasya — universe; param — transcendental; nidhanam — refuge; vetta — the knower; asi — You are; vedyam — the knowable; ca — and; param — transcendental; ca — and; dhama — refuge; tvaya — by You; tatam — pervaded; visvam — the universe; ananta-rupa — O unlimited form.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
You are the original Personality of Godhead, the oldest, the ultimate sanctuary of this manifested cosmic world. You are the knower of everything, and You are all that is knowable. You are the supreme refuge, above the material modes. O limitless form! This whole cosmic manifestation is pervaded by You!

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Everything is resting on the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore He is the ultimate rest. Nidhanam means that everything, even the Brahman effulgence, rests on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. He is the knower of everything that is happening in this world, and if knowledge has any end, He is the end of all knowledge; therefore He is the known and the knowable. He is the object of knowledge because He is all-pervading. Because He is the cause in the spiritual world, He is transcendental. He is also the chief personality in the transcendental world.

Bg 11.37

kasmac ca te na nameran mahatman
gariyase brahmano ’py adi-kartre
ananta devesa jagan-nivasa
tvam aksaram sad-asat tat param yat

Word for word: 
kasmat — why; ca — also; te — unto You; na — not; nameran — they should offer proper obeisances; maha-atman — O great one; gariyase — who are better; brahmanah — than Brahma; api — although; adi-kartre — to the supreme creator; ananta — O unlimited; deva-isa — O God of the gods; jagat-nivasa — O refuge of the universe; tvam — You are; aksaram — imperishable; sat-asat — to cause and effect; tat param — transcendental; yat — because.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O great one, greater even than Brahma, You are the original creator. Why then should they not offer their respectful obeisances unto You? O limitless one, God of gods, refuge of the universe! You are the invincible source, the cause of all causes, transcendental to this material manifestation.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
By this offering of obeisances, Arjuna indicates that Krishna is worshipable by everyone. He is all-pervading, and He is the Soul of every soul. Arjuna is addressing Krishna as mahatma, which means that He is most magnanimous and unlimited. Ananta indicates that there is nothing which is not covered by the influence and energy of the Supreme Lord, and devesa means that He is the controller of all demigods and is above them all. He is the shelter of the whole universe. Arjuna also thought that it was fitting that all the perfect living entities and powerful demigods offer their respectful obeisances unto Him, because no one is greater than Him. Arjuna especially mentions that Krishna is greater than Brahma because Brahma is created by Him. Brahma is born out of the lotus stem grown from the navel abdomen of Garbhodaka-sayi Visnu, who is Krishna’s plenary expansion; therefore Brahma and Lord Siva, who is born of Brahma, and all other demigods must offer their respectful obeisances. It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam that the Lord is respected by Lord Siva and Brahma and similar other demigods. The word aksaram is very significant because this material creation is subject to destruction but the Lord is above this material creation. He is the cause of all causes, and being so, He is superior to all the conditioned souls within this material nature as well as the material cosmic manifestation itself. He is therefore the all-great Supreme.

Bg 11.36

arjuna uvaca
sthane hrsikesa tava prakirtya
jagat prahrsyaty anurajyate ca
raksamsi bhitani diso dravanti
sarve namasyanti ca siddha-sanghah

Word for word: 
arjunah uvaca — Arjuna said; sthane — rightly; hrsika-isa — O master of all senses; tava — Your; prakirtya — by the glories; jagat — the entire world; prahrsyati — is rejoicing; anurajyate — is becoming attached; ca — and; raksamsi — the demons; bhitani — out of fear; disah — in all directions; dravanti — are fleeing; sarve — all; namasyanti — are offering respects; ca — also; siddha-sanghah — the perfect human beings.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Arjuna said: O master of the senses, the world becomes joyful upon hearing Your name, and thus everyone becomes attached to You. Although the perfected beings offer You their respectful homage, the demons are afraid, and they flee here and there. All this is rightly done.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Arjuna, after hearing from Krishna about the outcome of the Battle of Kuruksetra, became enlightened, and as a great devotee and friend of the Supreme Personality of Godhead he said that everything done by Krishna is quite fit. Arjuna confirmed that Krishna is the maintainer and the object of worship for the devotees and the destroyer of the undesirables. His actions are equally good for all. Arjuna understood herein that when the Battle of Kuruksetra was being concluded, in outer space there were present many demigods, siddhas, and the intelligentsia of the higher planets, and they were observing the fight because Krishna was present there. When Arjuna saw the universal form of the Lord, the demigods took pleasure in it, but others, who were demons and atheists, could not stand it when the Lord was praised. Out of their natural fear of the devastating form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they fled. Krishna’s treatment of the devotees and the atheists is praised by Arjuna. In all cases a devotee glorifies the Lord because he knows that whatever He does is good for all.

Bg 11.35

sanjaya uvaca
etac chrutva vacanam kesavasya
krtanjalir vepamanah kiriti
namaskrtva bhuya evaha Krishnam
sa-gadgadam bhita-bhitah pranamya

Word for word: 
sanjayah uvaca — Sanjaya said; etat — thus; srutva — hearing; vacanam — the speech; kesavasya — of Krishna; krta-anjalih — with folded hands; vepamanah — trembling; kiriti — Arjuna; namaskrtva — offering obeisances; bhuyah — again; eva — also; aha — said; Krishnam — unto Krishna; sa-gadgadam — with a faltering voice; bhita-bhitah — fearful; pranamya — offering obeisances.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Sanjaya said to Dhrtarastra: O King, after hearing these words from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the trembling Arjuna offered obeisances with folded hands again and again. He fearfully spoke to Lord Krishna in a faltering voice, as follows.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
As we have already explained, because of the situation created by the universal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna became bewildered in wonder; thus he began to offer his respectful obeisances to Krishna again and again, and with faltering voice he began to pray, not as a friend, but as a devotee in wonder.

Bg 11.34

dronam ca bhismam ca jayadratham ca
karnam tathanyan api yodha-viran
maya hatams tvam jahi ma vyathistha
yudhyasva jetasi rane sapatnan

Word for word: 
dronam ca — also Drona; bhismam ca — also Bhisma; jayadratham ca — also Jayadratha; karnam — Karna; tatha — also; anyan — others; api — certainly; yodha-viran — great warriors; maya — by Me; hatan — already killed; tvam — you; jahi — destroy; ma — do not; vyathisthah — be disturbed; yudhyasva — just fight; jeta asi — you will conquer; rane — in the fight; sapatnan — enemies.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Drona, Bhisma, Jayadratha, Karna and the other great warriors have already been destroyed by Me. Therefore, kill them and do not be disturbed. Simply fight, and you will vanquish your enemies in battle.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Every plan is made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is so kind and merciful to His devotees that He wants to give the credit to His devotees who carry out His plan according to His desire. Life should therefore move in such a way that everyone acts in Krishna consciousness and understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the medium of a spiritual master. The plans of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are understood by His mercy, and the plans of the devotees are as good as His plans. One should follow such plans and be victorious in the struggle for existence.

Bg 11.33

tasmat tvam uttistha yaso labhasva
jitva satrun bhunksva rajyam samrddham
mayaivaite nihatah purvam eva
nimitta-matram bhava savya-sacin

Word for word: 
tasmat — therefore; tvam — you; uttistha — get up; yasah — fame; labhasva — gain; jitva — conquering; satrun — enemies; bhunksva — enjoy; rajyam — kingdom; samrddham — flourishing; maya — by Me; eva — certainly; ete — all these; nihatah — killed; purvam eva — by previous arrangement; nimitta-matram — just the cause; bhava — become; savya-sacin — O Savyasaci.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Therefore get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasaci, can be but an instrument in the fight.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Savya-sacin refers to one who can shoot arrows very expertly in the field; thus Arjuna is addressed as an expert warrior capable of delivering arrows to kill his enemies. “Just become an instrument”: nimitta-matram. This word is also very significant. The whole world is moving according to the plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Foolish persons who do not have sufficient knowledge think that nature is moving without a plan and all manifestations are but accidental formations. There are many so-called scientists who suggest that perhaps it was like this, or maybe like that, but there is no question of “perhaps” and “maybe.” There is a specific plan being carried out in this material world. What is this plan? This cosmic manifestation is a chance for the conditioned souls to go back to Godhead, back to home. As long as they have the domineering mentality which makes them try to lord it over material nature, they are conditioned. But anyone who can understand the plan of the Supreme Lord and cultivate Krishna consciousness is most intelligent. The creation and destruction of the cosmic manifestation are under the superior guidance of God. Thus the Battle of Kuruksetra was fought according to the plan of God. Arjuna was refusing to fight, but he was told that he should fight in accordance with the desire of the Supreme Lord. Then he would be happy. If one is in full Krishna consciousness and his life is devoted to the Lord’s transcendental service, he is perfect.

Bg 11.32

sri-bhagavan uvaca
kalo ’smi loka-ksaya-krt pravrddho
lokan samahartum iha pravrttah
rte ’pi tvam na bhavisyanti sarve
ye ’vasthitah praty-anikesu yodhah

Word for word: 
sri-bhagavan uvaca — the Personality of Godhead said; kalah — time; asmi — I am; loka — of the worlds; ksaya-krt — the destroyer; pravrddhah — great; lokan — all people; samahartum — in destroying; iha — in this world; pravrttah — engaged; rte — without, except for; api — even; tvam — you; na — never; bhavisyanti — will be; sarve — all; ye — who; avasthitah — situated; prati-anikesu — on the opposite sides; yodhah — the soldiers.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [the Pandavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Although Arjuna knew that Krishna was his friend and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he was puzzled by the various forms exhibited by Krishna. Therefore he asked further about the actual mission of this devastating force. It is written in the Vedas that the Supreme Truth destroys everything, even the brahmanas. As stated in the Katha Upanisad (1.2.25),

yasya brahma ca ksatram ca
ubhe bhavata odanah
mrtyur yasyopasecanam
ka ittha veda yatra sah

Eventually all the brahmanas, ksatriyas and everyone else are devoured like a meal by the Supreme. This form of the Supreme Lord is the all-devouring giant, and here Krishna presents Himself in that form of all-devouring time. Except for a few Pandavas, everyone who was present on that battlefield would be devoured by Him. Arjuna was not in favor of the fight, and he thought it was better not to fight; then there would be no frustration. In reply, the Lord is saying that even if he did not fight, every one of them would be destroyed, for that was His plan. If Arjuna stopped fighting, they would die in another way. Death could not be checked, even if he did not fight. In fact, they were already dead. Time is destruction, and all manifestations are to be vanquished by the desire of the Supreme Lord. That is the law of nature.

Bg 11.31

akhyahi me ko bhavan ugra-rupo
namo ’stu te deva-vara prasida
vijnatum icchami bhavantam adyam
na hi prajanami tava pravrttim

Word for word: 
akhyahi — please explain; me — unto me; kah — who; bhavan — You; ugra-rupah — fierce form; namah astu — obeisances; te — unto You; deva-vara — O great one amongst the demigods; prasida — be gracious; vijnatum — to know; icchami — I wish; bhavantam — You; adyam — the original; na — not; hi — certainly; prajanami — do I know; tava — Your; pravrttim — mission.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O Lord of lords, so fierce of form, please tell me who You are. I offer my obeisances unto You; please be gracious to me. You are the primal Lord. I want to know about You, for I do not know what Your mission is.

Bg 11.30

lelihyase grasamanah samantal
lokan samagran vadanair jvaladbhih
tejobhir apurya jagat samagram
bhasas tavograh pratapanti visno

Word for word: 
lelihyase — You are licking; grasamanah — devouring; samantat — from all directions; lokan — people; samagran — all; vadanaih — by the mouths; jvaladbhih — blazing; tejobhih — by effulgence; apurya — covering; jagat — the universe; samagram — all; bhasah — rays; tava — Your; ugrah — terrible; pratapanti — are scorching; visno — O all-pervading Lord.

Translation: 
O Visnu, I see You devouring all people from all sides with Your flaming mouths. Covering all the universe with Your effulgence, You are manifest with terrible, scorching rays.

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Bg 11.29

yatha pradiptam jvalanam patanga
visanti nasaya samrddha-vegah
tathaiva nasaya visanti lokas
tavapi vaktrani samrddha-vegah

Word for word: 
yatha — as; pradiptam — blazing; jvalanam — a fire; patangah — moths; visanti — enter; nasaya — for destruction; samrddha — with full; vegah — speed; tatha eva — similarly; nasaya — for destruction; visanti — are entering; lokah — all people; tava — Your; api — also; vaktrani — mouths; samrddha-vegah — with full speed.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
I see all people rushing full speed into Your mouths, as moths dash to destruction in a blazing fire.

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Bg 11.28

yatha nadinam bahavo ’mbu-vegah
samudram evabhimukha dravanti
tatha tavami nara-loka-vira
visanti vaktrany abhivijvalanti

Word for word: 
yatha — as; nadinam — of the rivers; bahavah — the many; ambu-vegah — waves of the waters; samudram — the ocean; eva — certainly; abhimukhah — towards; dravanti — glide; tatha — similarly; tava — Your; ami — all these; nara-loka-virah — kings of human society; visanti — are entering; vaktrani — the mouths; abhivijvalanti — and are blazing.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
As the many waves of the rivers flow into the ocean, so do all these great warriors enter blazing into Your mouths.

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Bg 11.26-27

ami ca tvam dhrtarastrasya putrah
sarve sahaivavani-pala-sanghaih
bhismo dronah suta-putras tathasau
sahasmadiyair api yodha-mukhyaih

vaktrani te tvaramana visanti
damstra-karalani bhayanakani
kecid vilagna dasanantaresu
sandrsyante curnitair uttamangaih

Word for word: 
ami — these; ca — also; tvam — You; dhrtarastrasya — of Dhrtarastra; putrah — the sons; sarve — all; saha — with; eva — indeed; avani-pala — of warrior kings; sanghaih — the groups; bhismah — Bhismadeva; dronah — Dronacarya; suta-putrah — Karna; tatha — also; asau — that; saha — with; asmadiyaih — our; api — also; yodha-mukhyaih — chiefs among the warriors; vaktrani — mouths; te — Your; tvaramanah — rushing; visanti — are entering; damstra — teeth; karalani — terrible; bhayanakani — very fearful; kecit — some of them; vilagnah — becoming attached; dasana-antaresu — between the teeth; sandrsyante — are seen; curnitaih — with smashed; uttama-angaih — heads.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
All the sons of Dhrtarastra, along with their allied kings, and Bhisma, Drona, Karna – and our chief soldiers also – are rushing into Your fearful mouths. And some I see trapped with heads smashed between Your teeth.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
In a previous verse the Lord promised to show Arjuna things he would be very interested in seeing. Now Arjuna sees that the leaders of the opposite party (Bhisma, Drona, Karna and all the sons of Dhrtarastra) and their soldiers and Arjuna’s own soldiers are all being annihilated. This is an indication that after the death of nearly all the persons assembled at Kuruksetra, Arjuna will emerge victorious. It is also mentioned here that Bhisma, who is supposed to be unconquerable, will also be smashed. So also Karna. Not only will the great warriors of the other party like Bhisma be smashed, but some of the great warriors of Arjuna’s side also.

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Bg 11.25

damstra-karalani ca te mukhani
drstvaiva kalanala-sannibhani
diso na jane na labhe ca sarma
prasida devesa jagan-nivasa

Word for word: 
damstra — teeth; karalani — terrible; ca — also; te — Your; mukhani — faces; drstva — seeing; eva — thus; kala-anala — the fire of death; sannibhani — as if; disah — the directions; na — not; jane — I know; na — not; labhe — I obtain; ca — and; sarma — grace; prasida — be pleased; deva-isa — O Lord of all lords; jagat-nivasa — O refuge of the worlds.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O Lord of lords, O refuge of the worlds, please be gracious to me. I cannot keep my balance seeing thus Your blazing deathlike faces and awful teeth. In all directions I am bewildered.

Bg 11.24

nabhah-sprsam diptam aneka-varnam
vyattananam dipta-visala-netram
drstva hi tvam pravyathitantar-atma
dhrtim na vindami samam ca visno

Word for word: 
nabhah-sprsam — touching the sky; diptam — glowing; aneka — many; varnam — colors; vyatta — open; ananam — mouths; dipta — glowing; visala — very great; netram — eyes; drstva — seeing; hi — certainly; tvam — You; pravyathita — perturbed; antah — within; atma — soul; dhrtim — steadiness; na — not; vindami — I have; samam — mental tranquillity; ca — also; visno — O Lord Visnu.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O all-pervading Visnu, seeing You with Your many radiant colors touching the sky, Your gaping mouths, and Your great glowing eyes, my mind is perturbed by fear. I can no longer maintain my steadiness or equilibrium of mind.

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Bg 11.23

rupam mahat te bahu-vaktra-netram
maha-baho bahu-bahuru-padam
bahudaram bahu-damstra-karalam
drstva lokah pravyathitas tathaham

Word for word: 
rupam — the form; mahat — very great; te — of You; bahu — many; vaktra — faces; netram — and eyes; maha-baho — O mighty-armed one; bahu — many; bahu — arms; uru — thighs; padam — and legs; bahu-udaram — many bellies; bahu-damstra — many teeth; karalam — horrible; drstva — seeing; lokah — all the planets; pravyathitah — perturbed; tatha — similarly; aham — I.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
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.

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Bg 11.22

rudraditya vasavo ye ca sadhya
visve ’svinau marutas cosmapas ca
gandharva-yaksasura-siddha-sangha
viksante tvam vismitas caiva sarve

Word for word: 
rudra — manifestations of Lord Siva; adityah — the Adityas; vasavah — the Vasus; ye — all those; ca — and; sadhyah — the Sadhyas; visve — the Visvedevas; asvinau — the Asvini-kumaras; marutah — the Maruts; ca — and; usma-pah — the forefathers; ca — and; gandharva — of the Gandharvas; yaksa — the Yaksas; asura — the demons; siddha — and the perfected demigods; sanghah — the assemblies; viksante — are beholding; tvam — You; vismitah — in wonder; ca — also; eva — certainly; sarve — all.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
All the various manifestations of Lord Siva, the Adityas, the Vasus, the Sadhyas, the Visvedevas, the two Asvis, the Maruts, the forefathers, the Gandharvas, the Yaksas, the Asuras and the perfected demigods are beholding You in wonder.

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Bg 11.21

ami hi tvam sura-sangha visanti
kecid bhitah pranjalayo grnanti
svastity uktva maharsi-siddha-sanghah
stuvanti tvam stutibhih puskalabhih

Word for word: 
ami — all those; hi — certainly; tvam — You; sura-sanghah — groups of demigods; visanti — are entering; kecit — some of them; bhitah — out of fear; pranjalayah — with folded hands; grnanti — are offering prayers; svasti — all peace; iti — thus; uktva — speaking; maha-rsi — great sages; siddha-sanghah — perfect beings; stuvanti — are singing hymns; tvam — unto You; stutibhih — with prayers; puskalabhih — Vedic hymns.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
All the hosts of demigods are surrendering before You and entering into You. Some of them, very much afraid, are offering prayers with folded hands. Hosts of great sages and perfected beings, crying “All peace!” are praying to You by singing the Vedic hymns.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The demigods in all the planetary systems feared the terrific manifestation of the universal form and its glaring effulgence and so prayed for protection.

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Bg 11.20

dyav a-prthivyor idam antaram hi
vyaptam tvayaikena disas ca sarvah
drstvadbhutam rupam ugram tavedam
loka-trayam pravyathitam mahatman

Word for word: 
dyau — from outer space; a-prthivyoh — to the earth; idam — this; antaram — between; hi — certainly; vyaptam — pervaded; tvaya — by You; ekena — alone; disah — directions; ca — and; sarvah — all; drstva — by seeing; adbhutam — wonderful; rupam — form; ugram — terrible; tava — Your; idam — this; loka — the planetary systems; trayam — three; pravyathitam — perturbed; maha-atman — O great one.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
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.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Dyav a-prthivyoh (“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.

Bg 11.19

anadi-madhyantam ananta-viryam
ananta-bahum sasi-surya-netram
pasyami tvam dipta-hutasa-vaktram
sva-tejasa visvam idam tapantam

Word for word: 
anadi — without beginning; madhya — middle; antam — or end; ananta — unlimited; viryam — glories; ananta — unlimited; bahum — arms; sasi — the moon; surya — and sun; netram — eyes; pasyami — I see; tvam — You; dipta — blazing; hutasa-vaktram — fire coming out of Your mouth; sva-tejasa — by Your radiance; visvam — universe; idam — this; tapantam — heating.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
You are without origin, middle or end. Your glory is unlimited. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are Your eyes. I see You with blazing fire coming forth from Your mouth, burning this entire universe by Your own radiance.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
There is no limit to the extent of the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here and in many other places there is repetition, but according to the scriptures, repetition of the glories of Krishna is not a literary weakness. It is said that at a time of bewilderment or wonder or of great ecstasy, statements are repeated over and over. That is not a flaw.

Bg 11.18

tvam aksaram paramam veditavyam
tvam asya visvasya param nidhanam
tvam avyayah sasvata-dharma-gopta
sanatanas tvam puruso mato me

Word for word: 
tvam — You; aksaram — the infallible; paramam — supreme; veditavyam — to be understood; tvam — You; asya — of this; visvasya — universe; param — supreme; nidhanam — basis; tvam — You; avyayah — inexhaustible; sasvata-dharma-gopta — maintainer of the eternal religion; sanatanah — eternal; tvam — You; purusah — the Supreme Personality; matah me — this is my opinion.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
You are the supreme primal objective. You are the ultimate resting place of all this universe. You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest. You are the maintainer of the eternal religion, the Personality of Godhead. This is my opinion.

Bg 11.17

kiritinam gadinam cakrinam ca
tejo-rasim sarvato diptimantam
pasyami tvam durniriksyam samantad
diptanalarka-dyutim aprameyam

Word for word: 
kiritinam — with helmets; gadinam — with maces; cakrinam — with discs; ca — and; tejah-rasim — effulgence; sarvatah — on all sides; dipti-mantam — glowing; pasyami — I see; tvam — You; durniriksyam — difficult to see; samantat — everywhere; dipta-anala — blazing fire; arka — of the sun; dyutim — the sunshine; aprameyam — immeasurable.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Your form is difficult to see because of its glaring effulgence, spreading on all sides, like blazing fire or the immeasurable radiance of the sun. Yet I see this glowing form everywhere, adorned with various crowns, clubs and discs.

Bg 11.16

aneka-bahudara-vaktra-netram
pasyami tvam sarvato ’nanta-rupam
nantam na madhyam na punas tavadim
pasyami visvesvara visva-rupa

Word for word: 
aneka — many; bahu — arms; udara — bellies; vaktra — mouths; netram — eyes; pasyami — I see; tvam — You; sarvatah — on all sides; ananta-rupam — unlimited form; na antam — no end; na madhyam — no middle; na punah — nor again; tava — Your; adim — beginning; pasyami — I see; visva-isvara — O Lord of the universe; visva-rupa — in the form of the universe.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O Lord of the universe, O universal form, I see in Your body many, many arms, bellies, mouths and eyes, expanded everywhere, without limit. I see in You no end, no middle and no beginning.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is unlimited; thus through Him everything could be seen.

Bg 11.15

arjuna uvaca
pasyami devams tava deva dehe
sarvams tatha bhuta-visesa-sanghan
brahmanam isam kamalasana-stham
rsims ca sarvan uragams ca divyan

Word for word: 
arjunah uvaca — Arjuna said; pasyami — I see; devan — all the demigods; tava — Your; deva — O Lord; dehe — in the body; sarvan — all; tatha — also; bhuta — living entities; visesa-sanghan — specifically assembled; brahmanam — Lord Brahma; isam — Lord Siva; kamala-asana-stham — sitting on the lotus flower; rsin — great sages; ca — also; sarvan — all; uragan — serpents; ca — also; divyan — divine.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Arjuna said: My dear Lord Krishna, I see assembled in Your body all the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahma sitting on the lotus flower, as well as Lord Siva and all the sages and divine serpents.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Arjuna sees everything in the universe; therefore he sees Brahma, who is the first creature in the universe, and the celestial serpent upon which the Garbhodaka-sayi Visnu lies in the lower regions of the universe. This snake bed is called Vasuki. There are also other snakes known as Vasuki. Arjuna can see from the Garbhodaka-sayi Visnu up to the topmost part of the universe on the lotus-flower planet where Brahma, the first creature of the universe, resides. That means that from the beginning to the end, everything could be seen by Arjuna, who was sitting in one place on his chariot. This was possible by the grace of the Supreme Lord, Krishna.

Bg 11.14

tatah sa vismayavisto
hrsta-roma dhanan-jayah
pranamya sirasa devam
krtanjalir abhasata

Word for word: 
tatah — thereafter; sah — he; vismaya-avistah — being overwhelmed with wonder; hrsta-roma — with his bodily hairs standing on end due to his great ecstasy; dhanam-jayah — Arjuna; pranamya — offering obeisances; sirasa — with the head; devam — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; krta-anjalih — with folded hands; abhasata — began to speak.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Then, bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head to offer obeisances and with folded hands began to pray to the Supreme Lord.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Once the divine vision is revealed, the relationship between Krishna and Arjuna changes immediately. Before, Krishna and Arjuna had a relationship based on friendship, but here, after the revelation, Arjuna is offering obeisances with great respect, and with folded hands he is praying to Krishna. He is praising the universal form. Thus Arjuna’s relationship becomes one of wonder rather than friendship. Great devotees see Krishna as the reservoir of all relationships. In the scriptures there are twelve basic kinds of relationships mentioned, and all of them are present in Krishna. It is said that He is the ocean of all the relationships exchanged between two living entities, between the gods, or between the Supreme Lord and His devotees.

Here Arjuna was inspired by the relationship of wonder, and in that wonder, although he was by nature very sober, calm and quiet, he became ecstatic, his hair stood up, and he began to offer his obeisances unto the Supreme Lord with folded hands. He was not, of course, afraid. He was affected by the wonders of the Supreme Lord. The immediate context is wonder; his natural loving friendship was overwhelmed by wonder, and thus he reacted in this way.

Bg 11.13

tatraika-stham jagat krtsnam
pravibhaktam anekadha
apasyad deva-devasya
sarire pandavas tada

Word for word: 
tatra — there; eka-stham — in one place; jagat — the universe; krtsnam — complete; pravibhaktam — divided; anekadha — into many; apasyat — could see; deva-devasya — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarire — in the universal form; pandavah — Arjuna; tada — at that time.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
At that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of the Lord the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place although divided into many, many thousands.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The word tatra (“there”) is very significant. It indicates that both Arjuna and Krishna were sitting on the chariot when Arjuna saw the universal form. Others on the battlefield could not see this form, because Krishna gave the vision only to Arjuna. Arjuna could see in the body of Krishna many thousands of planets. As we learn from Vedic scriptures, there are many universes and many planets. Some of them are made of earth, some are made of gold, some are made of jewels, some are very great, some are not so great, etc. Sitting on his chariot, Arjuna could see all these. But no one could understand what was going on between Arjuna and Krishna.

Bg 11.12

divi surya-sahasrasya
bhaved yugapad utthita
yadi bhah sadrsi sa syad
bhasas tasya mahatmanah

Word for word: 
divi — in the sky; surya — of suns; sahasrasya — of many thousands; bhavet — there were; yugapat — simultaneously; utthita — present; yadi — if; bhah — light; sadrsi — like that; sa — that; syat — might be; bhasah — effulgence; tasya — of Him; maha-atmanah — the great Lord.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal form.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
What Arjuna saw was indescribable, yet Sanjaya is trying to give a mental picture of that great revelation to Dhrtarastra. Neither Sanjaya nor Dhrtarastra was present, but Sanjaya, by the grace of Vyasa, could see whatever happened. Thus he now compares the situation, as far as it can be understood, to an imaginable phenomenon (i.e., thousands of suns).

Bg 11.10-11

aneka-vaktra-nayanam
anekadbhuta-darsanam
aneka-divyabharanam
divyanekodyatayudham

divya-malyambara-dharam
divya-gandhanulepanam
sarvascarya-mayam devam
anantam visvato-mukham

Word for word: 
aneka — various; vaktra — mouths; nayanam — eyes; aneka — various; adbhuta — wonderful; darsanam — sights; aneka — many; divya — divine; abharanam — ornaments; divya — divine; aneka — various; udyata — uplifted; ayudham — weapons; divya — divine; malya — garlands; ambara — dresses; dharam — wearing; divya — divine; gandha — fragrances; anulepanam — smeared with; sarva — all; ascarya-mayam — wonderful; devam — shining; anantam — unlimited; visvatah-mukham — all-pervading.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Arjuna saw in that universal form unlimited mouths, unlimited eyes, unlimited wonderful visions. The form was decorated with many celestial ornaments and bore many divine upraised weapons. He wore celestial garlands and garments, and many divine scents were smeared over His body. All was wondrous, brilliant, unlimited, all-expanding.

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
In these two verses the repeated use of the word many indicates that there was no limit to the number of hands, mouths, legs and other manifestations Arjuna was seeing. These manifestations were distributed throughout the universe, but by the grace of the Lord, Arjuna could see them while sitting in one place. That was due to the inconceivable potency of Krishna.

Bg 11.9

sanjaya uvaca
evam uktva tato rajan
maha-yogesvaro harih
darsayam asa parthaya
paramam rupam aisvaram

Word for word: 
sanjayah uvaca — Sanjaya said; evam — thus; uktva — saying; tatah — thereafter; rajan — O King; maha-yoga-isvarah — the most powerful mystic; harih — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna; darsayam asa — showed; parthaya — unto Arjuna; paramam — the divine; rupam aisvaram — universal form.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
Sanjaya said: O King, having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord of all mystic power, the Personality of Godhead, displayed His universal form to Arjuna.

Bg 11.8

na tu mam sakyase drastum
anenaiva sva-caksusa
divyam dadami te caksuh
pasya me yogam aisvaram

Word for word: 
na — never; tu — but; mam — Me; sakyase — are able; drastum — to see; anena — with these; eva — certainly; sva-caksusa — your own eyes; divyam — divine; dadami — I give; te — to you; caksuh — eyes; pasya — see; me — My; yogam aisvaram — inconceivable mystic power.

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give you divine eyes. Behold My mystic opulence!

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
A pure devotee does not like to see Krishna in any form except His form with two hands; a devotee must see His universal form by His grace, not with the mind but with spiritual eyes. To see the universal form of Krishna, Arjuna is told not to change his mind but his vision. The universal form of Krishna is not very important; that will be clear in subsequent verses. Yet because Arjuna wanted to see it, the Lord gives him the particular vision required to see that universal form.

Devotees who are correctly situated in a transcendental relationship with Krishna are attracted by loving features, not by a godless display of opulences. The playmates of Krishna, the friends of Krishna and the parents of Krishna never want Krishna to show His opulences. They are so immersed in pure love that they do not even know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In their loving exchange they forget that Krishna is the Supreme Lord. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that the boys who play with Krishna are all highly pious souls, and after many, many births they are able to play with Krishna. Such boys do not know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They take Him as a personal friend. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami recites this verse:

ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya
dasyam gatanam para-daivatena
mayasritanam nara-darakena
sakam vijahruh krta-punya-punjah

“Here is the Supreme Person, who is considered the impersonal Brahman by great sages, the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotees, and a product of material nature by ordinary men. Now these boys, who have performed many, many pious activities in their past lives, are playing with that Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.12.11)

The fact is that the devotee is not concerned with seeing the visva-rupa, the universal form, but Arjuna wanted to see it to substantiate Krishna’s statements so that in the future people could understand that Krishna not only theoretically or philosophically presented Himself as the Supreme but actually presented Himself as such to Arjuna. Arjuna must confirm this because Arjuna is the beginning of the parampara system. Those who are actually interested in understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, and who follow in the footsteps of Arjuna should understand that Krishna not only theoretically presented Himself as the Supreme, but actually revealed Himself as the Supreme.

The Lord gave Arjuna the necessary power to see His universal form because He knew that Arjuna did not particularly want to see it, as we have already explained.