BG 11.1: Arjuna said: To show favour to Me, You have told me that most profound mystery concerning the self; by that, this delusion of mine is dispelled.

BG 11.2: The origination and dissolution of all beings, O Krishna, (as issuing from You) have been heard verily by me at length as also Your immutable greatness.

BG 11.3: O Supreme Lord, how You described Yourself, even so are You. I wish to see Your Lordly form, O Supreme Person.

BG 11.4: If you think, O Lord, that it can be seen by me, then, O Lord of Yoga, reveal Yourself to me completely.

BG 11.5: The Lord said: Behold My forms, O Arjuna, hundreds upon thousands, manifold, divine, varied in hue and shape.

BG 11.6: Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Ashvins and the Maruts. Behold, O Arjuna, many marvels never seen before.

BG 11.7: Behold here, O Arjuna, the whole universe with its mobile and immobile things centred in My body and whatever else you desire to see.

BG 11.8: But you will not be able to see Me with your own eye. I give you a divine eye. Behold My Lordly Yoga!

BG 11.9: Sañjaya said: Having spoken, O King, Shri Krishna, the great Lord of Yoga, then revealed to Arjuna the supreme Lordly Form.

BG 11.10: With innumerable mouths and eyes, many marvellous aspects, many divine ornaments and many divine weapons.

BG 11.11: Wearing celestial garlands and raiments, anointed with divine perfumes, full of all wonders, resplendent, boundless and facing all directions.

BG 11.12: If a thousand suns were to rise at once in the sky, the resulting splendour may be like the splendour of that mighty One.

BG 11.13: There (in that form) Arjuna beheld the whole universe, with its manifold divisions gathered together in one single spot within the body of the God of gods.

BG 11.14: Then he, Arjuna, overcome with amazement, his hairs standing erect, bowed his head to the Lord, and with folded hands spoke.

BG 11.15: Arjuna said: I behold, O Lord, in Your body all the gods and all the diverse hosts of beings, Brahma, Shiva (Īsha) who is in Brahma, the seers and the lustrous snakes.

BG 11.16: With manifold arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes, I behold Your infinite form on all sides. I see no end, no middle nor the beginning too of You, O Lord of the universe, O You of Universal Form.

BG 11.17: I behold You as a mass of light shining everywhere, with diadem, mace and discus, hard to behold, blazing like a burning fire and the sun, and immeasurable.

BG 11.18: You are the Imperishable, Supreme One to be realised. You are the Supreme Substratum of this universe. You are immutable, the guardian of the eternal law, I know You are the Supreme Person who is everlasting.

BG 11.19: I behold You as without beginning, middle and end. Your might is infinite. You are endowed with an endless number of arms. The sun and moon are Your eyes. Your mouth is emitting burning fire. With Your own radiance You are warming the whole universe.

BG 11.20: You alone have pervaded the interspace between heaven and earth, and all the quarters. Beholding Your marvellous and terrible form, O Mahatman, the three worlds are greatly overwhelmed with fear.

BG 11.21: Verily into You the hosts of Devas enter. Some in fear extol You with clasped hands. Crying ‘Hail’ the bands of great seers and Siddhas praise You with meaningful hymns.

BG 11.22: The Rudras, the Adityas, the Vasus, the Sadhyas, the Vishvas, the Ashvins, the Maruts and the manes, and the hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas—all gaze upon You in amazement.

BG 11.23: Beholding Your great form with many mouths and eyes with many arms, thighs, and feet, with many stomachs and terrible with many teeth, the worlds tremble, and I too quake, O mighty-armed.

BG 11.24: When I behold You touching the Supreme Heaven, shining, multicoloured, with yawning mouths and large resplendent eyes, my inner being trembles in fear. I am unable to find support or peace, O Vishnu.

BG 11.25: Viewing Your mouths, presenting awe-generating fangs and looking like the consuming fire of final destruction, I know not the quarters of the globe nor do I find repose. Be gracious, O Lord of the Devas! O Abode of the universe!

BG 11.26: AH these sons of Dhrtarashtra together with the hosts of monarchs, Bhishma, Drona and Karna along with the leading warriors of our side,

BG 11.27: Hasten to enter Your fearful mouths with terrible fangs. Some, caught between the teeth are seen with their heads crushed to powder.

BG 11.28: As many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean, so do these heroes of the world of men enter Your flaming mouths.

BG 11.29: As moths rush swiftly into a blazing fire to their destruction, so do these men swiftly rush into Your mouths to meet their destruction.

BG 11.30: Devouring all the worlds on every side with your flaming mouths, You lick them up. Your fiery rays, filling the whole universe with their radiance, scorch it, O Vishnu.

BG 11.31: Tell me who You are with this terrible form? Salutation to You, O Supreme God. Be gracious. I desire to know You, the Primal One. I do not know Your activity.

BG 11.32: The Lord said: I am the world-destroying Time. Manifesting Myself fully, I have begun to destroy the worlds here. Even without You, none of the warriors arrayed in the hostile ranks shall survive.

BG 11.33: Therefore arise, win glory. Conquering your foes, enjoy a prosperous kingdom. By Me they have been slain already. You be merely an instrument, O Arjuna, you great bowman!

BG 11.34: Slay Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna as well as other mighty warriors, who have been doomed by Me. Do not feel distressed. Fight. You shall conquer your rivals in the battle.

BG 11.35: Sañjaya said: Having heard this speech of Krishna, Arjuna did Him obeisance; and trembling with awe, he bowed down again, and with folded palms, and trembling, he spoke to Krishna in a choked voice.

BG 11.36: Arjuna said: Rightly it is, O Krishna, that Your praise should move the world to joy and love. The Rakshasas flee in fear on all sides, and all the hosts of Siddhas bow down to You.

BG 11.37: And why should they not, O Mahatman, bow down to You who are great, being the first Creator, even of Brahma? O Infinite, Lord of gods, O You who have the universe for Your abode! You are the imperishable individual self, the existent and the non-existent, and that which is beyond both.

BG 11.38: You are the Primal God and the Ancient Person. You are the Supreme resting place of the universe. You are the knower and that which must be known, and the Supreme abode. By You, O infinite of form, is this universe pervaded.

BG 11.39: You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, Shashanka, Prajapati and the great-grandsire. Hail, Hail unto You, a thousand times! Hail unto You again and yet again!

BG 11.40: Salutation to You from before and behind! Salutation to You from all sides, O All! O You of infinite prowess and heroic action which are measureless! You pervade all beings and therefore are all.

BG 11.41: Unaware of this majesty of Yours, and either from negligence or love, or considering You to be a friend, whatever I have rudely said as ‘O Krishna, O Yadava, O Comrade.’

BG 11.42: And whatever disrespect has been shown to You in jest, while playing, resting, while sitting or eating, while alone or in the sight of others, O Acyuta—I implore You for forgiveness, You who are incomprehensible.

BG 11.43: You are the father of this world, of all that moves and that does not move. You are its teacher and the one most worthy of reverence. There is none equal to You. How then could there be in the three worlds another greater than You, O Being of matchless greatness?

BG 11.44: Therefore, bowing down, prostrating the body, I implore Your mercy, O adorable Lord. As a father bears with his son or a friend with his friend, it is meet, O Lord, that You, who are dear to me, should bear with me who am dear to You.

BG 11.45: Seeing what was never seen before, I am delighted. But my mind is also agog with awe. Show me, Q Lord! Your other form. O Lord of the gods! Be gracious, O Abode of the universe!

BG 11.46: I wish to see You ever as before, with crown and with mace and discus in hand. Assume again that four-armed shape, O Thou the thousand-armed, of Universal Form!

BG 11.47: The Lord said: By My grace, O Arjuna, this Supreme Form, luminous, universal, infinite, primal, never seen before by anyone but you, has been revealed to you through My own free will.

BG 11.48: Neither through the study of the Yedas, nor by sacrifices, nor by recitals of the scriptures, nor by gifts, nor by rituals, nor by strict austerities can I be realised in a form like this in the world of men by any one else but you, O Arjuna!

BG 11.49: You need not fear any more, nor be perplexed, looking on this awesome form of Mine. Free from fear and with a gladdened heart, behold again that other form of Mine.

BG 11.50: Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus to Arjuna, Shri Krishna revealed to him once more His own form. The Mahatman, assuming again a benign form, reassured him who had been struck with awe.

BG 11.51: Arjuna said: Having beheld the human and pleasing form of Yours, O Krishna, I have now become composed in mind and I am restored to my normal nature.

BG 11.52: The Lord said: It is very hard to behold this form of Mine which you have seen. Even the gods ever long to behold this form.

BG 11.53: Not by the Vedas, nor by austerities, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice, can I be seen in such a form as You have seen Me.

BG 11.54: But by single-minded devotion, O Arjuna, it is possible to truly know, to see and to enter into Me, who am of this form, O harasser of foes.

BG 11.55: Whosoever works for Me, looks upon Me as the highest and is devoted to Me, free from attachment and without enmity towards any creature, he comes to Me, O Arjuna.