Baghawad Geeta, Class 145: Chapter 11, Verses 19 to 22

त्वमक्षरं परमं वेदितव्यं
त्वमस्य विश्वस्य परं निधानम्।
त्वमव्ययः शाश्वतधर्मगोप्ता
सनातनस्त्वं पुरुषो मतो मे।।11.18।।

You are the Immutable, the supreme One to be
known; You are the most perfect repository of this Universe. You are the
Imperishable, the Protector of the ever-existing religion; You are the eternal
Person. This is my belief.

Continuing
his class Swamiji said, last week I pointed out that to have Vishwa rupa darshanam
we need to have two things: 1) The physical eye to look at the universe; the
body of the Lord and fortunately we have this gift; and 2) we also need another
set of eyes, that is the attitude or perspective to see the world as body of
God.

God
is material cause of universe, so we should look at universe as body of God. This
faculty is obtained through training in scriptures and the consequent vision
and attitude change we obtain, known as Divya Chakshu. I cited example of
Venkateshwara laddu, which we see as different from a normal laddu as we
attribute holiness to it and as such we even place it on our eyes before
eating. This is caused by our inner attitude. Sri Krishna has now given this
inner eye to Arjuna. So, he sees the world as the vibrant body of God. In this “Seeing”,
Arjuna goes through three levels of inner transformations.

First
transformation is vismaya. Due to my Ahamkara I see this universe as
fragmented and not in its totality. This is vismaya is described in shlokas 15-
22.

We
are in shloka # 18 where Arjuna’s reverence for Sri Krishna increases.  Until now he saw him as a friend, but now he
sees him in a different manner, therefore Arjuna glorifies Krishna with all the
words he has heard in the Upanishads.
Remember Arjuna had also Gurukulamvasam in keeping with the tradition; brahmanas, kshtriyas and vaishyas, all of them
had to study the vedas. And therefore
Arjuna remembers the Vedic description of the Lord and he rattles out in these verses,
which we started in the last class.

Tvam Akshram: Aksharam is
Nirguna Brahman. You are Eka rupa, Aneka Rupa and Arupa Ishwara. You are not
limited by time, space and properties. You are the ultimate truth to be known
by everyone.

Mandukya
Upanishad says you are the ultimate support for cosmos as the sthithi karanam. Ultimate
support means that which supports everything but is not supported itself by
anything.

Tvam Avyayaha: You are the changeless
reality without decay. So, Sri Krishna is not a personal god with a body
anymore.

Sashvat Dharma Gopta: You maintain
harmony of creation. You maintain the physical laws and moral laws of universe.
He is creator and maintainer of universe. These are all natural laws. Human
beings alone violate these natural laws. Whenever such human beings are born on
earth; God is born to destroy the cause of disharmony. Citing an example, our
health is natural; malady is not natural. So you treat malady to get back your
natural health.

Sanatana: means you are
always there; ever present, the all pervading one, being the universal form, you are
everywhere because the very akasha is seen as
the body of the Lord.

Avataras: Whenever there
is a disturbance in our body, my health principle causes an avathrara. This avathara
comes up and cleanses the malady.

Whenever
there is a threat that is universal, God comes out as an Avathara and acts. You
are eternal protector of eternal Dharma.

Purusha:

Means
all pervading one. Even Akasha is seen as body of god. There is no akasha less
space.

Shloka # 19:

अनादिमध्यान्तमनन्तवीर्य
मनन्तबाहुं शशिसूर्यनेत्रम्।
पश्यामि त्वां दीप्तहुताशवक्त्रम् 
स्वतेजसा विश्वमिदं तपन्तम्।।11.19।।

I see You as without beginning, middle and
end, possessed of infinite valour, having innumerable arms, having the sun and
the moon as eyes, having a mouth like a blazing fire, and heating up this
Universe by Your own brilliance.

Anadimadhyantam: means without beginning, middle and an end. Citing a story, a great Sanskrit scholar was there but he was very poor; now, generally, where Sarasvati is there, generally Lakshmi does not stay along with her; there seems to be some tiff between them! So this person is a great scholar Sarasvati is there, Lakshmi, money is not there; so he was wearing only rags; tattered clothes; and being poet, everything he can put in verse form; he was looking at the tattered rags and was chanting this verse. The poem basically says:

And
Lord is dasha hinam; he does
not have any dasha; shani, rahu dasha; you are also
dasha hinam Oh Lord;
and my dress is also dasha
hinam; puratanam; my dress
is also the most ancient one; and Oh Lord you are puratana; Then
advitiyam; matchless,
you are also matchless, and you can never find a cloth like mine; advitiyam aham, the
Lord who is like my vastram, to that Lord, I prostrate; namaskara.

Anantabahum: You are Lord
of infinite powers; omni potent, with endless arms ( not a god with countless
hands rather a god with hands of all people that belong to God alone).

Shasi Surya
Netram: Your
eyes are the sun and moon. Eyes make
things visible. Sun and moon make universe visible. So Vishwa rupa is not a
special form, rather it is our universe itself.

Tatva
Bodha says, every sense organ has a presiding deity; thus sun presides over
eyes. Whatever is presiding deity of organ is organ of the Lord, thus Surya is
the eye of the Lord.

Diptahutashavaktram

Agni
devata is mouth of lord;
And
why do we say agni is the mouth of the Lord; two reason, first reason, in Tatva
bodha we have seen the presiding deity of the vag indriyam is agni devatha; therefore
agni devatha becomes the
mouth of the Lord.

Second
reason is mouth swallows everything during a ritual. So he is mouth of Lord.
Arjuna says, I am looking at your mouth, which is on fire; it is also a well-kindled
fire.

Seeing the fiery mouth
of God, Arjuna turns away. The fiery mouth scorches the whole world with its
radiation.

When you feel the
discomfort, it is an experience of Vishwa Rupa.

Shloka # 20 :

द्यावापृथिव्योरिदमन्तरं हि
व्याप्तं त्वयैकेन दिशश्च सर्वाः।
दृष्ट्वाऽद्भुतं रूपमुग्रं तवेदं
लोकत्रयं प्रव्यथितं महात्मन्।।11.20।।

Indeed, this intermediate space between heaven
and earth as also all the directions are pervaded by You alone. O exalted One,
the three worlds are struck with fear by seeing this strange, fearful form of
Yours.

Idam dyavapr thivyoridamantaram hi vyaptam:

Between earth and
heaven, you pervade the entire gap or the space. Entire space is your nabhi.
Upper sky is your head. The blue sky is nila kanta. Everything is totally
pervaded by you.

I
am able to appreciate this wonderful form of yours, which was there before
also. But before I could not enjoy this wonder because I was looking at the
universe from my personal angle; the moment I look at the universe as a person;
then immediately the world is

fragmented;
I just divide a certain portion as favorable; therefore raga vishaya; and another
portion as unfavorable dveshah vishaya; and once
that private colored vision comes, I can never enjoy; I will be worried about
my future; ahamkara mamakara

etc.
everything will come. Previously I could never stand and stare at the stars and
appreciate You; but now I have forgotten myself as Arjuna and I do not remember

anything as my possession; I and mine are not there;
therefore You alone are; therefore it is
adbhutam.

Arjuna has seen the fiery
mouth of Lord as destroying principle. We are able to enjoy and admire Srishti
and sthiti karanam but Laya karanam is fearsome. Arjuna has both wonder and
fear (ugram); looking at the Vishwa Rupam is frightening. Nobody wants death
for himself or his close ones. This is a big insecurity we all feel. Everybody has
got this running sense of insecurity

constantly
throughout and therefore Arjuna says; lokatrayam;
in all the lokas; even the animals
have got instinctive fear of death; therefore all the three lokas including devas, asuras; manushyas, pashus, pakshis, insects,
even an ant; they are all frightened of You; the death principle, represented
by the fiery mouth; O Mahatman
means O Vishva rupa.

Shloka # 21:

अमी हि त्वां सुरसङ्घाः विशन्ति
केचिद्भीताः प्राञ्जलयो गृणन्ति।
स्वस्तीत्युक्त्वा महर्षिसिद्धसङ्घाः
स्तुवन्ति त्वां स्तुतिभिः पुष्कलाभिः।।11.21।।

Those very groups of gods enter into You;
struck with fear, some extol (You) with joined palms. Groups of great sages and
perfected beings praise You with elaborate hymns, saying ‘May it be well!’

How do different
people respond to Vishwa Rupa Ishwara? All devas, relatively enlightened ones,
appreciate Vishwa rupa and approach you with prayers. They understand that even
the destructive aspect is constructive. Some other people also approach you out
of fear. Fear is required to keep a person in his path until maturity; later,
it should be replaced by a wisdom-based
appreciation of the Lord. There are several shlokas that are chanted to get
over one’s fears. They chant these prayers approaching you.

Groups of Rishis and
sidhas also approach you saying, let there be auspiciousness. Let good be
protected. They glorify you with hymns that are complete and comprehensive.

Shloka 22:

रुद्रादित्या वसवो ये च साध्या
विश्वेऽश्िवनौ मरुतश्चोष्मपाश्च।
गन्धर्वयक्षासुरसिद्धसङ्घा
वीक्षन्ते त्वां विस्मिताश्चैव सर्वे।।11.22।।

Those who are the Rudras, the Adityas, the
Vasus and the Sadhyas [sadhyas: A particular class of celestial
beings.-V.S.A.], the Visve (-devas), the two Asvins, the Maruts and the
Usmapas, and hosts of Gandharvas, Yaksas, demons and Siddhas-all of those very
ones gaze at You, being indeed struck with wonder.

Arjuna says the vishwa
rupa is available to all people with divya chakshu.

Vishwa Rupam comes into
being with creation. People who miss it do so because of ahmakara and mamakara
that denies them the whole and un-fragmented vision of Lord. Therefore,
those who have got lesser ahamkara  and mamakara; they are already appreciating Me. They include:

• Rudras, eleven of them
• Adityas, twelve of them
• Vasus, Eight of them
• Sadhyas
• Vishve, Countless of them
• Ashwini, two of them
• Marutis, Fortynine of them
• Usmapaha, Pitr devatas

Gandharvayakshasurasiddhasanghah;Gandharvas, asuras, sidhas, Sanghas.

All of the above
appreciate Vishwa Rupa . They are also wonder stuck at the rupa.

With Best Wishes,

Ram Ramaswamy