Blessed by Dhivya Chakshu, Arjuna is having viśvarũpa darshanam of the Lord.  He goes through three stages and his reaction to each stage is different.  First stage is wonder.  Anything in mass scale results in wonder, similar to seeing water in a huge waterfall. 

Verse 23

Oh Lord! People are frightened by seeing your huge form which has many mouths and eyes, which has many arms, thighs, and feet, which has many abdomens, and which is fierce with many tusks also am I frightened.

While witnessing viśvarũpa, Arjuna sees the mouth of the Lord.  The mouth here is the symbol for time principle. Time can be a preserver, protector or destroyer.  Kala as preserver is Brahma, kala as protector is Vishnu and kala as a destroyer is Shiva.  Here Arjuna is looking at the mouth as agni or destructive kala or Shiva and gets frightened.  Viśvarũpa consists of pairs of opposite.  We must accept both aspects of viśvarũpa.  If we see them as a complementary whole, it will not frighten us.  Birth and death are two complementary visions of viśvarũpam.  We should accept both birth and death as mangalam.   We should see everything as undivided part of viśvarũpam, and this is maturity.  If we do not have this maturity, Bhagavan may appear cruel sometimes.  Viśvarũpa as a source of fear is described from verses 23^rd to 30.  Viśvarũpam is fearful for immature people.  Arjuna says the whole world is frightened, and he is also frightened.

Verse 24

Indeed, I am frightened at heart by seeing you who is touching the sky, who is brilliant with many colors, whose mouths are wide open, and who has large fiery eyes.  I do not find courage or composure, Oh, Lord.

Many arms, thighs and feet refer to the arms, thighs, and feet of all the people in the world and not Krishna with many thighs and feet.

Time or kalam has many frightening aspects.  Old age is one of them.  Lord is often named as kala. 

Verse 25

Having just seen Your mouths which are fierce with rusks and which are like the fire of dissolution, I do not recognize the quarters, nor do I find peace.  Be gracious, Oh Lord of lords, who is the abode of the universe.

Arjuna’s mind goes again to the Lord’s mouth.  Protruding teeth symbolize the pain caused by the passing of time. 

At the time of creation, akasha, vayu, agni, jala and prithvi.  At the time of pralaya or end, it happens in reverse order.  Arjuna sees mouth as agni and greatly disturbed. 

Verse 26

All these sons of Dhrudharashtra along with hosts of kings, Bhisma, Drona and that son of charioteer along with the prominent warriors of ours are entering You.

Arjuna does not want to see the mouth, but he is getting a closeup vision of mouth.  Mouth is symbolic of kala and the purpose of mouth eating.  Here the kala refers to the passing of time or getting old and passing away.  We should avoid the fear of old age, decease and death and accept them.

In the battlefield many people are going to die and this verse is the symbolic expression of the death caused by the Mahabharata war.  Arjuna asked for Gita wisdom, because he could not accept the death of Dhrona, Bhishma etc.  But here he is seeing the death of those very same people he had difficulty accepting.  As long as we refuse to accept a situation, life becomes difficult.  Intelligence is accepting choiceless situations.

Verse 27

Speeding, they enter Your terrible moths which are fierce with tusks.  Stuck between the teeth, some of them are seen with their heads crushed.

Arjuna continues to see the frightening mouth of the Lord, with frightening teeth.  This symbolizes different deceases taking away parts of the body. 

Verse 28

These heroes of the world of men enter Your blazing mouths just as many streams of rivers flow towards the ocean only.

All the living-being must be ultimately resolved.  Birth and death are very course of life.  Arjuna gives the example of river.  All rivers rush towards one destination, even though they may take different routes.  That destination is the ocean.  Rivers come from the ocean in the form of rain, and they go back to the ocean.

Verse 29

Again, people enter your mouths with great speed for their own destruction just as moths enter the blazing fire with great speed for their own destruction.

The example given is small insect and fly.  All the insects and flies rush towards flame, even though the flame is going to cause their destruction.  But they are attracted by the brightness of the flame and fly into their own death.  Similarly, we are all rushing towards the death by the passing of time.  Kala tattvam is described as part of viśvarũpa darshanam.   Atma is the only place where kala and desha (time and form) is absent and atma tattvam is the only solution.  As long as we are away from atma, we should accept kala and desha, old age and ultimate death.

To have viśvarũpa darshanam, we require physical eye to see the universe as the body of the eye.  We are all gifted with physical eye.   But this is not enough, we also need the attitude by which we look upon the universe as the body of the Lord.  Lord is the material cause of the world, the Lord himself manifesting himself as the universe.  We should learn to train the mind to look upon the universe as the body of the Lord.  This attitude is the second factor required which we call as divya shakshu.  This is similar to the prasadham from a temple.  Ordinary food gets a special designation as prasadham.  This change is brought up by inner attitude, divya shakshu.  This divya shakshu was given to Arjuna by the Lord.  When this change takes place, Arjuna goes through several emotional transformations.  One of the transformation is acharyam or wonder in seeing totality.  This totality is available all the time. But because of mamakara and ahankara, we were not able to see the totality.  Arjuna expresses this wonderment from verses 15 to 22.  Arjuna sees the Lord as the ultimate support is something which supports everything but is not supported by anything; that is support less support; Changeless reality; One who maintains the harmony of the creation.  Wherever human beings enter, harmony is violated.  When the violation is unbearable, Bagawan takes an avatar and eliminates the violation.  This is similar to when something poisonous enters digestive system the expulsion comes, and these are in built remedy.  Similarly, whenever there is a toxin to the universe, Bhagavan comes as an avatar.

Verse 19

I see you as one who has no beginning, middle or end, who has limitless power, who has countless arms, whose eyes are the moon and the sun, whose mouth is the blazing fire, and who scorches this universe with Your radiance.

Do not imagine one Lord standing with countless hands, mouths, eyes etc., but see everyone’s hand, mouths, eyes etc. as the hands of the Lord.  For viśvarũpa, sun and moon are the eyes.  This indicates that viśvarũpa is the universe itself. 

In Tattva Bodha, we learnt that every sense organ has a presiding deity.  The presiding deity of eyes is Sun.  Agni or fire is the mouth of the Lord, because Agni is the presiding deity of mouth.  Also, mouth swallows everything, similarly Agni the fire principles every oblation offered during an oblation.  With its radiated heat, heat is scorching the earth, and this is experiencing viśvarũpa darshanam. 

Verse 20

The space between heaven and earth as well as all the quarters are indeed pervaded by You alone.  Having seen this wonderful and fierce form of Yours, all the three worlds are frightened, Oh great Lord!

The whole universe is the Lord’s body.  Earth is the feet of the lord, and the upper sky of the Lord.  All the stars are decorations for the Lord.   The whole universe is pervaded by the Lord, without a second.  Arjuna says he is able to appreciate the universe as the body of the Lord.  Lord as the creator and sustainer, we all enjoy and admire.  But the Lord as the destroyer is feared by most of us.  Arjuna says he enjoys and fears at the same time.

Verse 21

These hosts of gods are entering You indeed. Frightened, some of them pray with joined palms.  Having uttered the word “peace” groups of sages and siddhas praise You with complete hymns.

All the devas, appreciate the viśvarũpa and they approach the lord.  They understand that Bagawan’s destruction is dharmic destruction.  Others approach the lord with fear.  Religion is often practiced because of fear.  Fear is required to keep a person in dharmic path, until a person becomes discriminative, wise and mature.  The wise sages praise the lord with complete hymns.

Verse 22

Rudras, Adityas, vasus, sadhyas, visvadevas, two asvins, maruts, pitrs, groups of gandharvas, yaksas, asuras and siddhas are all looking at you with wonders.

This viśvarũpa darshana is available for all.  The people miss it because of ahankara and mamakara; it is my private projection that is preventing from getting the viśvarũpa darshanam.  Wherever mamakara and ahankara is subdued, the viśvarũpam is available.  Rudra, Aditya, vasus, maruts, aswin, sadhyas, all are apricating the viśvarũpa and are in wonderment like Arjuna.

For viśvarũpa darshanam in addition to regular eye, we need a special attitude which is born out of study of scriptures as well as a prepared mind.  Without the prepared mind, we can see viśva but it will not be seen as viśvarũpa Eeswara.  Knowledge, cognitive factors, and a pure mind all required for viśvarũpa darshanam.  Arjuna was missing this divya sakshu and Krishna granted this divya sakshu – prepared mind – for Arjuna to have the viśvarũpa darshanam.  Sanjaya gives the description of viśvarũpa darshanam. 

Verse 14

Then, Arjuna, who was wonderstruck and thrilled, saluted the Lord with his head and spoke with join palms.

Because of the change of perspective, Arjuna had an impact.  Arjuna was struck by this extraordinary change of perspective.  This change of perspective showed at the physical level also. 

Verse 15

Arjuna said – Oh Lord! In your body I see all the gods as well as hosts of various beings.  Lord Brahma who is seated on the lotus, all the sages, and the celestial serpents.

Arjuna goes through several emotional stages and the first stage was wonderment or acharyam; Arjuna sees the world as wonderful.  If you look at the totality of the cosmos, all the problems like terrorism, wars etc., will seem to be insignificant.  This Acharya bhava is described from verse 15 to 22.  His first response is wonderment.   He sees all 14 lokas.  A question may arise whether Arjuna saw other lokas.  But it is not important what lokas Arjuna saw, it is important how he saw:  he saw ordinary world as viśvarũpa darshanam, the manner of seeing is important and not what was seen.  This alone gives liberation. 

Verse 16

I see You everywhere with countless forms, with many arms, abdomens, mouths and eyes.  I see neither Your beginning nor the middle, nor the end, Oh Lord of the universe!  Oh Lord with universal form!

The idea is all the hand of all the people, all the mouths of all the people etc. are all viśvarũpa darshanam.  Lord has limitless form.  The definition of the word viśvarũpam is the one whose body is the world itself.

Verse 17

I see You as a mass of effulgence shining everywhere with crown, mace, and disc.  I see you all around, radiant like the blazing fire and sun, blinding and immeasurable.

This is continuation of Arjuna’s description of viśvarũpa darshanam.  In India, deities are installed in difficult to reach places like Himalayas, so we can appreciate viśvarũpa darshanam.

Verse 18

You are the supreme imperishable one to be known.  You are the ultimate support of this universe.  You are the eternal protector of eternal dharma.  I regard You as the eternal Purusha. Both nirguna and saguna eeswara are eternal, because the universe is anädi – no beginning and no ending.  Ultimate support is that which supports everything, but it is not supported by anything.  Even though Arjuna is seeing saguna brahman, he is describing nirguna brahman.

Lowkiga sakshu (presence of lord) and divya sakshu (prepared mind) are both needed for Eeswara darshanam. Divya sakshu is a refined mind and not a physical mind.  Eeswara darshanam is possible only when both lowkiga sakshu and divya sakshu are present.  Lord’s universal form is available for everyone, but not everyone gets the same impact of the Lord’s universal form.  This is because divya sakshu is not present in those people.  Divya sakshu is defined in many ways like without raga and dwesha, without mamakara.  Not only one can see all the lokas, one can also see anything one wants to see as everything rests in the Lord.

Verse 8

However, you cannot see me with this ordinary eye of yours.  I shall give you a divine eye.  See my divine power.

Here Krishna introduce the two types eyes required for Eeswara darshanam – physical eye and divya eye.  Some people interpret the thilakam as divya eye.  One of the significances of thilakam is the proper attitude that is required for a refined mind.  Lord Krishna blesses Arjuna with that divya shakchu.  Divinity is worshipped as one of the five elements in many temples; but eventually we should refine our mind to see everything as divinity. 

Verse 9

Sanjaya Said:  Having spoken thus, Krishna, the great of all powers, thereafter, revealed the divine form to Arjuna, Oh King!

Sanjaya calls Krishna as Hari to indicate Krishna is the divinity and not just a person.  Years of pañca mahā yagna required to refine the mind.  But Lord Krishna temporarily removed the impurities and refined the minds of Arjuna as well as those of Sanjaya.  Then Lord Krishna showed the viśva roopam, which is the greatest roopam because all other roopams are:

• Finite.
• Mutually exclusive – one displaces another.
• Subject to arrival and departure. 

All the training of vedic culture and Hinduism is to give the orientation that everything in universe as the Lord.  This is the reason we offer everything – including new cloths, ornaments etc. – to the Lord before wearing them. 

Verses 10 and 11

Krishna revealed the brilliant, limitless universal form with faces in all directions, with many mouths and eyes, with many wonderful sights, with many divine ornaments, wielding many weapons, wearing divine garlands and garments, anointed with divine perfumes and full of wonders.

We get Sanjaya’s viśva roopa darshanam which indicates he also gets divya eye.  Many eyes and many mouths indicate that Arjuna sees all the mouths and eyes as mouths and eyes of everyone.  There is no separation of individual from totality.  The attitude is more important than the action.    

When a weapon is with the Lord, it is not secular, and it is sacred.  All the weapons are secular because they are associated with the lord and Lord maintains order and harmony.

In these verses only adjectives are given, no nouns.  The noun is viswa roopam.  All these verses are adjectives to viśva roopam. 

There may be a confusion that there is no viśva roopam before and appeared for Arjuna.  That is not the case, the viśva roopam was always there, but Lord Krishna removed the impurities of mind for Arjuna and Sanjaya that enabled them to see the world as viśva roopam.  

The many dresses and garlands described in these verses indicate many garland and dresses worn by everyone as belonging to the Lord.

Verse 12

If the brilliance of a thousand suns were to rise up simultaneously in the sky, that will be comparable to the brilliance of that great Lord.

Lord’s brilliance is glaring, because I am not able to look at the sun, which is far away.  The brilliance of viśva roopam is imagined as thousands of suns rising in the sky simultaneously. 

Verse 13

There, in the body of the Lord of lords, Arjuna saw at that time, the entire universe with its manifold divisions placed together.

Sanjaya continues in this verse.  Arjuna saw everything in the infinite body of the Lord; everything in the universe is resting upon Lord.  If you have to see the real universal, Krishna’s body should not be the limited body, it should be the vast universe. 

Scriptures and puranas describe the vision of Eeswara darshanam as a thrilling and fulfilling experience.  Any experience involves two things.  One if the object of experience which should be available.  It is not enough that the object of experience is available, we require a subject of experience is also available.  Object of experience should be available, and we also require a subject of experience; an experiencer who is prepared to appreciate experience.  Generally, we focus of the object, but not on the preparedness of the experiencer.  Viswa roopa is nothing but the lord in the form of entire universe.  Viswa roopa darshanam is available for us, but if we do not get the thrill of the darshanam, it is because of the non-preparedness of our mind; that is purity of the mind.   Just like gold is available in the ornaments, viśva roopa darshanam is always available but what is not present is a prepared experiencer.  The prepared mind is called the third eye or divya shakshu.  Arjuna asks Krishna to grant him this divya shakshu. 

Verse 4

Oh Lord!  If You consider that it can be seen by me, then, You show me Your inexhaustible form, Oh Lord!

Purity of mind is a tedious time-consuming process which requires lot of karma yoga and upasana yoga and it is a slow gradual transformation.  Showing the viśva roopa darshanam is not required, but what is required is removing the impurities of mind.

Verse 5

The Lord said – Oh Arjuna! See My divine forms of various kinds, various colors and forms, in hundred and in thousands.

Even though purifying the mind is a slow and gradual process, Arjuna asks Krishna for a temporary purification of mind.  This is similar to someone getting the vision by some grace.  But the problem is it will only be temporary.  When it is artificial purification, the full impact is not gained.    It cannot be an experience that can be assimilated.  Because of Arjuna’s request, Krishna grants Arjuna temporary purification of mind so that Arjuna can see many varieties and colors of Lord’s form.  We should understand that it is not a particular form that appear, we should learn to see and appreciate various forms and colors as different forms of the Lord. 

Verse 6

Oh Arjuna! See adityas, vasus, rudras, asvins, and maruts.  See many wonders which are not seen before.

Verse 7

Oh Arjuna!  See here and now, in my body the entire universe with the movable and the immovable placed together and also anything else that you desire to see.

Krishna says see the eight vasus:  Eight natural principles:  Vayu, agni, water, earth, andhariksha, sun, moon, stars.  The 12 Aditya are the 12 months.  Ashwini kumara represents principles presiding over prana.  Martus represents different forms of Vayu.

All of them belong to viśva roopa.   We don’t generally notice any of these wonderful principles.  We must purify our mind by avoiding raga, dwesha and lōbha. When puranas describe Krishna as blue skinned, it represents the vastness of blue sky.  The whole universe is contained in Lords body. 

The word Yogaha at the end of every topic means a topic.  viśva roopa darshana means the vision of the Lord as viśva roopa, which is the name of the Lord.  Viśva roopam means the lord whose form is nothing but the very universe itself.  How can one have darshana of the lord in the form of the world itself?  Direct vision of the lord of Rama, Krishna etc., the scriptures prescribe tapas.  Tapas is nothing but concentration or meditation.  One has to learn the dhyana sloka, concentrate and visualize on that particular form and chant the mantras.  If a devotee follows this process, the devotee will give darshana in that particular form.  We have many puranic stories describing the devotees getting the darshana of the lord.

If you want to have the vision of the lord, as the world itself, then you have to invite the lord to come in the form of world.  Should we invite the lord in the form of the lord?  Even before our birth, the lord in the form of viśva roopa has already arrived.  What should I do to have the darshana of the lord in the form of the world?  Learn to see the world in the form of the lord.  Train the mind to look at the world as the manifestation of the lord.  Understand and assimilate the teaching that lord alone as the material principle of the world.  Everything appearing before me is a form of lord.  Clearly understand and assimilate this teaching.  Only then the perspective and vision will change.  This vision is divine vision or divya shakshu.   The world has a different feature that is divine – that is world is a manifestation of lord.  I need not invite the Lord; the Lord is available all the time as the world.

The first eight verses we get an introduction to this viswa roopa darshana.  It begins with Arjuna’s summarization of the first ten chapters. 

Verse 1

Arjuna said – This supreme secret teaching named adhyatmam has been imparted by You for blessing me.  This delusion of mine has gone by that.

In this verse, Arjuna summarizes the first six chapters.  The essence if jiva swaroopa varna.  The description of the essential nature of jiva, which is not physical body which is only temporary. Similarly, the mind is also a temporary instrument.  So, I am neither the body nor mind but consciousness.  The features of consciousness are:

• Consciousness is not a part, product, or property of an individual.
• Consciousness is an independent principle, pervading body and making it alive.
• Consciousness is not limited by boundaries of the body.
• Consciousness survives the fall of the body.
• Surviving consciousness is not accessible because there is no medium.

This consciousness is my nature.  Krishna describes this nature in chapters 2 to 5. 

Arjuna states that with the teaching his delusion is gone, and the doubts are cleared as he listened to the teachings of Gita.

Verse 2

Oh Krishna! Verily, the origin and dissolution of beings as well as (Your) inexhaustible glory were heard by me from You in detail.

From chapter 7, 9 and 10 Lord Krishna described Eeswara swaroopa, defining the Lord as jagat karanam or material cause.  That is the lord is the cause of shristi, sthithi and laya karanam of the beings, similar to ocean is the material cause for wave.  There are no waves separate from the ocean.  Wave is only another name for ocean.  Similarly, god alone exists in the form of world.

Verse 3

Oh Lord! It is just so as You describe yourself.  Oh Lord! I desire to see Your divine form.

In this verse, Arjuna adds Parameswara and Purushothama as the name of the Lord.  Purushothama means the supreme lord; In Chapter 15, Krishna will tell that philosophically Purushothama also means nirguna brahman.

Arjuna says he has no resistance in accepting the teaching.  Intellectually Arjuna is able to understand that the whole world is divine, and there should be no raga and dwesha.  But that is not the case.  We always have raga and dwesha against one thing or another.  Arjuna requests Krishna to teach how avoid raga and dwesha and see divine in everything.

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