📿 Shloka Collection

Adrishtapurvam Hrishitosmi

Gita 11.45 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 11 — Vishwarupa Darshana Yoga
अदृष्टपूर्वं हृषितोऽस्मि दृष्ट्वा भयेन च प्रव्यथितं मनो मे ।
तदेव मे दर्शय देव रूपं प्रसीद देवेश जगन्निवास ॥
Adrishtapurvam hrishitosmi drishtva bhayena cha pravyathitam mano me,
Tadeva me darshaya deva rupam praseeda devesha jagannivaasa.
अदृष्टपूर्वम्
never seen before
हृषितः अस्मि
I am thrilled
भयेन प्रव्यथितम्
shaken with fear
तदेव रूपम्
that same (earlier) form
प्रसीद
be gracious
देवेश
O Lord of the gods
जगन्निवास
O abode of the universe

Two emotions pull Arjuna in opposite directions. He is thrilled — genuinely delighted — to have witnessed something no mortal has ever seen. At the same time, his mind is shaking with fear. Awe and terror sit side by side, and neither one gives way.

It is like standing at the edge of a great waterfall. The beauty takes your breath away. But the roar, the sheer force of the water, the mist rising hundreds of feet — these remind you that you are very, very small. You are glad you came. But you also want to step back to solid ground.

And so Arjuna makes his request plainly: show me that earlier form. The one I know. The one with the gentle face and the familiar smile. He calls Krishna 'Devesha' (Lord of the gods) and 'Jagannivasa' (the dwelling place of the universe) — grand titles, spoken with the voice of someone who desperately wants the grand to become gentle again.

This shloka is a turning point in the chapter. The Vishwarupa vision that began at 11.9 starts to close here. Arjuna's simultaneous joy and terror are not contradictory — they reflect the traditional concept of experiencing the divine as both wondrous and overwhelming.

In the next shloka (11.46), Arjuna will be more specific about what form he wants: the four-armed Vishnu form, with crown, mace, and discus.

Chapter 11 · 45 / 55
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