Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshanayoga or The Yoga of the Vision of the Cosmic Form (55 verses)
This chapter is a culmination of sorts, of the previous chapters and is perhaps the most evident example of why Blavatsky has called the Gita a text of spiritual initiation.
1- Arjuna's prayer for a vision of the Universal Form (1-8)
3. So it is, as Thou, O Supreme Lord, hast declared Thyself to be. (Still) I desire to see Thy form as Isvara, O Purusha Supreme.
8. Thou art not indeed able to see Me with this thy eye alone ; I give thee a divine eye ; behold My lordly Yoga.
Here, it is evident that the body Krishna spoke of was a spiritual one, since it required the divine eye to see it, and that Arjuna could not perceive this highest form unless he himself possessed similar sight. Body implies form and substance, and in this relation must mean the highest conceivable primordial matter or substance, which to us might be comprehended as “luminosity and energy,” the source of all light and power. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 170-71)
2-The Lord's manifestation of the Universal Form. (9-30)
12. If the splendour of a thousand suns were ever to present itself at once in the sky, that would be like the splendour of that Mighty Being.
18. Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being worthy to be known. Thou art the great Abode of this Universe; Thou art the undying Guardian of the Eternal Dharma, Thou art the ancient Purusha, I deem.
20. This space betwixt heaven and earth and all the quarters are filled by Thee alone. Having seen this. Thy marvellous and awful form, the three worlds are trembling, O High-souled Being. Thee in Thy Universal Form.
22. The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, and Sadhyas, Visvas and Asvins, Maruts and Ushmapas, hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas, they are all looking at Thee, all quite astonished.
29. As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing lire for destruction, just so do these creatures also hurriedly rush into Thy mouths for destruction.
30. Thou lickest up devouring all worlds on every side with Thy flaming mouths, filling the whole world with flames. Thy fierce rays are blazing forth, O Vishnu.
32. I am the mighty world-destroying Time, now engaged in destroying the worlds. Even without thee, none of the warriors arrayed in hostile armies shall live.
“I am Time matured, come hither for the destruction of all these creatures.” “Time matured” means the completion of cycles; everything that begins in time, ends in time; every action has its own cycle or period of return, or re-action; it is action and actions that produce cycles, and these latter range from those of momentary duration to those of a “great age,” as they are produced by separate entities, classes of beings, or the collectivity of actions by all beings of every grade concerned in any particular stream of evolution. The general reference here is to the impermanence of all forms or combinations of them. Change is necessitated by progress, for without change there would be stagnation; hence the constant disintegration and re-integration of elements in ever changing relation and form, all brought about by the requirements of the Perceiver— the Real Man within—, who is the sole survivor through all changes. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 174-75)
33. Therefore do thou arise and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled dominion. By Myself have they been already slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Savyasachin.
4- Arjuna's adoration of the Universal Form. (35-44)
Arjuna's prayer for the Lord's forgiveness. (41-44)
41-42. Whatever was rashly said by me from carelessness or love, addressing Thee as " O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend," looking on Thee merely as a friend, ignorant of this Thy greatness,— in whatever way I may have insulted Thee for fun while at play, on bed, in an assembly, or at meals, when alone, O Achyuta, or in company— that I implore Thee, Immeasurable, to forgive.
Here in this ancient scripture is pictured the ‘fatal error made again and again by mankind in the failure to recognize a divine teacher when he appears among them in human guise. Buddha, Jesus, and many others before and after them, were treated by their contemporaries as ordinary human beings actuated by similar motives as the rest of mankind. They were opposed by the established interests, religious and otherwise, because the doctrines they taught were destructive of the hard and fast conclusions upon which those interests were founded; their speech and acts, although intended to instruct, enlighten, and benefit, were construed as violations of law and custom, and were frequently characterized as criminal in nature. Even among their immediate disciples, suspicion, doubt, jealousy, fear, resentment and self-interest were to be found, none of which could have had existence had the real nature of the teacher been understood. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 177-79)
5- The Lord resumes His usual form. (45-55)
47. By Me, gracious to thee, O Arjuna, this Supreme Form has been shown,—by my sovereign power—full of splendour, the All, the Boundless, the Original Form of Mine, never before seen by any other than thyself.
54. But by undistracted devotion can I, of this Form, be known and seen in reality, and entered into, O harasser of thy foes.
Now the essential teaching of the whole Gita-Sastra which conduces to Highest Bliss will be summed up here, the teaching being such as every one should follow :
55. He who does works for Me, who looks on Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who is without hatred for any being, he comes to Me, O Pandava.
Shri Krishna asked, " Have you forgotten my instruction to first love the Cosmic form and then only come in person to meet my four-armed form? ". There are no worldly means of reaching my Cosmic form. Remember that it can be found by only one means and that is by filling your mind with devotion. But that devotion must be like a river flowing towards sea and does not stop until it meets it.
Thus the devotee must be ceaselessly devoted to me with all his feelings in order to reach me and become one with me. Real devotion is that which sees my presence everywhere right from a small ant onwards and in all living and non-living things. And when he sees thus, then he will experience my form and with that naturally see me. As soon as one experiences my form his ego is destroyed and duality vanishes. Then he realises the natural oneness between me, himself and the entire universe.
What is more, by becoming one with me, he gets absorbed in Me. All actions of such a devotee are for my sake and there is nothing in this world he loves apart from Me. He considers Me alone as the fruits of his actions in this world and the next and considers Me as his goal in life. He forgets the word "creatures" because he sees me in everything and thus with an attitude of equality and without enmity he worships everything. Such a devotee, when he leaves his material body, reaches Me and remains unified with Me." (Dnyaneshwari; 11: 673-699, transl. M.R. Yardi)
In the closing portion of the chapter Krishna says: “I am not to be seen, even as I have shown myself to thee, by study of the Vedas (scriptures), nor by mortifications, nor alms giving, nor sacrifices. I am to be approached and seen and known in truth by means of that devotion which has me alone as the object.”
The following, written by one of the Teachers, may serve as an explanation of the foregoing paragraph. “Ishwara, the spirit in man, is untouched by any troubles, works, fruit of works, or desires, and when a firm position is assumed, with the end in view of reaching union with spirit through concentration, He (that spirit) comes to the aid of the lower self and raises it gradually to higher planes.” The “firm position” and concentration are one and the same; it means a lifetime’s devotion, an acting for and as the Self in all things. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 177-79)
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