Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Universal Form
Bg11.1
TEXT 1
arjuna uvāca
mad-anugrahāya paramaṁ
guhyam adhyātma-saṁjñitam
yat tvayoktaṁ vacas tena
moho ’yaṁ vigato mama
arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; mat-anugrahāya—just to show me favor; paramam—supreme; guhyam—confidential; adhyātma—spiritual; saṁjñitam—in the matter of; yat—what; tvayā—by You; uktam—said; vacaḥ—words; tena—by that; mohaḥ—illusion; ayam—this; vigataḥ—is educated; mama—my.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: I have heard Your instruction on confidential spiritual matters which You have so kindly delivered unto me, and my illusion is now dispelled.
PURPORT
This chapter reveals Kṛṣṇa as the cause of all causes. He is even the cause of the Mahā-Viṣṇu, and from Him the material universes emanate. Kṛṣṇa is not an incarnation; He is the source of all incarnations. That has been completely explained in the last chapter.
Now, as far as Arjuna is concerned, he says that his illusion is over. This means that Arjuna no longer thinks of Kṛṣṇa as a mere human being, as a friend of his, but as the source of everything. Arjuna is very enlightened and is glad that he has a great friend like Kṛṣṇa, but now he is thinking that although he may accept Kṛṣṇa as the source of everything, others may not. So in order to establish Kṛṣṇa’s divinity for all, he is requesting Kṛṣṇa in this chapter to show His universal form. Actually when one sees the universal form of Kṛṣṇa one becomes frightened, like Arjuna, but Kṛṣṇa is so kind that after showing it He converts Himself again into His original form. Arjuna agrees to what Kṛṣṇa says several times. Kṛṣṇa is speaking to him just for his benefit, and Arjuna acknowledges that all this is happening to him by Kṛṣṇa’s grace. He is now convinced that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes and is present in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul.
Bg11.2 TEXT 2 bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṁ śrutau vistaraśo mayā tvattaḥ kamala-patrākṣa māhātmyam api cāvyayam bhava—appearance; apyayau—disappearance; hi—certainly; bhūtānām—of all living entities; śrutau—have heard; vistaraśaḥ—detail; mayā—by me; tvattaḥ—from You; kamala-patrākṣa—O lotus-eyed one; māhātmyam—glories; api—also; ca—and; avyayam—inexhaustible. TRANSLATION O lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the appearance and disappearance of every living entity, as realized through Your inexhaustible glories. PURPORT Arjuna addresses Lord Kṛṣṇa as “lotus-eyed” (Kṛṣṇa’s eyes appear just like the petals of a lotus flower) out of his joy, for Kṛṣṇa has assured him, in the last verse of the previous chapter, that He sustains the entire universe with just a fragment of Himself. He is the source of everything in this material manifestation, and Arjuna has heard of this from the Lord in detail. Arjuna further knows that in spite of His being the source of all appearances and disappearances, He is aloof from them. His personality is not lost, although He is all-pervading. That is the inconceivable opulence of Kṛṣṇa which Arjuna admits that he has thoroughly understood.
Bg11.3 TEXT 3 evam etad yathāttha tvam ātmānaṁ parameśvara draṣṭum icchāmi te rūpam aiśvaraṁ puruṣottama evam—that; etat—this; yathāttha—as it is; tvam—You; ātmānam—the soul; parameśvara—the Supreme Lord; draṣṭum—to see; icchāmi—I wish; te—You; rūpam—form; aiśvaram—divine; puruṣottama—O best of personalities. TRANSLATION O greatest of all personalities, O supreme form, though I see here before me Your actual position, I yet wish to see how You have entered into this cosmic manifestation. I want to see that form of Yours. PURPORT The Lord said that because He entered into the material universe by His personal representation, the cosmic manifestation has been made possible and is going on. Now as far as Arjuna is concerned, he is inspired by the statements of Kṛṣṇa, but in order to convince others in the future who may think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary person, he desires to see Him actually in His universal form, to see how He is acting from within the universe, although He is apart from it. Arjuna’s asking the Lord’s permission is also significant. Since the Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is present within Arjuna himself; therefore He knows the desire of Arjuna, and He can understand that Arjuna has no special desire to see Him in His universal form, for he is completely satisfied to see Him in His personal form of Kṛṣṇa. But He can understand also that Arjuna wants to see the universal form to convince others. He did not have any personal desire for confirmation. Kṛṣṇa also understands that Arjuna wants to see the universal form to set a criterion, for in the future there would be so many imposters who would pose themselves as incarnations of God. The people, therefore, should be careful; one who claims to be Kṛṣṇa should be prepared to show his universal form to confirm his claim to the people.
Bg11.4 TEXT 4 manyase yadi tac chakyaṁ mayā draṣṭum iti prabho yogeśvara tato me tvaṁ darśayātmānam avyayam manyase—if You think; yadi—if; tat—that; śakyam—able to see; mayā—by me; draṣṭum—to see; iti—thus; prabho—O Lord; yogeśvara—the Lord of all mystic power; tataḥ—then; me—unto me; tvam—You; darśaya—show; ātmānam—Yourself; avyayam—eternal. TRANSLATION If You think that I am able to behold Your cosmic form, O my Lord, O master of all mystic power, then kindly show me that universal self. PURPORT It is said that one can neither see, hear, understand nor perceive the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, by the material senses. But if one is engaged in loving transcendental service to the Lord from the beginning, then one can see the Lord by revelation. Every living entity is only a spiritual spark; therefore it is not possible to see or to understand the Supreme Lord. Arjuna, as a devotee, does not depend on his speculative strength; rather, he admits his limitations as a living entity and acknowledges Kṛṣṇa’s inestimable position. Arjuna could understand that for a living entity it is not possible to understand the unlimited infinite. If the infinite reveals Himself, then it is possible to understand the nature of the infinite by the grace of the infinite. The word yogeśvara is also very significant here because the Lord has inconceivable power. If He likes, He can reveal Himself by His grace, although He is unlimited. Therefore Arjuna pleads for the inconceivable grace of Kṛṣṇa. He does not give Kṛṣṇa orders. Kṛṣṇa is not obliged to reveal Himself to anyone unless one surrenders fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages in devotional service. Thus it is not possible for persons who depend on the strength of their mental speculations to see Kṛṣṇa.
Bg11.5 TEXT 5 śrī-bhagavān uvāca paśya me pārtha rūpāṇi śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ nānā-vidhāni divyāni nānā-varṇākṛtīni ca śrī bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; paśya—just see; me—Mine; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; rūpāṇi—forms; śataśaḥ—hundreds; atha—also; sahasraśaḥ—thousands; nānā-vidhāni—variegated; divyāni—divine; nānā—variegated; varṇa—colored; akṛtīni—forms; ca—also. TRANSLATION The Blessed Lord said: My dear Arjuna, O son of Pṛthā, behold now My opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine forms, multicolored like the sea. PURPORT Arjuna wanted to see Kṛṣṇa in His universal form, which, although a transcendental form, is just manifested for the cosmic manifestation and is therefore subject to the temporary time of this material nature. As the material nature is manifested and not manifested, similarly this universal form of Kṛṣṇa is manifested and unmanifested. It is not eternally situated in the spiritual sky like Kṛṣṇa’s other forms. As far as a devotee is concerned, he is not eager to see the universal form, but because Arjuna wanted to see Kṛṣṇa in this way, Kṛṣṇa reveals this form. This universal form is not possible to be seen by any ordinary man. Kṛṣṇa must give one the power to see it.
Bg11.6 TEXT 6 paśyādityān vasūn rudrān aśvinau marutas tathā bahūny adṛṣṭa-pūrvāṇi paśyāścaryāṇi bhārata paśya—see; ādityān—the twelve sons of Aditi; vasūn—the eight Vasus; rudrān—the eleven forms of Rudra; aśvinau—the two Asvins; marutaḥ—the forty-nine Maruts (demigods of the wind); tathā—also; bahūni—many; adṛṣṭa—that you have not heard or seen; pūrvāṇi—before; paśya—there see; āścaryāṇi—all the wonderful; bhārata—O best of the Bhāratas. TRANSLATION O best of the Bhāratas, see here the different manifestations of Ādityas, Rudras, and all the demigods. Behold the many things which no one has ever seen or heard before. PURPORT Even though Arjuna was a personal friend of Kṛṣṇa and the most advanced of learned men, it was still not possible for him to know everything about Kṛṣṇa. Here it is stated that humans have neither heard nor known of all these forms and manifestations. Now Kṛṣṇa reveals these wonderful forms.
Bg11.7 TEXT 7 ihaika-sthaṁ jagat kṛtsnaṁ paśyādya sa-carācaram mama dehe guḍākeśa yac cānyad draṣṭum icchasi iha—in this; ekastham—in one; jagat—the universe; kṛtsnam—completely; paśya—see; adya—immediately; sa—with; cara—moving; acaram—not moving; mama—My; dehe—in this body; guḍākeśa—O Arjuna; yat—that; ca—also; anyat—other; draṣṭum—to see; icchasi—you like. TRANSLATION Whatever you wish to see can be seen all at once in this body. This universal form can show you all that you now desire, as well as whatever you may desire in the future. Everything is here completely. PURPORT No one can see the entire universe sitting in one place. Even the most advanced scientist cannot see what is going on in other parts of the universe. Kṛṣṇa gives him the power to see anything he wants to see, past, present and future. Thus by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is able to see everything.
Bg11.8 TEXT 8 na tu māṁ śakyase draṣṭum anenaiva sva-cakṣuṣā divyaṁ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ paśya me yogam aiśvaram na—never; tu—but; mām—Me; śakyase—able; draṣṭum—to see; anena—by this; eva—certainly; sva-cakṣuṣā—with your own eyes; divyam—divine; dadāmi—I give; te—you; cakṣuḥ—eyes; paśya—see; me—My; yogam aiśvaram—inconceivable mystic power. TRANSLATION But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give to you divine eyes by which you can behold My mystic opulence. PURPORT A pure devotee does not like to see Kṛṣṇa in any form except His form with two hands; a devotee must see His universal form by His grace, not with the mind but with spiritual eyes. To see the universal form of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is told not to change his mind but his vision. The universal form of Kṛṣṇa is not very important; that will be clear in the verses. Yet because Arjuna wanted to see it, the Lord gives him the particular vision required to see that universal form.
Devotees who are correctly situated in a transcendental relationship with Kṛṣṇa are attracted by loving features, not by a godless display of opulences. The playmates of Kṛṣṇa, the friends of Kṛṣṇa and the parents of Kṛṣṇa never want Kṛṣṇa to show His opulences. They are so immersed in pure love that they do not even know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In their loving exchange they forget that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that the boys who play with Kṛṣṇa are all highly pious souls, and after many, many births they are able to play with Kṛṣṇa. Such boys do not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They take Him as a personal friend. The Supreme Person is considered as the impersonal Brahman by great sages, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the devotees, and as a product of this material nature by ordinary men. The fact is that the devotee is not concerned to see the viśva-rūpa, the universal form, but Arjuna wanted to see it to substantiate Kṛṣṇa’s statement so that in the future people could understand that Kṛṣṇa not only theoretically or philosophically presented Himself as the Supreme but actually presented Himself as such to Arjuna. Arjuna must confirm this because Arjuna is the beginning of the paramparā system. Those who are actually interested to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and who follow in the footsteps of Arjuna should understand that Kṛṣṇa not only theoretically presented Himself as the Supreme, but actually revealed Himself as the Supreme.
The Lord gave Arjuna the necessary power to see His universal form because He knew that Arjuna did not particularly want to see it, as we have already explained.
Bg11.9 TEXT 9 sañjaya uvāca evam uktvā tato rājan mahā-yogeśvaro hariḥ darśayām āsa pārthāya paramaṁ rūpam aiśvaram sañjayaḥ uvāca—Sanjaya said; evam—thus; uktvā—saying; tataḥ—thereafter; rājan—O King; mahā-yogeśvaraḥ—the most powerful mystic; hariḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa; darśayāmāsa—showed; pārthāya—unto Arjuna; paramam—divine; rūpam—universal form; aiśvaram—opulences. TRANSLATION Sañjaya said: O King, speaking thus, the Supreme, the Lord of all mystic power, the Personality of Godhead, displayed His universal form to Arjuna. Bg11.10-11 TEXTS 10–11 aneka-vaktra-nayanam anekādbhuta-darśanam aneka-divyābharaṇaṁ divyānekodyatāyudham divya-mālyāmbara-dharaṁ divya-gandhānulepanam sarvāścarya-mayaṁ devam anantaṁ viśvato-mukham aneka—various; vaktra—mouths; nayanam—eyes; aneka—various; adbhuta—wonderful; darśanam—sight; aneka—many; divya—divine; ābharaṇam—ornaments; divya—divine; aneka—various; udyata—uplifted; āyudham weapons; divya—divine; mālya—garlands; ambara-dharam—covered with the dresses; divya—divine; gandha—fragrance; anulepanam—smeared; sarva—all; aścaryamayam—wonderful; devam—shining; anantam—unlimited; viśvataḥ-mukham—all-pervading. TRANSLATION Arjuna saw in that universal form unlimited mouths and unlimited eyes. It was all wondrous. The form was decorated with divine, dazzling ornaments and arrayed in many garbs. He was garlanded gloriously, and there were many scents smeared over His body. All was magnificent, all-expanding, unlimited. This was seen by Arjuna. PURPORT These two verses indicate that there is no limit to the hands, mouths, legs, etc., of the Lord. These manifestations are distributed throughout the universe and are unlimited. By the grace of the Lord, Arjuna could see them while sitting in one place. That is due to the inconceivable potency of Kṛṣṇa.
Bg11.12 TEXT 12 divi sūrya-sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthitā yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ divi—in the sky; sūrya—sun; sahasrasya—of many thousands; bhavet—there were; yugapat—simultaneously; utthitā—present; yadi—if; bhāḥ—light; sadṛśī—like that; sā—that; syāt—may be; bhāsaḥ—effulgence; tasya—there is; mahātmanaḥ—of the great Lord. TRANSLATION If hundreds of thousands of suns rose up at once into the sky, they might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal form. PURPORT What Arjuna saw was indescribable, yet Sañjaya is trying to give a mental picture of that great revelation to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Neither Sañjaya nor Dhṛtarāṣṭra were present, but Sañjaya, by the grace of Vyāsa, could see whatever happened. Thus he now compares the situation, as far as it can be understood, to an imaginable phenomenon (i.e. thousands of suns).
Bg11.13 TEXT 13 tatraika-sthaṁ jagat kṛtsnaṁ pravibhaktam anekadhā apaśyad deva-devasya śarīre pāṇḍavas tadā tatra—there; ekastham—one place; jagat—universe; kṛtsnam—completely; pravibhaktam—divided in; anekadhā—many kinds; apaśyat—could see; deva-devasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; śarīre—in the universal form; pāṇḍavaḥ—Arjuna; tadā—at that time. TRANSLATION At that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of the Lord the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place although divided into many, many thousands. PURPORT The word tatra (there) is very significant. It indicates that both Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa were sitting on the chariot when Arjuna saw the universal form. Others on the battlefield could not see this form because Kṛṣṇa gave the vision only to Arjuna. Arjuna could see in the body of Kṛṣṇa many thousands of universes. As we learn from Vedic scriptures, there are many universes and many planets. Some of them are made of earth, some are made of gold, some are made of jewels, some are very great, some are not so great, etc. Sitting on his chariot, Arjuna could see all these universes. But no one could understand what was going on between Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa.
Bg11.14 TEXT 14 tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo hṛṣṭa-romā dhanañjayaḥ praṇamya śirasā devaṁ kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata tataḥ—thereafter; saḥ—he; vismayāviṣṭaḥ—being overwhelmed with wonder; hṛṣṭa-romā—with his bodily hairs standing on end due to his great ecstasy; dhanañjayaḥ—Arjuna ; praṇamya—offering obeisances; śirasā—with the head; devam—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kṛtāñjaliḥ—with folded hands; abhāṣata—began to say. TRANSLATION Then, bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on end, Arjuna began to pray with folded hands, offering obeisances to the Supreme Lord. PURPORT Once the divine vision is revealed, the relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna changes immediately. Before, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna had a relationship based on friendship, but here, after the revelation, Arjuna is offering obeisances with great respect, and with folded hands he is praying to Kṛṣṇa. He is praising the universal form. Thus Arjuna’s relationship becomes one of wonder rather than friendship. Great devotees see Kṛṣṇa as the reservoir of all relationships. In the scriptures there are twelve basic kinds of relationships mentioned, and all of them are present in Kṛṣṇa. It is said that He is the ocean of all the relationships exchanged between two living entities, between the gods, or between the Supreme Lord and His devotees.
It is said that Arjuna was inspired by the relationship of wonder, and in that wonder, although he was by nature very sober, calm and quiet, he became ecstatic, his hair stood up, and he began to offer his obeisances unto the Supreme Lord with folded hands. He was not, of course, afraid. He was affected by the wonders of the Supreme Lord. The immediate context is wonder; his natural loving friendship was overwhelmed by wonder, and thus he reacted in this way.
Bg11.15 TEXT 15 arjuna uvāca paśyāmi devāṁs tava deva dehe sarvāṁs tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān brahmāṇam īśaṁ kamalāsana-stham ṛṣīṁś ca sarvān uragāṁś ca divyān arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; paśyāmi—I see; devān—all the demigods; tava—Your; deva—O Lord; dehe—in the body; sarvān—all; tathā—also; bhūta—living entities; viśeṣa-saṅghān—specifically assembled; brahmāṇam—Lord Brahmā; īśam—Lord Śiva; kamala-āsana-stham—sitting on the lotus flower; ṛṣīn—great sages; ca—also; sarvān—all; uragān—serpents; ca—also; divyān—divine. TRANSLATION Arjuna said: My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I see assembled together in Your body all the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahmā sitting on the lotus flower as well as Lord Śiva and many sages and divine serpents. PURPORT Arjuna sees everything in the universe; therefore he sees Brahmā, who is the first creature in the universe, and the celestial serpent upon which the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu lies in the lower regions of the universe. This snake bed is called Vāsuki. There are also other snakes known as Vāsuki. Arjuna can see from the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu up to the topmost part of the universe on the lotus-flower planet where Brahmā, the first creature of the universe, resides. That means that from the beginning to the end, everything could be seen by Arjuna sitting in one place on his chariot. This was possible by the grace of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
Bg11.16 TEXT 16 aneka-bāhūdara-vaktra-netraṁ paśyāmi tvāṁ sarvato ’nanta-rūpam nāntaṁ na madhyaṁ na punas tavādiṁ paśyāmi viśveśvara viśva-rūpa aneka—many; bāhū—arms; udara—bellies; vaktra—mouths; netram—eyes; paśyāmi—I see; tvām—unto You; sarvataḥ—from all sides; ananta-rūpam—unlimited form; na antam—there is no end; na madhyam—there is no middle; na punaḥ—nor again; tava—Your; ādim—beginning; paśyāmi—I see; viśveśvara—O Lord of the universe; viṣva-rūpa—in the form of the universe. TRANSLATION O Lord of the universe, I see in Your universal body many, many forms—bellies, mouths, eyes—expanded without limit. There is no end, there is no beginning, and there is no middle to all this. PURPORT Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is unlimited; thus through Him everything could be seen.
Bg11.17 TEXT 17 kirīṭinaṁ gadinaṁ cakriṇaṁ ca tejo-rāśiṁ sarvato dīptimantam paśyāmi tvāṁ durnirīkṣyaṁ samantād dīptānalārka-dyutim aprameyam kirīṭinam—with helmets; gadinam—with maces; cakriṇam—with discs; ca—and; tejorāśim—effulgence; sarvataḥ—all sides; dīptimantam—glowing; pasyāmi—I see; tvām—You; durnirīkṣyam—difficult to see; samantāt—spreading; dīpta-anala—blazing fire; arka—sun; dyutim—sunshine; aprameyam—immeasurable. TRANSLATION Your form, adorned with various crowns, clubs and discs, is difficult to see because of its glaring effulgence, which is fiery and immeasurable like the sun. Bg11.18 TEXT 18 tvam akṣaraṁ paramaṁ veditavyaṁ tvam asya viśvasya paraṁ nidhānam tvam avyayaḥ śāśvata-dharma-goptā sanātanas tvaṁ puruṣo mato me tvam—You; akṣaram—inexhaustible; paramam—supreme; veditavyam—to be understood; tvam—You; asya—of this; viśvasya—of the universe; param—supreme; nidhānam—basis; tvam—You are; avyayaḥ—inexhaustible; śāśvata-dharma-goptā—maintainer of the eternal religion; sanātanaḥ—eternal; tvam—You; puruṣaḥ—Supreme Personality; mataḥ me—is my opinion. TRANSLATION You are the supreme primal objective; You are the best in all the universes; You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest; You are the maintainer of religion, the eternal Personality of Godhead. Bg11.19 TEXT 19 anādi-madhyāntam ananta-vīryam ananta-bāhuṁ śaśi-sūrya-netram paśyāmi tvāṁ dīpta-hutāśa-vaktraṁ sva-tejasā viśvam idaṁ tapantam anādi—without beginning; madhya—without middle; antam—without end; ananta—unlimited; vīryam—glorious; ananta—unlimited; bāhum—arms; śaśi—moon; sūrya—sun; netram—eyes; paśyāmi—I see; tvām—You; dīpta—blazing; hutāśa-vaktram—fire coming out of Your mouth; sva-tejasā—by Your; viśvam—this universe; idam—this; tapantam—heating. TRANSLATION You are the origin without beginning, middle or end. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are among Your great unlimited eyes. By Your own radiance You are heating this entire universe. PURPORT There is no limit to the extent of the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here and in many other places there is repetition, but according to the scriptures, repetition of the glories of Kṛṣṇa is not a literary weakness. It is said that at a time of bewilderment or wonder or of great ecstasy, statements are repeated over and over. That is not a flaw.
Bg11.20 TEXT 20 dyāv ā-pṛthivyor idam antaraṁ hi vyāptaṁ tvayaikena diśaś ca sarvāḥ dṛṣṭvādbhutaṁ rūpam ugraṁ tavedaṁ loka-trayaṁ pravyathitaṁ mahātman dyau—in outer space; āpṛthivyoḥ—of the earth; idam—this; antaram—in between; hi—certainly; vyāptam—pervaded; tvayā—by You; ekena—by one; diśaḥ—directions; ca—and; sarvāḥ—all; dṛṣṭvā—by seeing; adbhutam—wonderful; rūpam—form; ugram—terrible; tava—Your; idam—this; loka—planetary system; trayam—three; pravyathitam—perturbed; mahātman—O great one. TRANSLATION Although You are one, You are spread throughout the sky and the planets and all space between. O great one, as I behold this terrible form, I see that all the planetary systems are perplexed. PURPORT Dyāv āpṛthivyoḥ (the space between heaven and earth) and lokatrayam (three worlds) are significant words in this verse because it appears that not only Arjuna saw this universal form of the Lord, but others in other planetary systems also saw it. The vision was not a dream. All who were spiritually awake with the divine vision saw it.
Bg11.21 TEXT 21 amī hi tvāṁ sura-saṅghā viśanti kecid bhītāḥ prāñjalayo gṛṇanti svastīty uktvā maharṣi-siddha-saṅghāḥ stuvanti tvāṁ stutibhiḥ puṣkalābhiḥ amī—all those; hi—certainly; tvām—unto You; sura-saṅghāḥ—groups of demigods; viśanti—entering; kecit—some of them; bhītāḥ—out of fear; prāñjalayaḥ—with folded hands; gṛṇanti—offering prayers unto; svasti—all peace; iti—thus; uktvā—speaking like that; maharṣi—great sages; siddha-saṅghāḥ—perfect sages; stuvanti—singing hymns; tvām—unto You; stutibhiḥ—with prayers; puṣkalābhiḥ—Vedic hymns. TRANSLATION All the demigods are surrendering and entering into You. They are very much afraid, and with folded hands they are singing the Vedic hymns. PURPORT The demigods in all the planetary systems feared the terrific manifestation of the universal form and its glowing effulgence and so prayed for protection.
Bg11.22 TEXT 22 rudrādityā vasavo ye ca sādhyā viśve ’śvinau marutaś coṣmapāś ca gandharva-yakṣāsura-siddha-saṅghā vīkṣante tvāṁ vismitāś caiva sarve rudra—manifestations of Lord Śiva; ādityāḥ—the Ādityas; vasavaḥ—the Vasus; ye—all those; ca—and; sādhyāḥ—the Sādhyas; viśve—the Viśvadevas; aśvinau—the Aśvinīkumāras; marutaḥ—the Maruts; ca—and; uṣmapāḥ—the forefathers; ca—and; gandharva—the Gandharvas; yakṣa—the Yakṣas; asura-siddha—the demons and the perfected demigods; saṅghāḥ—assemblies; vīkṣante—are seeing; tvām—You; vismitāḥ—in wonder; ca—also; eva—certainly; sarve—all. TRANSLATION The different manifestations of Lord Śiva, the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Sādhyas, the Viśvadevas, the two Aśvins, the Māruts, the forefathers and the Gandharvas, the Yakṣas, Asuras, and all perfected demigods are beholding You in wonder. Bg11.23 TEXT 23 rūpaṁ mahat te bahu-vaktra-netraṁ mahā-bāho bahu-bāhūru-pādam bahūdaraṁ bahu-daṁṣṭrā-karālaṁ dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitās tathāham rūpam—form; mahat—very great; te—of You; bahu—many; vaktra—faces; netram—eyes; mahā-bāho—O mighty-armed one; bahu—many; bāhu—arms; ūru—thighs; pādam—legs; bahu-udaram—many bellies; babu-daṁṣṭrā—many teeth; karālam—horrible; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; lokāḥ—all the planets; pravyathitāḥ—perturbed; tathā—similarly; aham—I. TRANSLATION O mighty-armed one, all the planets with their demigods are disturbed at seeing Your many faces, eyes, arms, bellies and legs and Your terrible teeth, and as they are disturbed, so am I. THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/Bg11.htm