A declaration · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“One form can contain the whole universe.”
There Arjuna saw the entire universe gathered in one place, divided in countless ways within the body of the Lord of the gods.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallythere · in one place · the entire universe · divided · in many ways · saw · of the Lord of the gods · in the body · the son of Pandu, Arjuna · then
Arjuna saw the whole universe inside Krishna's cosmic form, all held together in one body and yet appearing in countless forms.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga" (The Universal Form).
Verse 13 sits in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, "The Universal Form". The chapter has 55 verses in total.
From a hill above the city at night, you see every lit window at once, each a separate life. Arjuna sees something like that, but larger: the whole universe and its divisions inside one body.
Did you like this verse?
In the body of the god of gods, Arjuna sees the whole universe in one place, divided in countless ways.
What this verse means
Arjuna saw the whole universe inside Krishna's cosmic form, all held together in one body and yet appearing in countless forms.
Context & commentary
Arjuna is already overwhelmed by Krishna's cosmic form. In this moment he sees the whole universe gathered inside that single body, divided into countless forms. The vision is so vast that ordinary seeing can no longer hold it.
What it looks like today
From a hill above the city at night, you see every lit window at once, each a separate life. Arjuna sees something like that, but larger: the whole universe and its divisions inside one body.
“Awe can break the mind open when it sees how much larger reality is than its fears.”
Explore related themes: arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses), cosmic form (25 verses)