A devotional verse · devotional in mood · easy to enter
“A glimpse of the vast can turn shock into surrender.”
Then, overwhelmed with wonder, Arjuna’s hair stood on end. He bowed his head to the divine and spoke with folded hands.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallythen · he · filled with wonder · with hair standing on end · Arjuna · having bowed · with the head · to the divine · with folded hands · spoke
Arjuna is stunned by the cosmic form. He bows his head, joins his hands, and begins to speak.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga" (The Universal Form).
Verse 14 sits in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, "The Universal Form". The chapter has 55 verses in total.
When the procession reaches the temple on the festival night and the deity comes into view, people's hands rise before they think. Arjuna's body does the same: wonder, a bowed head, then words.
Did you like this verse?
Hair standing on end, Arjuna bows his head and speaks with folded hands.
What this verse means
Arjuna is stunned by the cosmic form. He bows his head, joins his hands, and begins to speak.
Context & commentary
Arjuna has just seen Krishna’s cosmic form filling everything. Overwhelmed, his body reacts before his mind can speak: his hair stands on end, he bows low, and only then finds words. The moment marks awe turning into prayer.
What it looks like today
When the procession reaches the temple on the festival night and the deity comes into view, people's hands rise before they think. Arjuna's body does the same: wonder, a bowed head, then words.
“A true encounter with greatness can dissolve pride into reverence.”
Explore related themes: arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses), awe (13 verses)