A declaration · devotional in mood · a little context helps
“All change is clear only beside what does not change.”
O lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the arising and passing away of all beings, and also about Your imperishable majesty.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyarising and passing away · indeed · of beings · have been heard · in detail · by me · from You · O lotus-eyed one · majesty · also · and · imperishable
Arjuna says he has learned from Krishna about how all beings come and go, and about Krishna's imperishable greatness.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga" (The Universal Form).
Verse 2 sits in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, "The Universal Form". The chapter has 55 verses in total.
You sit beside someone who has just told you the hard truth, and the room goes quiet. The facts land, but what stays with you is the sense of something larger that cannot be shaken.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from the changing world to the unchanging source that gives it meaning.
What this verse means
Arjuna says he has learned from Krishna about how all beings come and go, and about Krishna's imperishable greatness.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna has stopped arguing and started seeing. After Krishna's teaching, he says he has understood the rise and fall of all beings and Krishna's imperishable greatness. This prepares him to ask for the cosmic form.
Why this verse still matters
You sit beside someone who has just told you the hard truth, and the room goes quiet. The facts land, but what stays with you is the sense of something larger that cannot be shaken.
“Real reverence begins when you see the source behind all change.”
Explore related themes: vishwarupa (50 verses), arjuna prayer (14 verses)