आख्याहि मे को भवानुग्ररूपोनमोऽस्तु ते देववर प्रसीद ।
विज्ञातुमिच्छामि भवन्तमाद्यंन हि प्रजानामि तव प्रवृत्तिम् ॥
विज्ञातुमिच्छामि भवन्तमाद्यंन हि प्रजानामि तव प्रवृत्तिम् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
मुझे यह बताइये कि उग्ररूपवाले आप कौन हैं हे देवताओंमें श्रेष्ठ आपको नमस्कार हो । आप प्रसन्न होइये । आदिरूप आपको मैं तत्त्वसे जानना चाहता हूँ क्योंकि मैं आपकी प्रवृत्तिको नहीं जानता ॥
English
Tell me who You are in this fierce form. Salutations to You, best of the radiant beings; be gracious. I wish to know You, the primal one, for I do not understand Your purpose.
What this verse means
Arjuna bows in fear and asks Krishna to reveal who this terrible form is. He wants to understand the primal source behind the overwhelming vision.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna has just seen Krishna's cosmic form devouring the armies. Overwhelmed, he stops resisting, bows, and asks the one question left: who is this fierce presence, and what is its purpose?
Why this verse still matters
You are staring at a message that changes everything, and your first reaction is fear. Before you can act, you have to ask the honest question: what is really happening here?
The takeaway
Awe can become clarity when fear turns into honest asking.
Word-by-word translation
आख्याहि (tell) / मे (to me) / कः (who) / भवान् (You are) / उग्र-रूपः (fierce-formed) / नमः अस्तु (salutations be) / ते (to You) / देव-वर (best of the radiant beings) / प्रसीद (be gracious) / विज्ञातुम् इच्छामि (I wish to know) / भवन्तम् (You) / आद्यम् (the primal one) / न हि (indeed not) / प्रजानामि (I know) / तव (Your) / प्रवृत्तिम् (purpose / action)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga — The Universal Form, which contains 55 verses.
Explore related themes: arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses), cosmic form (25 verses)