The verse

Bhagavad Gita 11.49BG 11.49 · Chapter 11, Verse 49

Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga

A core teaching · calming in mood · a little context helps

“Fear must drop before the deeper vision can be seen.”

The verse
मा ते व्यथा मा च विमूढभावोदृष्ट्वा रूपं घोरमीदृङ्ममेदम् ।
व्यपेतभीः प्रीतमनाः पुनस्त्वंतदेव मे रूपमिदं प्रपश्य ॥

Do not be distressed or confused by this fierce form of mine. Free from fear and calm-minded, look again upon this very form of mine.

— Krishna
Bhagavad Gita · 11.49
Hindi · हिन्दी
यह इस प्रकारका मेरा घोररूप देखकर तेरेको व्यथा नहीं होनी चाहिये और मूढ़भाव भी नहीं होना चाहिये । अब निर्भय और प्रसन्न मनवाला होकर तू फिर उसी मेरे इस चतुर्भुज रूपको अच्छी तरह देख ले ॥
Word by word

The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.

माdo notतेyourव्यथाdistressमाdo notचandविमूढभावःconfused stateदृष्ट्वाhaving seenरूपम्formघोरम्fierceईदृक्suchममmyइदम्thisव्यपेतभीःfear goneप्रीतमनाःwith pleased mindपुनःagainत्वम्youतदेवthat veryमेmyरूपम्formइदम्thisप्रपश्यlook upon

Read literallydo not · your · distress · do not · and · confused state · having seen · form · fierce · such · my · this · fear gone · with pleased mind · again · you · that very · my · form · this · look upon

Understanding the verse

Fear and confusion can go, Krishna says; Arjuna should look again at the same form with a calm mind.

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In plain words

What this verse means

Krishna tells Arjuna not to panic after seeing the terrifying form. Fear and confusion should fall away, and Arjuna should look again with a calm, glad mind.

On the battlefield

Context & commentary

Arjuna has just seen Krishna's terrible cosmic form and is shaken. Krishna immediately soothes him, telling him not to lose his mind or fear. This verse turns the vision from terror back into relationship.

In your life

What it looks like today

A father whose child's fever spikes at midnight has to stop shaking before he can read the thermometer. Krishna's first words to Arjuna after the terrible form are like that: do not panic, look again calmly.

The takeaway

“Even overwhelming awe can become steady when fear drops away.”

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The Vishwarupa — Krishna's cosmic universal form
Chapter 11 · The Universal Form
Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga
55 verses
Read all verses in this chapter →

Explore related themes: arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses), cosmic form (25 verses)

Common questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.49 mean?

Krishna tells Arjuna not to panic after seeing the terrifying form. Fear and confusion should fall away, and Arjuna should look again with a calm, glad mind.

Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 11.49?

Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga" (The Universal Form).

Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 11.49?

Verse 49 sits in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, "The Universal Form". The chapter has 55 verses in total.

Why does Bhagavad Gita 11.49 matter today?

A father whose child's fever spikes at midnight has to stop shaking before he can read the thermometer. Krishna's first words to Arjuna after the terrible form are like that: do not panic, look again calmly.

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