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.
A core teaching · calming in mood · a little context helps
“Fear must drop before the deeper vision can be seen.”
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.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
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
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.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga" (The Universal Form).
Verse 49 sits in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, "The Universal Form". The chapter has 55 verses in total.
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.
Did you like this verse?
Fear and confusion can go, Krishna says; Arjuna should look again at the same form with a calm mind.
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.
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.
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.
“Even overwhelming awe can become steady when fear drops away.”
Explore related themes: arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses), cosmic form (25 verses)