A declaration · devotional in mood · a little context helps
“The vision Arjuna saw is beyond ordinary access, even for radiant beings.”
Krishna said: The form you have seen is very hard to behold. Even the radiant beings long forever to see it.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallythe Lord said · very hard to behold · this · form · seen · you have · which · of mine · radiant beings · even · of this · of form · always · desiring to see
Krishna says Arjuna has seen a form that is extremely rare to behold. Even the radiant beings always long to see it.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga" (The Universal Form).
Verse 52 sits in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, "The Universal Form". The chapter has 55 verses in total.
A pilgrim who reaches Kedarnath after days of walking often learns that many who set out never got there. Krishna tells Arjuna something similar: the gods themselves keep longing for the sight he was given.
Did you like this verse?
Even the radiant beings, Krishna says, long forever for a sight of the form Arjuna has just seen.
What this verse means
Krishna says Arjuna has seen a form that is extremely rare to behold. Even the radiant beings always long to see it.
Context & commentary
After Arjuna has been overwhelmed by Krishna's cosmic form and then steadied by Krishna's gentler form, Krishna explains what Arjuna has just been allowed to see. The vision is rarer than anything even the radiant beings can behold.
What it looks like today
A pilgrim who reaches Kedarnath after days of walking often learns that many who set out never got there. Krishna tells Arjuna something similar: the gods themselves keep longing for the sight he was given.
“Some truths are so vast that even the highest beings long for them.”
Explore related themes: bhakti (69 verses), arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses)