BG 11.14 tatah sa vismayavisto... cited

Expressions researched:
"hrsta-roma dhananjayah" |"krtanjalir abhasata" |"pranamya sirasa devam" |"tatah sa vismayavisto"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 11.14, Translation and Purport:

Then, bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head to offer obeisances and with folded hands began to pray to the Supreme Lord.

Once the divine vision is revealed, the relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna changes immediately. Before, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna had a relationship based on friendship, but here, after the revelation, Arjuna is offering obeisances with great respect, and with folded hands he is praying to Kṛṣṇa. He is praising the universal form. Thus Arjuna's relationship becomes one of wonder rather than friendship. Great devotees see Kṛṣṇa as the reservoir of all relationships. In the scriptures there are twelve basic kinds of relationships mentioned, and all of them are present in Kṛṣṇa. It is said that He is the ocean of all the relationships exchanged between two living entities, between the gods, or between the Supreme Lord and His devotees.

Here Arjuna was inspired by the relationship of wonder, and in that wonder, although he was by nature very sober, calm and quiet, he became ecstatic, his hair stood up, and he began to offer his obeisances unto the Supreme Lord with folded hands. He was not, of course, afraid. He was affected by the wonders of the Supreme Lord. The immediate context is wonder; his natural loving friendship was overwhelmed by wonder, and thus he reacted in this way.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 3, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Virāṭ-rūpa. Not that the... Māyāvādīs take the virāṭ-rūpa is the origin, and this rūpa, Kṛṣṇa, that is māyā. Therefore they are called Māyāvādīs. But actually, Hari manifested or exhibited...

Dr. Patel: One of his multiple...

Prabhupāda: Multiple features.

Dr. Patel:

aneka-vaktra-nayanam

anekādbhuta-darśanam

aneka-divyābharaṇaṁ

divyānekodyatāyudham

divya-mālyāmbara-dharaṁ

divya-gandhānulepanam

sarvāścarya-mayaṁ devam

anantaṁ viśvato-mukham

(Bg. 11.10-11)

divi sūrya-sahasrasya

bhaved yugapad utthitā

yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād

bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ

(BG 11.12)

He had thousands and millions of features.

tatraika-sthaṁ jagat kṛtsnaṁ

pravibhaktam anekadhā

apaśyad deva-devasya

śarīre pāṇḍavas tadā

(BG 11.13)

tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo

hṛṣṭa-romā dhanañjayaḥ

praṇamya śirasā devaṁ

kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata

(BG 11.14)

Now Arjuna said. Shall I read further?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: Arjuna uvāca. These boys understand this, all of them?

Prabhupāda: Yes. No, I will explain.

Dr. Patel: Now Arjuna says, paśyāmi devāṁs tava deva dehe sarvāṁs tathā bhūta-viśeṣa...

Prabhupāda: Devāṁs, devāṁs, tava deva dehe means "devas, the demigods, they are part and parcel of Your virāṭa-rupa." They are not independent. Just like this finger is part of my this whole body, similarly, all these devas, these demigods... That is explained previously. Ye 'py anya-devatā bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ, te 'pi mām eva. If you give something to my finger, that is to be given to my body, but that is avidhi-pūrvakam. The thing's to be given to the mouth, not in the hand. But their logic is, because everything is the same, why not here? That is Māyāvāda. Yes.

Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Sarvārhanam acyutejyā. Simply by worshiping Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), you can worship everyone. There is no need of separately worshiping the five devatās. There is no need.

Girirāja: (reads synonyms for Bg. 11.13) "Translation: At that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of the Lord the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place although divided into many, many thousands."

Prabhupāda: Yes. So, although... Now, what is important? The many, many thousands universes divided into varieties of opulences, that is important or Kṛṣṇa important?

Dr. Patel: Kṛṣṇa is important.

Prabhupāda: That's it.

Dr. Patel: The whole thing was ekāṁśena sthito jagat.

Prabhupāda: That is being explained.

Dr. Patel: Shall I go further?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel:

tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo

hṛṣṭa-romā dhanañjayaḥ

praṇamya śirasā devaṁ

kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata

He got frightened.

Girirāja: (reads synonyms) "Translation: Then, bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on end, Arjuna began to pray with folded hands, offering obeisances to the Supreme Lord."

Dr. Patel: He was frightened, seeing that. Shall I read further, arjuna uvāca?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, why he became frightened?

Dr. Patel: On seeing such a huge, I mean, unbelievable things perhaps by ordinary human being. In a one place of Kṛṣṇa's. (indistinct) Right?

Indian man (2): He realized his insignificance because of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Dr. Patel:

arjuna uvāca

paśyāmi devāṁs tava deva dehe

sarvāṁs tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān

brahmāṇam īśaṁ kamalāsana-stham

ṛṣīṁś ca sarvān uragāṁś ca divyān

Prabhupāda: Now, he is beginning from the three deities of creation: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara.

Girirāja: (reads synonyms) "Arjuna said: My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I see assembled together in Your body all the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahmā sitting on the lotus flower as well as Lord Śiva and many sages and divine serpents."

Dr. Patel: Shall I go further, sir?

Prabhupāda: So you are understanding all this? If you have got any question, you can ask. All right, go on.