BG 11.15 pasyami devams tava deva dehe... cited

Expressions researched:
"brahmanam isam kamalasana-stham" |"pasyami devams tava deva dehe" |"rsims ca sarvan uragams ca divyan" |"sarvams tatha bhuta-visesa-sanghan"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 11.15, Translation and Purport:

Arjuna said: My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I see assembled 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 all the sages and divine serpents.

Arjuna sees everything in the universe; therefore he sees Brahmā, who is the first creature in the universe, and the celestial serpent upon which the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu lies in the lower regions of the universe. This snake bed is called Vāsuki. There are also other snakes known as Vāsuki. Arjuna can see from the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu up to the topmost part of the universe on the lotus-flower planet where Brahmā, the first creature of the universe, resides. That means that from the beginning to the end, everything could be seen by Arjuna, who was sitting in one place on his chariot. This was possible by the grace of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 3, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: 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.

Dr. Patel:

paśyāmi devāṁs tava deva dehe

sarvāṁs tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān

brahmāṇam īśaṁ kamalāsana-stham

ṛṣīṁś ca sarvān uragāṁś ca divyān

(BG 11.15)

Prabhupāda: Yes, Brahmā rāmeśvaram. Rāmeśvaram means Viṣṇu. Rāma īśvara, and Brahmā, Lord Brahmā, and...

Dr. Patel: Kamalāsana-stham ṛṣīṁṣ sarvān urugāṁṣ ca divyān. All wonderful things.

aneka-bāhūdara-vaktra-netraṁ

paśyāmi tvāṁ sarvato 'nanta-rūpam

nāntaṁ na madhyaṁ na punas tavādiṁ

paśyāmi viśveśvara viśva-rūpa

(BG 11.16)

kirīṭinam gadinaṁ cakriṇaṁ ca

tejo-rāśiṁ sarvato dīptimantam

Prabhupāda: Now even in His virāṭ-rūpa, He is person, kirīṭina. He has got helmet. Kirīṭina. Then?

Dr. Patel:

paśyāmi tvāṁ durnirīkṣyaṁ samantād

dīptānalārka-dyutim aprameyam

(BG 11.17)

tvam akṣaraṁ paramaṁ veditavyaṁ

tvam asya viśvasya paraṁ nidhānam

tvam avyayaḥ śāśvata-dharma-goptā

sanātanas tvaṁ puruṣo mato me

(BG 11.18)

He is now frightened after seeing these things.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Must be frightened. Now, suppose all of a sudden, if you see a very big person, you will not be frightened? Because you are not accustomed to see that.

Dr. Patel: Anādi-madhyāntam ananta-vīryam ananta-bāhuṁ śaśi-sūrya-netram paśyāmi tvāṁ dīpta-hutāśa-vaktraṁ... (BG 11.19)

Prabhupāda: Now here is one important thing: śaśi-sūrya-netram. The śaśi, the moon, and the sun are the two eyes of God. Now in Brahma-saṁhitā it is also confirmed yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. So in the Upaniṣads it is said, "When God sees, then you can see." So this... When the sunrise is there, that means when God sees, you can see. In the darkness you cannot see. And still, you are proud of your eyes. Yes. Without God seeing, you cannot see. And still, these rascals are proud of their eyes. "I can... Can you show me?" How you can see? First of all you have to see through the Supreme. And another significance is that you cannot hide yourself from the seeing of the Supreme. You cannot make anything hiding. Because even in the womb there is sunshine, sunlight. So He is seeing there. Apart from being the Paramātmā, from materially also, His eyes are always there. So you cannot do anything hiding. That is not possible.

Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay:

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.

Dr. Patel: (reads next verse Bg. 11.16, in Sanskrit)

Girirāja: (reads synonyms) "aneka-many..." (pause)

Prabhupāda: "Because one, there is no aneka," that is nonsense. In one, aneka, that is philosophy.

Dr. Patel: Eko asmin bhaviṣyāmi abhutyam. (?)

Prabhupāda: Aneka is one. But "Because there is aneka," therefore, "because there is one, therefore no consideration of the aneka." That is not intelligent. Aneka in one. That is real philosophy.

Girirāja: "Bāhū-arms..."

Prabhupāda: Aneka, that is in one. Therefore this aneka is not different from the one. But this aneka does not mean that one. Read.

Girirāja: (continues synonyms) "Translation: O Lord of the universe..."

Prabhupāda: Still, although he saw aneka in Kṛṣṇa, still, he is seeing Kṛṣṇa there. That is real vision.

Girirāja: "O Lord of the universe, I see in Your universal body many, many forms-bellies, mouths, eyes-expanded without limit. There is no end, there is no beginning, and there is no middle to all this."

Prabhupāda: A crude example can be given. Just like a man may be director of this company and trust of that company and so many when he is working. But his wife is feeling that he is her husband. That's all. She does not see anything, although he is working in aneka-rūpam. This is the, a crude example. He has his eyes to see, "Here is my beloved husband." That's all. Just like Yasodamayi. Yasodamayi saw that all the universes within the mouth... She asked, ordered Kṛṣṇa, "I want to see whether you have eaten dirt. Open your mouth." So Kṛṣṇa opened the mouth and not only dirt, but all the universes... So she saw, but she did not believe that Kṛṣṇa can have all these universes. So she said, "All right, that's all right. Don't do it again." She did not take care of the universes. Although Kṛṣṇa is showed him all the universes within the mouth, she was concerned with Kṛṣṇa. That's all.