Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 12 (BG 11.12) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

11.12 दिवि in the sky? सूर्यसहस्रस्य of a thousand suns? भवेत् were? युगपत् at once (simultaneously)? उत्थिता arisen? यदि if? भाः splendour? सदृशी like? सा that? स्यात् would be? भासः splendour? तस्य of that? महात्मनः of the mighty Being (great soul).Commentary Divi here means in the Antariksha or the sky.Mahatma here refers to the great Soul or the mighty Being? the Cosmic Form.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

After hastily describing the outline of the cosmic form to the blind king Dhritarashtra, Sanjaya now proceeds to describe the glory of that vast universal being. In His cosmic form, the Lord was radiant with His own divine light, and this splendid and luminous majesty dazzled the eyes—and perhaps for this very reason, Sanjaya could not provide more detailed information in the two preceding verses. To describe this light of the Lord, Sanjaya offers here a remarkable yet powerful simile. The radiance of that glorious cosmic being was such that it was as if a thousand suns were shining simultaneously in the sky. In the Upanishads too, the atman is described in somewhat similar terms; yet it must be acknowledged that when these words come from Sanjaya's lips—and especially when he is describing the divine form of Lord Krishna—this simile acquires a special attraction and majesty. And embellishing this vision further with additional details, Sanjaya speaks thus: