Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 44 (BG 11.44) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

Arjuna, finding himself in the presence of the Almighty Lord, discovers within himself a loss of eloquence and the subtle capacity for reasoning. Though in Hindu tradition, one offers salutation by touching the feet of a revered person—which is a physical act—the true significance of this gesture must be received as an inner sentiment of the heart. The genuine act of reverence, or complete prostration, is achieved through the surrender of ego and the spiritual advancement that follows. Due to ego born from identification with inert, material conditions, and the false imaginings centered upon this ego, we cannot directly experience the atman dwelling within our own heart. To the extent that these false notions are dissolved, to that very extent we can surely experience the serene beauty of the atman, which is our true nature. In truth, when we surrender the ego, we are offering up that bundle of impure, bestial desires which, through our delusion and lust, has become foul-smelling. It is therefore natural that when a devotee approaches the feet of the Lord with the sentiment of devotion and surrender, he seeks forgiveness for his impurities. Here Arjuna entreats the Lord to bear his transgressions as a father bears those of his son, a friend those of his friend, and a beloved those of his beloved. In these three examples are encompassed all the audacious offenses that a person, through ignorance, might commit against his Lord. Arjuna prays to the Lord to assume His ordinary form and to abandon this transcendent, universal, and terrible manifestation.