Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 13 (BG 11.13) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

In this divine form, Arjuna beheld how the entire cosmos, in all its multiplicity and diversity, was gathered and established in one place. We have seen that the vision of the cosmic form is a sight perceived by a mind that does not function through the limitations of space and time—that is, the very concepts of space and time have dissolved. The vision of seeing the many within the one is not so much a matter of sensory perception as it is of intellectual comprehension. It is not that the entire universe has contracted and become the size of Lord Krishna's physical body. If Arjuna has gained the necessary understanding of the unity of the cosmos, and if he can perceive the world through the lens of that knowledge, then this is sufficient. A similar illustration may be drawn from modern science itself. In chemistry, substances are classified and studied systematically. From the study of the chemical elements of the world, we learn that the cosmos contains approximately one hundred and three elements. Through more subtle investigation, scientists have penetrated to the atom. Further division has revealed that the atom itself is composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons. When a scientist well-versed in this nature of the atom looks upon the manifold world, it becomes simple for him to understand that all these diverse materials are composed of atoms. In like manner, when Arjuna received this special knowledge through the causeless grace of Lord Krishna, he became capable of perceiving the entire universe within the body of the Divine. Observing the reactions occurring in Arjuna's body and mind upon witnessing this vision, Sanjaya carefully observed them and, describing what he witnessed, speaks thus: