Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 15 (BG 11.15) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

11.15 पश्यामि (I) see? देवान् the gods? तव Thy? देव O God? देहे in the body? सर्वान् all? तथा also? भूतविशेषसङ्घान् hosts of various classes of beings? ब्रह्माणम् Brahma? ईशम् the Lord? कमलासनस्थम् seated on the lotus? ऋषीन् sages? च and? सर्वान् all? उरगान् serpents? च and? दिव्यान् divine.Commentary Arjuna describes his own experience of the Cosmic Form in this and the following verses? 15 to 31.Bhutaviseshasanghan Hosts of various classes of beings? both animate and inanimate. These numerous entities are in Thy Cosmic Form? like hairs on the human body.Brahma? the fourfaced? the Lord of all creatures? is seated in the centre of the earthlotus on the Meru which forms the thalamus as it were of the earthlotus.Sages? such as Vasishtha. Serpents? such as Vasuki.Moreover --

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

When Arjuna addresses Lord Sri Krishna as "Deva" — the luminous one — he affirms the very comparison that Sanjaya had offered before, wherein it was said that the radiance of the cosmic being shines with the brilliance of a thousand suns. As Arjuna enumerates the wonders beheld in this universal form, he declares: "Within your body, I behold all the celestial beings and the multitudes of countless creatures." Sanjaya too had spoken of these same visions earlier. From the descriptions given by both, it becomes evident that in that cosmic manifestation, one could perceive not merely the objects of the material world, but also the divine and transcendent celestial beings. Arjuna beholds within it Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara. And alongside these, countless sages dwell as well. Arjuna also witnesses many divine serpents. This is a literary device employed by the greatest poets: when describing the supreme and the exalted, they suddenly introduce elements of the grotesque or the absurd. The sole purpose of this is to startle the reader and draw their attention toward the subject matter at hand. In this universal form, representation is granted from Brahma down to the serpents. The principle of Vedanta declares: what exists in the microcosm exists in the macrocosm; or, the individual is the universal. The great philosophers of the world have expounded and experienced this truth. Yet before this, none had ever offered such a clear and concrete demonstration of this philosophical principle. Vyasa was the pioneer of this art, and to this day, none has possessed the courage to emulate him in this formidable undertaking. Now Arjuna describes a form whose very account would cause even the most valiant of men to lose their courage.