Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 21 (BG 11.21) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

Until now, Arjuna has described the cosmic form as static—simultaneously wondrous and fierce. Here, he describes the movement and activity visible within the cosmic form. The celestial beings are entering into the cosmic person and disappearing within him. If many people, deemed unfit for redemption, are forcibly drawn toward the cosmic form and dissolving into it, while others stand watching this process unfold, they would surely be seized by terror. A person confronted with certain calamity, seeing no means of protection, naturally turns to prayer in those moments of despair. This psychological truth is beautifully expressed here in the words that many, frightened, join their palms and sing your praise. Yet this is not all. The great sages and perfected beings—through the maturity of their knowledge and the divine and inner peace they have attained—remain unmoved by the vision of this cosmic form and sing its praises abundantly through sublime hymns. They ever invoke blessings, desiring the welfare of all. Through their complete knowledge, they understand that the divine assumes such a terrifying and fierce form only when it seeks to completely reconstruct the universe. The perfected ones also know that there is no harm in this process of creation through destruction. Therefore, welcoming this process of dissolution, they wish for a golden age for the world, which shall surely come after this complete destruction. In this verse, the beings of the world are classified into three categories: the highest, the middling, and the lowest. The lowest beings are simply destroyed. They are the first victims of the process of death, and unfortunately, they are not even aware of it so as to resist it in any way. The middling sort observe this process of decay and destruction thoughtfully and remain conscious of it. Pondering their fate, they become anxious. They do not know that destruction brings no real harm, and they tremble at the inevitable end of all beings. But distinct from these is another class of the highest beings who possess complete knowledge of the nature and functioning of the whole—the cosmic order and its workings. Fear never touches them regarding events in daily life that might befall them as well. Those who recognize the nature of the ocean are not troubled by the destruction of waves. Similarly, when the perfected ones witness that great destruction which precedes the reconstruction of a dying civilization, they recognize this mighty power of truth and wish peace and welfare for the future world created by the divine. From whatever perspective we study this poetry, we find that Vyasa himself is a great psychologist, and how beautifully he has gathered here the knowledge of human behavior, so that humanity may swiftly evolve and reach the goal of its perfection. Describing the reaction of the celestial beings of heaven upon witnessing this awesome spectacle, Arjuna speaks: