I see Thee without beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of endless arms, the sun and the moon being Thy eyes, the burning fire Thy mouth, heating the whole universe with Thy radiance.
In simple words
Arjuna tries to describe what he sees: "I see You with no beginning, no middle, no end — with infinite power, with endless arms. The sun and moon are Your eyes. A burning fire is Your mouth. Your radiance is heating up the entire universe."
Word-by-word meanings
अनादिमध्यान्तम्without beginning middle or endअनन्तवीर्यम्infinite in powerअनन्तबाहुम्of endless armsशशिसूर्यनेत्रम्Thy eyes as the sun and the moonपश्यामि(I) seeत्वाम्Theeदीप्तहुताशवक्त्रम्Thy mouth as the burning fireस्वतेजसाwith Thy radianceविश्वम्the universeइदम्thisतपन्तम्heating
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
11.19 अनादिमध्यान्तम् without beginning? middle or end? अनन्तवीर्यम् infinite in power? अनन्तबाहुम् of endless arms? शशिसूर्यनेत्रम् Thy eyes as the sun and the moon? पश्यामि (I) see? त्वाम् Thee? दीप्तहुताशवक्त्रम् Thy mouth as the burning fire? स्वतेजसा with Thy radiance? विश्वम् the universe? इदम् this? तपन्तम् heating.Commentary Anantabahu Having endless arms. This denotes that the multiplicity of His limbs are endless.
Swami Chinmayananda
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.
Arjun, through his subtle perception, saw what his intellect comprehended, and now he attempts to describe it in the language of worldly objects. "I behold You without beginning, without end, without middle, possessed of infinite power, with infinite arms." Through Vyasa's magnificent poetry, such a word-picture is created that it seems as though the subject matter of this verse is some visible object of the external world. Many artists wish to depict it on paper through colors. But the wise student of Vedanta clearly perceives their ignorance. That which is infinite, without beginning, middle, and end, can never be expressed within the limitations of a canvas with finite dimensions. Yet, inspired by hearing the word "infinite-armed," artists attempt to depict it immediately. In truth, before the vision of the poet's transcendent experience, the vast spectacle that appears—utterly different from and incomparable to all the visible scenes of the world—can truly be understood only by the profound, keen-sighted student of deep study.
Here, "infinite-armed" simply means that the Supreme Self alone is that conscious principle which provides all beings with the necessary power to act and achieve success. That luminous principle which illuminates external objects also bestows grace upon our eyes, granting them the capacity to perceive objects. This description is made from the perspective of the cosmic whole, for in the world we see objects in the light of the sun or moon; in the language of Vedantic scripture, these are called the eyes of the cosmic person. "With a mouth blazing like fire"—fire is called "hutash." Fire is the presiding deity of speech. Therefore, in all languages, such expressions are common: "there was a heated debate," "his statement struck sparks," and so forth. Since the mouth is the seat of consumption and speech, fire is here called the mouth of the cosmic person.
Only a conscious, luminous Self can warm the universe through its radiance, for consciousness alone eternally illuminates all experiences of all beings. This consciousness not only illuminates objects but also provides, through the sun, the necessary warmth for the life of the entire universe. From this statement, it becomes evident that the Hindu sages, after observing and studying the external world, turned their vision inward. It appears they understood that life on earth is possible only at a particular temperature; at temperatures lower or higher, life would cease to exist.
This light of truth is its own nature, not obtained from any other source. The word "self-luminous" makes this clear. Life itself is sustained by it.
Arjun continues: