Commentary on the Bhagavadgita

by Swami Krishnananda

The Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavadgita – the Visvarupa Darsana – continues. Arjuna exclaimed his wonder at this great vision. Diso na jane na labhe cha sarma, prasida devesa jagan-nivasa (11.25): “I am unable to locate even the quarters of the heavens. I have lost my wits when I behold this terrifying mysterious form of Yours. O Lord of Lords! Be gracious to bless me so that I may know who You are.”

Though the Bhagavadgita was spoken prior to the commencement of the war, in another realm of existence the Mahabharata had already taken place, the events had been recounted and the conclusions had been drawn, and victory had been won by the Pandavas. Everything had been done in another realm; we may call it the fourth dimensional realm, where events occur prior to their manifestation in the three-dimensional world. A lot of time is taken for the events to manifest themselves as concrete appearances in the physical world. Even when wars take place in the world, they occur in heaven first. Ideas clash before people physically clash. An ideological war takes place first in the ethereal realm. Just as disease manifests inside first before it manifests itself outside in the body, in a similar manner, the decision as to what would be the outcome of the Mahabharata war had already been taken in higher realms and the implementation of the decision in the form of an actual conflict – from the point of view of the process of time – was yet to take place.

There are wonders and wonders in the world. It is said that in some of the realms of creation, the Mahabharata has not yet occured. It is to take place. In some of the realms of creation, the Mahabharata has already happened; and in other realms it is happening just now. It is something like the procession of a king moving from one part of the country to another part of the country. Suppose a king comes in a procession from Delhi to Laxmanjhula. For the people in Delhi, the procession is about to start, and he has moved. He has reached Muzaffarnagar. The people in Delhi say the procession is over. The people in Muzzafarnagar say the procession is taking place. The people in Rishikesh say it has not yet taken place. Thus, for one it has already happened, for another it is just happening, and for a third one it has not happened at all. This applies to all the events in the world. Every event takes place simultaneously in every part of the world, but they appear to be manifest at different times due to the action of the processes into which time is cast – namely past, present and future.

Dhrtarashtrasya putrah (11.26): As Arjuna beheld this wondrous form of the Lord, the Kauravas – Duryodhana and his henchmen, with all their army – were entering the mouth of this Multi-formed Being. Their destruction had already been confirmed.

Ami cha tvam dhrtarashtrasya putrah sarve sahaivavanipala-sanghaih, bhishmo dronah suta-putrastathasau sahasmadiyair api yodha-mukhyaih (11.26). Vaktrani te tvaramana visanti damshtra-karalani bhayanakani, kechid vilagna dasanantareshu samdrsyante churnitairuttamangaih (11.27). “‘What am I seeing? The Mahabharata has not yet taken place; it is just at the beginning.” The Bhagavadgita was told before the commencement of the war; but what does Arjuna see in that form? The entire army of the Kauravas, with Duryodhana, with Bhishma and Drona, with Karna, and even all the army of the Pandavas, which would not survive, were all rushing into this all-destroying mouth of the Cosmic Being. They were stuck, as it were, in the crevices between the terrific set of teeth of this all-destroying Time Spirit, manifest here as the Visvarupa. Some of them were caught between the teeth, and some were crushed into paste and powder, as it were, by the jaws of this mighty Yawning Face.

Yatha nadinam bahuvo’mu-vegah samudram evabhimukha dravanti, tatha tavami nara-loka-vira visanti vaktranyabhivijvalanti (11.28): “As rivers rush into the ocean, I am seeing all beings rushing into You. Into this flaming series of mouths of Thy wondrous form, I am seeing the rivers of kings and armies rushing inward. They are being reduced to ashes because they are like moths rushing into the flame, not knowing what will happen to them.” Yatha pradiptam jvalanam patanga visanti nasaya samrddha-vegah (11.29): “As moths rush in great haste towards their destruction into the flaming fire, so do I see the entire world rushing towards its own destruction through the all-consuming mouths of this great Virat Purusha.”

“What is it I am seeing? The Time Spirit in this tremendous form, swallowing everything through Its mouths, is lapping Its tongue as if It is not yet satisfied by the swallowing of all the worlds into Its own mouths.” Lelihyase (11.30): “You are lapping your tongue, licking.” Lelihyase grasamanah samantal: “You, like a magnet, pull everything into Yourself.” Lokan samagran vadanair jvaladbhih tejobhir apurya jagat samagram bhasas tavograh pratapanti vishno: “O Vishnu! Hey Narayana, who are now here in this great form of Visvarupa. Thy great radiance is burning the worlds around with its heat and light.”

“Who are You? I cannot understand. I thought this is Krishna, my friend, but I am seeing something here that I cannot recognise. Would You kindly tell me who You are? O Mighty Being! Are you Krishna? I cannot see Krishna here; I see something else. I would like to know who this is that is standing before me and terrifying me with this Universal Form.” Akhyahi me ko bhavan ugra-rupo (11.31): “Please tell me who are You, manifesting Yourself before me in this fear-striking form.” Namostu te: “Prostrations to You. In humble submission I beseech Thee to tell me who You are.” Devavara – vijnatum icchami bhavantam adyam : “O God of gods, I would like to know Your beginning, Your middle and Your end – who You are. I cannot know what it is that is in front of me, from where it has come, how it is sustained, and what its intention is.”

Sri Bhagavan uvacha: This Great Being speaks now. Kalo’smi loka-kshaya-krt pravrddho (11.32): “I am the all-destroying time.” The very spirit of time is speaking. “I am here in this form for the destruction of the world through this war that is going to take place. I am mature with my strength to see that everything is put an end to.” The Avatara of Sri Krishna was for the destruction of all evil and wickedness in the world, and in that Universal Form He did it in one instant – in a timeless instantaneity, as it were. Kalo’smi loka-kshaya-krt pravrddho lokan samahartum iha pravrttah: “I am here to withdraw everything into Myself. Even if you do not raise a finger, the Kauravas are not going to survive." Rte’pi tvam na bhavishyanti sarve ye’vasthitah pratyanikeshu yodhah: “None in this entire army is going to survive. You may say that you will not take up arms. You have your own flimsy arguments not to do anything and keep quiet. Okay, don’t do anything. But they shall not survive whether you take up arms or not, because their destruction has been already pre-determined. They have been doomed by My will. So why do you consider yourself as a great instrument in bloodshed? You are nothing of the kind. They have already gone to the other world, and you are under the impression that you are going to do something which is not very pleasant. Therefore, wake up! Do not be pusillanimous. Do not be weak-hearted. I have already done the work that you are expected to do. Why are you unnecessarily talking to Me?” Tasmattvam uttishtha (11.33): “May the glory go to you, though the work has been done by Me.” Everyone says that Arjuna won the war; nobody says that Krishna won the war. Even today, nobody speaks of Krishna’s work.

After the war was over, Sri Krishna met Yudhishthira and spoke to him. “After all, victory has been won due to the power of your righteousness, the strength of Bhima, and the dexterousness of Arjuna.” He never said that he had also contributed something. Yudhishthira actually wept upon hearing these words. Naturally he could do nothing except weep, because the Lord had given credit to Yudhishthira’s righteousness, Bhima’s strength and Arjuna’s dexterity, while the work had been done by somebody else – by the one who spoke these words as if He had done nothing. He never asked Draupadi whether she received his long sari. When a gift is given, sometimes we want it to be acknowledged. The work of God and the work of Godmen are never visible to the eyes, and these great beings expect no thanks from us. They do not wish that we should utter even a word of recognition. They do what they have to do; and when it is done, the matter is over and there is no further talk.

“Great glory be to you, O Arjuna, as the winner of the victory in this war. Conquer the enemies, and then rule this kingdom.” Jitva satrun bhunkshva rajyam samrddham: “I have already done the work for you.” Mayaivaite nihatah purvam eva nimatta-matram bhava: “You be only an instrument. Let people know that you have won the victory, though the victory has been won already.”

Dronam cha bhishmam cha jayadratham cha karnam tathanyan api yodha-viran, maya hatams tvam jahi ma vyathishtha yudhyasva jetasi rane sapatnan (11.34): “Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and all other warriors whom I have already destroyed, you may destroy a second time. Take up arms! Go and thresh – threshing of old straw, it is called – and kill the corpses. They are already dead; their energy has gone.”

Many of the contributors to the victory in the war were not known to history. Of course, Sri Krishna’s participation in this great Armageddon is well known, and we need not say anything about it. The hypnotic effect that he cast on the entire army when he gazed at the warriors was also a great contributory factor, as it drew fifty percent of the strength of the Kauravas. Hanuman, who was invisibly present on top of Arjuna’s chariot – he is known as Kapidhvaja on account of that – terrified the nerves of all the soldiers with his roar, and they were practically paralyzed by the very sound of it. But something more was there.

After the war was over, Arjuna was sitting calmly at one place and Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa came to see him. Receiving the honoured guest and seating him, Arjuna posed a question: “Great master! I have some doubt in my mind. During the war, which is now over, I saw something in front of me every day – some human-being-like figure whose feet were not touching the ground. It was whitish and grayish, and was holding a trident. It was visible and not visible. Every day this vision was in front of me. I had no occasion to ask this question to anybody. But now Thou art here, O Master, will you tell me what it is that I have seen?” “Blessed you are, Arjuna. It was Lord Siva. He knew that you were helpless. Before Bhishma, Drona and Karna, even a hundred Arjunas could not stand. Knowing this, knowing your goodness and your physical incapacity to meet these people, Rudra himself was standing in front of you. He did not take up arms. He did not use his trident. He only exuded a fragrance around him – sugandhim pushtivardhanam. That fragrance killed them, and they had no life afterwards. Though they appeared to be alive, actually they were corpses. Who could win this victory except that great yogi of yogis Rudra? O Arjuna, you are really blessed because you had that darshan. You had darshan of the great Sankara.” This is mentioned in the Drona Parva.

“So whatever has to be done has already been done by Me. Take up arms only for the sake of portraying the picture of the war that is taking place, and you shall have the victory. You shall have the kingdom, and I will go to Dvaraka.”