Shloka 48
Puruṣottama-yoga
The Discipline of the Supreme Person) — Chapter 15 (Bhagavadgītā
न वेदयज्ञाध्ययनैर्न दानै- न च क्रियाभिर्न तपोभिरुग्रै: एवंरूप: शक््य अहं नूलोके+ द्रष्ट त्ववन्येन कुरुप्रवीर,हे अर्जुन! मनुष्यलोकमें इस प्रकार विश्वरूपवाला मैं न वेद और यज्ञोंके अध्ययनसे, न दानसे, न क्रियाओंसे और न उग्र तपोंसे ही तेरे अतिरिक्त दूसरेके द्वारा देखा जा सकता हूँ:
na vedayajñādhyayanair na dānaiḥ na ca kriyābhir na tapobhir ugraiḥ | evaṃrūpaḥ śakyo ’haṃ nṛloke draṣṭuṃ tvadanyena kurupravīra ||
«Oh héroe de los Kurus, en el mundo de los hombres esta forma universal mía no puede ser vista por nadie salvo por ti: ni por el estudio de los Vedas y de la ciencia de los sacrificios, ni por las dádivas, ni por los ritos, ni siquiera por austeridades severas.»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The vision of the Divine in its universal form is not a product of external religious merit—scriptural study, sacrifice, charity, ritual, or harsh austerity. It is a revelation granted by divine grace, emphasizing inner devotion and God’s choosing rather than mere performance.
After Arjuna has been shown Krishna’s terrifying and all-encompassing universal form on the battlefield, Krishna explains that such a vision is extraordinarily rare in the human realm and that only Arjuna has been granted it; conventional religious practices alone cannot produce this direct theophany.