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
na vedayajñādhyayanair na dānaiḥ na ca kriyābhir na tapobhir ugraiḥ | evaṃrūpaḥ śakyo ’haṃ nṛloke draṣṭuṃ tvadanyena kurupravīra ||
हे कुरुप्रवीर अर्जुन! मनुष्यलोक में इस प्रकार का मेरा विश्वरूप न वेद-यज्ञों के अध्ययन से, न दान से, न कर्मकाण्ड की क्रियाओं से और न ही उग्र तपस्याओं से—तुम्हारे अतिरिक्त किसी और के द्वारा देखा जा सकता है।
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.