Shloka 40

Puruṣottama-yoga

The Discipline of the Supreme Person) — Chapter 15 (Bhagavadgītā

Devanagari script

नमः पुरस्तादथ पृष्ठतस्ते नमोउस्तु ते सर्वत एव सर्व । अनन्तवीर्यामितविक्रमस्त्व॑ सर्व समाप्रोषि ततो5सि सर्व:,है अनन्त सामर्थ्यवाले! आपके लिये आगेसे और पीछेसे भी नमस्कार! हे सर्वात्मन! आपके लिये सब ओरसे ही नमस्कार हो;” क्योंकि अनन्त पराक्रमशाली आप सब संसारको व्याप्त किये हुए हैं, इससे आप ही सर्वरूप हैं?

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca

namaḥ purastād atha pṛṣṭhatas te namo 'stu te sarvata eva sarva |

antavīryāmita-vikramas tvaṁ sarvaṁ samāpnoṣi tato 'si sarvaḥ ||

Translation

Arjuna said: Salutations to You from the front and from behind; salutations to You from every side, O All. You are of endless power and immeasurable prowess; You pervade the whole universe—therefore You are all that is.

Word by Word

• {'namaḥ': 'salutation, reverential bow', 'purastāt': 'in front, before', 'atha': 'and then

• also (linking particle)', 'pṛṣṭhataḥ': 'from behind, at the back', 'te': 'to you (dative/genitive singular of tvam)', "namo 'stu": 'may there be salutation

• salutations be', 'sarvataḥ': 'from all sides, everywhere', 'eva': 'indeed, just, emphatically', 'sarva': "O All

• also 'everything/all' (context-dependent)", 'ananta': 'endless, infinite', 'vīrya': 'strength, power, heroic energy', 'amita': 'immeasurable, boundless', 'vikrama': 'stride

• valor, prowess, mighty action', 'tvaṁ': 'you', 'sarvam': 'the whole (universe), everything', 'samāpnoṣi': 'you pervade, you reach/attain completely', 'tataḥ': 'therefore, from that reason', 'asi': 'you are', 'sarvaḥ': 'all

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Krishna (as the all-pervading Viśvarūpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches reverent recognition of the Divine as omnipresent and all-encompassing: since the Supreme pervades everything, true devotion expresses itself as humility and salutations in every direction, acknowledging that no place lies outside the Divine.

What is happening in the narrative?

After witnessing Krishna’s cosmic form (Viśvarūpa), Arjuna is overwhelmed and responds with repeated salutations—front, back, and all around—confessing that Krishna pervades the entire cosmos and therefore is the very totality of existence.