Shloka 16

Puruṣottama-yoga

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

Devanagari script

अनेकबाहूदरवक्त्रनेत्रं पश्यामि त्वां सर्वतो5नन्तरूपम्‌ | नान्तं न मध्यं न पुनस्तवादिं पश्यामि विश्वेश्वर विश्वरूप?,हे सम्पूर्ण विश्वके स्वामिन्‌! आपको अनेक भुजा, पेट, मुख और नेत्रोंसे युक्त तथा सब ओरसे अनन्त रूपोंवाला देखता हूँ। हे विश्वरूप! मैं आपके न अन्तको देखता हूँ, न मध्यको और न आदिको ही

Transliteration

anekabāhūdaravaktranetram paśyāmi tvāṁ sarvato 'nantarūpam | nāntaṁ na madhyaṁ na punas tavādiṁ paśyāmi viśveśvara viśvarūpa ||

Translation

Contemplo-Te com incontáveis braços, ventres, bocas e olhos — uma forma sem fim que se estende em todas as direções. Ó Senhor do universo, ó Forma Universal! Não consigo discernir o Teu fim, nem o Teu meio, nem sequer o Teu começo. Em meio à guerra, a visão de Arjuna deixa de julgar o campo de batalha pelos limites humanos e reconhece uma realidade divina que excede toda medida, exigindo humildade e rendição reverente, e não controle ou certeza.

Word by Word

• {'aneka': 'many, numerous', 'bāhu': 'arm', 'udara': 'belly, abdomen', 'vaktra': 'mouth, face', 'netra': 'eye', 'paśyāmi': 'I see, I behold', 'tvām': 'You (accusative singular)', 'sarvataḥ': 'on all sides, everywhere', 'ananta-rūpam': 'of infinite form

• limitless in manifestation', 'na': 'not', 'anta': 'end, limit', 'madhya': 'middle, center', 'punar': 'again

• also/even', 'tava': 'Your', 'ādi': 'beginning, origin', 'viśveśvara': 'Lord of the universe', 'viśvarūpa': 'Universal Form (the all-encompassing cosmic form)'}

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Krishna (as Viśveśvara/Viśvarūpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the Divine (as the Universal Form) transcends all human categories of beginning, middle, and end. Ethically, it urges humility: one should not assume complete grasp over reality, especially when making grave choices in war and duty; instead, one aligns action with dharma while acknowledging the immeasurable divine order.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the Kurukṣetra war discourse, Arjuna is granted a vision of Krishna’s Viśvarūpa. Overwhelmed, he describes seeing innumerable limbs and faces everywhere and admits he cannot locate any boundary or origin—signaling that the revelation is beyond ordinary perception and marks a turning point in Arjuna’s understanding.