Bhagavad Gita — Vishwarupa Darshana Yoga, Shloka 24

Vishwarupa Darshana Yoga

Devanagari script

नभःस्पृशं दीप्तमनेकवर्णं व्यात्ताननं दीप्तविशालनेत्रम् । दृष्ट्वा हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा धृतिं न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो ॥

Transliteration

nabhaḥspṛśaṃ dīptam aneka-varṇaṃ vyāttānanaṃ dīpta-viśāla-netram | dṛṣṭvā hi tvāṃ pravyathitāntarātmā dhṛtiṃ na vindāmi śamaṃ ca viṣṇo ||

Translation

เมื่อได้เห็นพระองค์ผู้แตะต้องท้องฟ้า สว่างไสวหลากสี มีปากอ้า และดวงตากว้างใหญ่ลุกโพลง จิตภายในของข้าพเจ้าหวั่นไหว; โอ้พระวิษณุ ข้าพเจ้าไม่พบทั้งความมั่นคงและความสงบ

Gita Press Meaning

Seeing You touching the sky, radiant and multicolored, with open mouth and blazing wide eyes—my inner self shaken—I find neither steadiness nor peace, O Viṣṇu.

Critical Edition Meaning

Having seen you—sky-reaching, luminous, many-hued, with gaping mouth and shining, vast eyes—my inward self disturbed, I do not find composure or calm, O Viṣṇu.

Comparative Note

The address ‘Viṣṇu’ is significant for identifying the vision with a pan-Indian divine idiom. dhṛti (steadfastness) and śama (calm) are technical-ethical terms in Indian philosophy, here presented as temporarily disrupted by the sublime.

Word by Word

• नभःस्पृशम्: touching the sky
• नभःस्पृशम्: Karma
• Root: नभस् + √स्पृश्

• दीप्तम्: blazing, radiant
• दीप्तम्: Karma
• Root: √दीप् (दीप्त)

• अनेकवर्णम्: of many colors
• अनेकवर्णम्: Karma
• Root: अनेक + वर्ण

• व्यात्ताननम्: with gaping mouth
• व्यात्ताननम्: Karma
• Root: व्यात्त + आनन

• दीप्तविशालनेत्रम्: with blazing, huge eyes
• दीप्तविशालनेत्रम्: Karma
• Root: दीप्त + विशाल + नेत्र

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Root: √दृश्

• हि: indeed, for
• Root: हि

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Root: युष्मद्

• प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा: one whose inner self is greatly shaken
• प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा: Karta
• Root: प्र + √व्यथ् (प्रव्यथित) + अन्तरात्मन्

• धृतिम्: steadiness, fortitude
• धृतिम्: Karma
• Root: धृति

• न: not
• Root: न

• विन्दामि: I find, I attain
• Root: √विद् (विन्दति)

• शमम्: calmness, tranquility
• शमम्: Karma
• Root: शम

• च: and
• Root: च

• विष्णो: O Vishnu
• Root: विष्णु

Speakers

• Arjuna

Primary Concepts

• Śama (calm)
• Dhṛti (steadiness)
• Sublime experience
• Theistic identification (Viṣṇu)

Key Themes

• Awe disrupting equanimity
• Limits of mental control
• Naming the divine within experience

FAQs

Psychological significance?

The verse is a candid report of dysregulation under awe: even a disciplined person may temporarily lose calm when confronted with overwhelming meaning.

Metaphysical meaning?

The cosmic form is not merely an object of sight but a transformative disclosure that reorders the subject’s inner world, indicating that knowledge can be existential, not only conceptual.

Contextual relevance?

It transitions from description to confession, setting up Arjuna’s request for grace and a more approachable manifestation.

Modern Application?

It supports a balanced spirituality: profound experiences may require integration practices (reflection, ethical grounding) to restore steadiness and calm.