Arjuna said: By Your grace, You have revealed Your hidden treasure to me, and my ignorance of Your Supreme Self has been dispelled.

O beautiful lotus-eyed Lord, I have heard Your elaborate description of the manifestation and dissolution of the living beings, and I have also heard Your description of Your inexhaustible glories.

O Lord, You have perfectly described Your Supreme Self. Yet, O Purusottam, I wish to see this glorious form of Yours.

O Yogesvar, I implore Thee, if You consider it possible for me to see it, please reveal Your imperishable form to me.

The Supreme Lord said: O Partha, behold My innumerable divine forms of many kinds, colours, and shapes.

O Bharat, behold the gods — Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Asvini Kumaras, and Vayus. Behold many wondrous forms, hitherto unseen.

O vigilant Arjuna, behold in one place, in this form of Mine, the whole universe of moving and stationary beings, or anything else you desire to see.

But you cannot see Me with these eyes, so I give you divine vision. Behold My divine opulences.

Sanjaya said: O King Dhrtarastra, speaking thus to Arjuna, the omnipotent Supreme Lord Sri Hari revealed His magnificent, almighty form.

The Lord revealed His effulgent, omnipresent, all-wonderful universal form of many mouths and eyes, many marvels, effulgent dress and garlands, anointed with celestial fragrances, many dazzling ornaments, and gleaming upraised weapons.

The brilliance of a thousand suns appearing simultaneously in the sky might resemble the effulgence of this great universal form of the Lord.

In that moment, there on the battlefield, Arjuna saw the entire multi-faceted universe in one, within the body of Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme God of gods.

Astonished, the hairs of his body standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head in obeisance to Lord Krishna. Placing his palms together, he prayed.

Arjuna said: O Lord, I see within Your body the demigods, all species of life, the celestial sages and serpents, Mahadev, and Lord Brahma seated on the lotus flower.

O Lord of the universe, O universal form, in all directions I see Your infinite form of many arms, bellies, mouths and eyes. I see no beginning, middle, or end of You.

I see You everywhere with crown, club, and disc, a mass of effulgence illuminating all like the blazing light of the sun, difficult to behold and incomprehensible.

You are the Supreme Absolute Truth knowable by the Vedas. You are the supreme reservoir of the universe and the imperishable preserver of the eternal religion described in the Vedas. I now understand You to be the eternal Supreme Personality.

I see You without beginning, middle, or end, infinitely powerful with countless arms. Your eyes are the sun and the moon, Your mouth is blazing fire, and the entire universe is seared by Your radiance.

You alone pervade all directions and all space between heaven and earth. O gracious one, seeing this wondrous and fearsome form of Yours, all the inhabitants of the three worlds are terrified.

All the demigods are entering into You, some fearfully offering You prayers with cupped hands. The great sages and perfected beings are singing Your glories in beautiful verses, saying, «May all auspiciousness come to the world.»

The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Visvadevas, Asvini Kumaras, Vayus, deities of the forefathers, the Gandharvas, Yaksas, Asuras, and Siddhas — indeed, they all marvel to behold You.

O mighty-armed one, seeing Your vast form of many mouths, eyes, arms, legs, feet, and bellies, fearful with its many teeth, all beings, including myself, are afflicted with fear.

O Visnu, seeing Your sky-touching, dazzling form of myriad colours, with gaping mouth and huge fiery eye, my heart trembles with fear, and I cannot find equilibrium or peace.

Seeing Your mouths resembling the fire of the universal annihilation, ghastly with their terrible teeth, I am distraught and have lost my bearings. Be gracious, O Lord of the gods, O abode of the universe.

The sons of Dhrtarastra, their allied kings, and Bhisma, Drona, and Karna, along with our chief warriors, are all rushing into Your dreadful mouths of terrible teeth. Some can be seen with their heads caught and crushed by Your teeth.

As many rivers flow towards the ocean to finally enter into it, so these heroes of the world are entering Your flaming mouths that illuminate all around.

As moths are impelled to their death in blazing fire, similarly, all the worlds are helplessly rushing to certain death, entering into Your mouths.

O Visnu, with Your flaming mouths, You are relishing devouring all the worlds, Your all-pervading, glaring effulgence searing the entire universe.

O fearsome one, please tell me who You are. O Lord of the gods, I offer obeisance unto You; please be gracious. I wish to fully know You, the Origin, as I cannot understand your actions.

The Supreme Lord said: I am the time, the mighty vanquisher of all, and I am engaged in destroying the worlds. Even if you do not slay them, not one of the warriors in the enemy party will be spared.

So arise! Be glorious! Conquer the enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. All these warriors have already been killed by Me. O Savyasachin (skilled archer), you be but an instrument.

Slay Drona, Bhisma, Jayadratha, Karna, and the many warriors who are as good as slain by Me. Fear not, fight! You will be victorious over the enemy.

Sanjaya said: Hearing these words of the Lord, the trembling Arjuna bowed his head, placing the palms of his hands together in prayer. With a fearful heart, bowing again, he spoke falteringly.

Arjuna said: O Hrsikes, it is fitting that the whole world joyfully sings Your glories with love, the demons flee, scattering in all directions, and the perfected beings offer obeisance to You.

And, O gracious one, how would they not bow to You, the worshippable creator of even the creator Lord Brahma? O infinite God of gods, O abode of the universe, You are the manifest, the unmanifest, the Supreme Imperishable.

You are the eternal origin of all the demigods, and the only refuge of this universe. You alone are the knower and the knowable, and the supreme abode. O Lord of infinite forms, the entire universe is pervaded by You.

You are the father and grandfather of all beings, You are air, death, fire, the ocean, and the moon. Obeisances unto You thousands of times, again and yet again.

O embodiment of all existences, my obeisances unto You from the front, behind, and all directions. O Lord of unlimited potency and immeasurable prowess, You pervade all, therefore You are all.

Due to the familarity of affection I have rashly addressed You, «Krishna,» «Yadava,» or «my friend,» ignorant of this Your greatness. O infallible Lord, whatever disrespect I have shown You — in jest, while relaxing, resting, sitting or eating, either alone with You or in company — I beg You, the inconceivable, to please forgive me for that.

You are the father of all living beings, the worshippable and most glorious teacher. You have no equal within these three worlds. How can there be anyone greater than You, O Lord of unrivalled power!

So I offer my prostrate obeisance unto You, my Lord and worshippable master, praying for Your mercy. Please excuse me as a father, friend, or lover overlooks the mistakes of his son, companion, or beloved.

O Lord, my heart is joyful to see Your hitherto unseen universal form. Yet, I am afraid. O God of gods, shelter of the universe, be gracious upon me and appear in the form I saw before.

I wish to see You again wearing a crown and holding a club and disc. O thousand-armed Lord, O universal form, please appear in that four-armed form.

The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, to grant you My special favour I have today revealed this effulgent, universal, infinite, and primeval form, by My divine potency. This supreme universal form has never been seen by anyone before.

O Arjuna, most valiant of the Kauravas, no one in this human plane can see this form of Mine that you have seen, neither by study of the Vedas, nor Vedic sacrifices, nor charity, nor rituals, nor severe austerity.

Be not bewildered by seeing this terrible aspect of Mine. Do not fear. Now, with a peaceful heart, behold My four-armed form once again.

Sanjaya said: Speaking thus to Arjuna, Krishna again revealed His own form. And once again, He revealed His charming personality — the most merciful Sri Krishna (of human feature, adorned with yellow cloth, Kaustubha jewel, and Vaijayanti garland), thus reassuring the fearful Arjuna.

Arjuna said: O Janardan, seeing Your beautiful form of human feature I am calm and composed once again.

The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, it is very rare that anyone sees this My form which you now behold. Even the gods constantly aspire for a glimpse of this humanlike divine form.

Neither by study of the Vedas, nor by austerity, charity, and sacrifice can anyone see My eternal humanlike form of the Sweet Absolute as you see Me.

O Arjuna, conqueror of the enemy, only by pure devotion is it possible to know Me, see Me, and enter My divine Pastimes.

O Arjuna, My devotee who gives up all attachments and whose heart is totally free from enmity to all beings, who serves Me wholeheartedly, knowing Me as the Supreme, reaches Me.