Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 13

English Translation

At that time, Pandava saw there, in the body of the God of gods, the whole diversely differentiated Universe united in the one (Cosmic form).

Detailed Commentary

।।11.13।। Explanation – 'Tatraikasthaṁ Jagatkṛtsnaṁ Pravibhaktamanekadhā' – divided into many kinds of divisions, such as these are devatās, these are humans, these are animals and birds, this is the earth, these are oceans, this is the sky, these are constellations, etc., etc. With all these divisions, Arjuna, endowed with the divine vision bestowed by Bhagavan, directly perceived the entire charāchar (movable and immovable) universe within one part of Bhagavan's body. The import is that even in a single part of Bhagavan Shri Krishna's small body, the entire world, including the movable and immovable (charāchar, sthāvara-jangama), resides. This world, too, is divided and expanded into many brahmāṇḍas, realms of devatās, and various individuals and substances – thus Arjuna clearly saw. 'Apaśyad Devadevasya śarīre Pāṇḍavas tadā' – 'Tadā' means that Arjuna saw at the very moment when Bhagavan, bestowing divine vision, revealed His Virāṭ Rūpa. 'Apaśyat' signifies that Arjuna saw exactly the form that Bhagavan manifested. Sanjaya had already described Bhagavan's form, and Arjuna also saw that very form. Just as the Devāloka is exceedingly unique compared to the Manuṣyaloka, so too is Bhagavan infinitely more unique than the Devāloka, because the Devāloka and other such realms are prākṛta (of material nature), and Bhagavan is beyond Prakṛti. Therefore, Bhagavan is 'Devadeva', meaning the God of gods, or the Lord of the Devatās. Connection – Sanjaya describes Arjuna's state after witnessing Bhagavan's transcendental Virāṭ Rūpa in the next verse.