Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 16

English Translation

I see You as possessed of numerous arms, bellies, mouths and eyes; as having infinite forms all around. O Lord of the Universe, O Cosmic Person, I see not Your limit nor the middle, nor again the beginning!

Detailed Commentary

Commentary on 11.16: The two appellations, 'Viśvarūpa' and 'Viśveśvara', signify that all that I perceive is verily You, and You are also the Master of this universe. The bodies of ordinary human beings are insentient (*jaḍa*) and contain an embodied consciousness (*śarīrī cetanā*); however, in Your cosmic form (*Virāṭ rūpa*), there is no duality of body (*śarīra*) and embodied soul (*śarīrī*). In the *Virāṭ rūpa*, You Yourself are everything. Therefore, everything there is pure consciousness alone. Arjuna, by addressing You as 'Viśvarūpa', states that You are the body itself, and by addressing You as 'Viśveśvara', he states that You are the embodied soul (*śarīrī*), the Master of the body. Regarding 'Anekabāhūdaravaktranetram' – As I gaze upon Your arms, Your arms are multitudinous; as I gaze upon Your bellies, Your bellies are also multitudinous; as I gaze upon Your mouths, Your mouths are also multitudinous; and as I gaze upon Your eyes, Your eyes are also multitudinous. This implies that Your arms, bellies, mouths, and eyes have no end; all are infinite (*ananta*). 'Paśyāmi tvāṁ sarvato’nantarūpam' – I behold You everywhere, manifesting as infinite (*ananta*) in the form of space (*deśa*), time (*kāla*), objects (*vastu*), beings (*vyakti*), and substances (*padārtha*). 'Nāntaṁ na madhyaṁ punastavādim' – Where Your end is, remains unknown; where Your middle is, is also unknown; and where Your beginning (*ādi*) is, is also unknown. 'Nāntam' is stated first to convey that when one perceives something, their gaze first seeks the limits of that object—to ascertain its extent. For instance, when looking at a book, one's gaze first falls upon its length and breadth. Similarly, upon beholding the *Virāṭ rūpa* of the Lord, Arjuna's gaze first went to its boundary (end). When Arjuna could not perceive its end, his gaze moved to the middle part, and then towards the beginning (*ādi*); yet, nowhere could the end, middle, or beginning of the *Virāṭ Svarūpa* be discerned. Therefore, this sequence of 'Nāntaṁ na madhyaṁ na punastavādim' is maintained in this verse.