Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 44

English Translation

Therefore, by bowing down and prostrating the body, I seek to propitate You who are God and are adorable. O Lord, You should [The elision of a (in arhasi of priyayarhasi) is a metrical licence.] forgive (my faults) as would a father (the faults) of a son, as a friend, of a friend, and as a lover of a beloved.

Detailed Commentary

**।।11.44।। Commentary –** 'Tasmāt praṇamya praṇidhāya kāyaṁ prasādaye tvāmaham īśam īḍyam' – You are the Ishvar (Lord) of infinite universes. Therefore, You alone are worthy of praise by all. Your Gunas (qualities), Prabhava (influence), Mahattva (greatness), etc., are infinite; hence, Rishis, Maharshis, Devatas (celestial beings), and Mahapurushas (great souls) continuously praise You, yet they cannot fathom Your limit. How can I praise You, who are so worthy of praise? I do not possess the strength or capacity to praise You. Therefore, I can only prostrate myself completely at Your feet in Dandavat Pranam, and through this alone, I wish to please You. 'Piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuḥ priyaḥ priyāyārhasi deva soḍhum' – When someone is disrespected, there are three primary reasons: (1) due to Pramada (carelessness/inadvertence), (2) due to not being mindful in humor, jest, or amusement, and (3) due to not recognizing the importance of one's companion when there is closeness of 'ownness'. For example, a small child sitting in its father's lap might unknowingly pull his beard or mustache, slap his face, or sometimes kick him, yet the father is pleased by such actions of the child. They do not consider this a form of disrespect to themselves. A friend can behave in any way and say anything to another friend while sitting, standing, or moving together, such as – 'You speak great truths indeed!', 'You are a great upholder of truth!', 'Now you've become a big person!', 'You've grown quite arrogant!', 'Today you act like a king!' – and so on, but their friend doesn't pay heed to these remarks. He understands that they are equal friends, and jesting is natural. Out of mutual love, a wife might show a little disregard for her husband in sitting, standing, or conversation, but the husband naturally tolerates it. For example, if the husband is sitting below, she might sit on a higher seat. Arjuna says that just as a father tolerates the disrespect of his son, a friend that of another friend, and a husband that of his wife, so too, O Bhagavan, please tolerate my disrespect, which means, forgive me. In verses forty-one and forty-two, Arjuna had said – 'Pramadāt' (due to carelessness), 'Avahasārtham' (for jest/humor), and 'Pranayena' (due to love/intimacy). Arjuna has indicated these three points by giving three examples: the example of father and son for Pramada, of friend and friend for jest/humor, and of husband and wife for love/intimacy. In the eleventh chapter, the eleven Rasas (sentiments/flavors) have been described as follows – From the description of the divine form, 'Shānta Rasa' (sentiment of peace); from the description of the Virāt Rūpa (Cosmic Form) pervading from heaven to earth and in all ten directions, 'Adbhuta Rasa' (sentiment of wonder); from assuming the form that devours all with its tongues and manifests as Kāla (Time, the destroyer) for the annihilation of all, 'Raudra Rasa' (sentiment of fury); from the form with terrifying, formidable mouths and teeth, 'Bībhatsa Rasa' (sentiment of disgust/aversion); from being ready for battle, 'Vīra Rasa' (sentiment of heroism); from prostrating completely in Dandavat Pranam, 'Dāsya Rasa' (sentiment of servitude) (first half of 11.44); from witnessing the principal warriors and other kings entering the Lord's mouth, 'Karuṇa Rasa' (sentiment of compassion) (11.28-29); the examples that a friend tolerates the disrespect of a friend, a father that of a son, and a husband that of a wife – in this context, 'Sakhya Rasa' (sentiment of friendship), 'Vātsalya Rasa' (sentiment of parental love), and 'Mādhurya Rasa' (sentiment of conjugal love) have been mentioned respectively (second half of 11.44), and 'Hāsya Rasa' (sentiment of humor) has been described in the form of remembering jest (first half of 11.42). **Connection –** Now, in the next two verses, Arjuna prays for the display of the four-armed form.