Gita Series – 120: Bhagavad Gita Chapter XI. Verse 10 – 13:

Krishna’s cosmic form as seen by Arjuna is being described by Sanjaya to his king.

Arjuna saw in the Vishvarupa of Krishna, the Supreme Lord with many mouths and eyes, bedecked with celestial ornaments and weaponries, adorned with divine robes and garlands and besmeared with divine fragrances. The Form was full of marvels, glorious and infinite with faces on all sides. Even if thousands of suns appear in the sky at the same time, could hardly be of any comparison to the effulgence of the Lord. Arjuna saw in a corner of His Vishvarupa, the entire universe with its multifarious manifestations.

Arjuna could see Krishna’s cosmic form only with the help of the divine eyes given to Arjuna by the Lord. When Arjuna looked at the True form of the Lord, he could see everything in one place. The whole universe is held by the Lord and Arjuna could get to see the universe in its miniscule form. This goes to prove that the Brahman is smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest. The Self effulgence of the Lord was powerfully radiating and is the cause for illuminating the universe. Every aspect of creation is governed by automated mechanisms. For example, the Lord has appointed the sun to provide energy. The sun however sources its energy from the effulgence of the Lord. The Lord’s omnipresence was also witnessed by Arjuna by the seeing the presence of His faces on all sides. The robe that the Lord wears, the garlands that adorn the Lord and the fragrance that is associated with Him are totally divine and without any known comparisons. By ascribing the pinnacle of everything associated with the Brahman, His superior cosmic form is differentiated from His incarnated human form, the Krishna form of the Lord. Krishna chooses to show His cosmic form to Arjuna, merely to stress the point of His omnipresence and how He supports the universe, which is only a miniscule of His cosmic form. Arjuna’s faith in the Lord was instrumental for Arjuna’s divine vision.

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter XI. 14 - 31

Bhagavad Gita Chapter XI. 5 - 9

Bhagavad Gita Chapter XI. 32 - 34