In Bhagavad Gita 11.24, Arjuna says that seeing Krishna touching the sky, blazing with many colours, mouths wide open and huge flaming eyes, his heart trembles and he finds neither steadiness nor peace.
Sanskrit Verse
अर्जुन उवाच · Arjuna said
नभःस्पृशं दीप्तमनेकवर्णं
व्यात्ताननं दीप्तविशालनेत्रम्
दृष्ट्वा हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा
धृतिं न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो ॥ ११-२४ ॥
nabhaḥspṛśaṃ dīptamanekavarṇaṃ
vyāttānanaṃ dīptaviśālanetram
dṛṣṭvā hi tvāṃ pravyathitāntarātmā
dhṛtiṃ na vindāmi śamaṃ ca viṣṇo
English transliteration nabhahsprisham deeptamanekavarnam
vyaattaananam deeptavishaalanetram
drishtvaa hi tvaam pravyathitaantaraatmaa
dhritim na vindaami shamam cha vishno ॥ 11.24 ॥
Translation / Meaning
Seeing You touching the sky, blazing with many colours, with mouths wide open and huge flaming eyes, my innermost being trembles, and I find neither steadiness nor peace, O Vishnu.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नभःस्पृशम् nabhaḥspṛśam | touching the sky nabhaḥ (sky) + spṛśam (touching) |
| दीप्तम् dīptam | blazing |
| अनेकवर्णम् anekavarṇam | of many colours aneka (many) + varṇam (colours) |
| व्यात्ताननम् vyāttānanam | with mouths wide open vyātta (wide open) + ānanam (mouths) |
| दीप्तविशालनेत्रम् dīptaviśālanetram | with huge flaming eyes dīpta (flaming) + viśāla (huge) + netram (eyes) |
| दृष्ट्वा dṛṣṭvā | seeing |
| हि hi | indeed |
| त्वाम् tvām | You |
| प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा pravyathitāntarātmā | with innermost being trembling pravyathita (trembling) + antarātmā (innermost being) |
| धृतिम् dhṛtim | steadiness |
| न na | not |
| विन्दामि vindāmi | I find |
| शमम् śamam | peace |
| च ca | and |
| विष्णो viṣṇo | O Viṣṇu |
Word-wise Chanting
- na–bhaḥs–pṛ–śaṃ dīp–ta–ma–ne–ka–var–ṇaṃ 11 syllables na-bhahs-pri-sham deep-ta-ma-ne-ka-var-nam
- vyāt–tā–na–naṃ dīp–ta–vi–śā–la–net–ram | 11 syllables vyaat-taa-na-nam deep-ta-vi-shaa-la-net-ram
- dṛṣ–ṭvā hi tvāṃ prav–ya–thi–tān–ta–rāt–mā 11 syllables drish-tvaa hi tvaam prav-ya-thi-taan-ta-raat-maa
- dhṛ–tiṃ na vin–dā–mi śa–maṃ ca viṣ–ṇo || 11-24 11 syllables dhri-tim na vin-daa-mi sha-mam cha vish-no
How to read this
How to chant: each line is one pāda (quarter-verse); chant it in one breath. The hyphen (-) divides the syllables, inside a word and across a sandhi join, so every pāda shows its 8 syllables (11 in triṣṭubh verses). A consonant cluster is divided after its first consonant (kar-ma, vet-ti): that syllable is held longer. Mark above a syllable: guru, long (two beats); laghu, short (one beat). | closes the half-verse, || the verse; the number is the syllable count of the pāda.
Deeper Explanation – Chapter 11 Verse 24
Context
Arjuna continues to express his fear (11.23–11.25).
Meaning
The form reaches the sky, blazing with countless colours, with gaping mouths and enormous fiery eyes. Arjuna’s antarātmā, his innermost being, trembles. He has lost dhṛti, steadiness, and śama, peace.
Arjuna, who was taught to be steady, finds his steadiness shaken by the vision. Some experiences are beyond the capacity of the individual self, and the Divine knows when to withdraw them.
In Practice
When you feel overwhelmed, return to a simple practice such as slow breathing to find steadiness again.
Related Verses
Continue Your Study
This verse belongs to Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (The Vision of the Universal Form). Read the chapter overview, browse every verse of the Gita, or return to the chapter-by-chapter guide. For a reading plan, see how to study the Bhagavad Gita and the study resources.