Yoga through Beholding the Cosmic Form of God
Verse 11.6
पश्यादित्यान्वसून्रुद्रानश्िवनौ मरुतस्तथा। बहून्यदृष्टपूर्वाणि पश्याऽश्चर्याणि भारत।।11.6।।
paśhyādityān vasūn rudrān aśhvinau marutas tathā bahūny adṛiṣhṭa-pūrvāṇi paśhyāśhcharyāṇi bhārata
Word Meanings
paśhya—behold; ādityān—the (twelve) sons of Aditi; vasūn—the (eight) Vasus; rudrān—the (eleven) Rudras; aśhvinau—the (twin) Ashvini Kumars; marutaḥ—the (forty-nine) Maruts; tathā—and; bahūni—many; adṛiṣhṭa—never revealed; pūrvāṇi—before; paśhya—behold; āśhcharyāṇi—marvels; bhārata—Arjun, scion of the Bharatas
Translation · English
Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Asvins, and the Maruts; behold many wonders never before seen, O Arjuna.
Deep Meaning · English
In this pivotal moment, Krishna commands Arjuna to transcend the limits of mortal vision, signaling a shift from philosophical instruction to an ontological revelation. By enumerating the celestial hierarchy—Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Ashvini Kumars, and Maruts—Krishna is not merely listing deities; he is asserting his status as the cosmic substrate in whom all cosmic order and elemental forces reside. He strips away the veil of sequential, linear existence to reveal that the Divine is the simultaneous source, container, and final destination of all manifestations. This is the moment Arjuna is invited to witness the 'Vishvarupa,' where the finite human perspective is forced to confront the infinite, non-dual reality of the Absolute. It challenges the seeker to look past the diverse, fragmented appearances of the world and recognize the unified, miraculous power of the Divine manifesting as everything. The invitation to 'behold' implies an active participation in the act of surrender; one cannot fully grasp the cosmic form until one is willing to abandon the small, egoic perspective that views the world as a collection of separate, material entities. By calling Arjuna 'Bharata,' Krishna reminds him of his lineage and the burden of duty, grounding the cosmic vision in the immediate reality of the battlefield where Arjuna must act not as a disconnected agent, but as an instrument of the Divine Whole.
The perception of the infinite requires a shift from viewing the world as a fragmented collection of objects to witnessing it as a singular, living manifestation of the Divine consciousness.
Connected Verses
Depicts the culmination of this vision where the entire cosmos is perceived within the single body of the Lord.
Summarizes that any manifestation of power or beauty is but a spark of the Lord's infinite brilliance.
Articulates the paradox of how the Divine sustains the universe while remaining distinct and transcendent.
Confirms the ultimate realization that everything in existence is a manifestation of the Supreme.
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