टीका

Commentary

Arjuna’s emotional state is a paradox: he is simultaneously hrishitah (elated, overjoyed) and pravyathitam (deeply disturbed, trembling). This is the natural response of a finite being confronted with the infinite. There is exhilaration in the vision — he is seeing what no mortal has ever seen, the full cosmic extent of the Divine — but there is also terror, because the human mind is simply not built to contain such immensity.

The phrase adrishta-poorvam — “never seen before” — emphasizes the unprecedented nature of this revelation. This is not something depicted in any scripture, painting, or vision before this moment. Arjuna is the first to see the complete Vishwarupa, and the experience is overwhelming.

Now Arjuna makes his request: tadeva me darshaya deva roopam — “show me that very form, O Lord.” The tat (that) refers to Krishna’s familiar, gentle form — the two-armed or four-armed form that Arjuna has always known. He has had enough of the cosmic vision. The universal form has demonstrated Krishna’s supreme power beyond any doubt, but Arjuna wants his friend back. He wants the form he can relate to, speak with, and love.

The word praseeda — “be gracious” — appears again, this time as a direct plea. Arjuna is not demanding; he is requesting with the humility of one who knows he has no right to make demands of the Supreme. The repeated titles devesha and jagannivasa acknowledge Krishna’s supreme position even as Arjuna begs for the intimate, approachable form he cherishes. This tension between majesty and intimacy is one of the defining themes of the Gita’s theology.