Commentary

Commentary

This verse is a transition — it marks the end of Sanjaya’s third-person description and the beginning of Arjuna’s own first-person account of what he is seeing. The physical details Sanjaya provides tell us everything about Arjuna’s inner state.

Vismaya-aavishtah — he was “filled with wonder,” not merely surprised but completely overtaken by astonishment. Hrishta-romaa — his body hair stood on end, the involuntary physical response to an experience so overwhelming that the body itself reacts before the mind can process it. This is not a calm, contemplative vision. It is a direct encounter with the infinite that shakes Arjuna to his core.

Yet Arjuna’s response is not fear but devotion. He pranamya shirasaa — bows his head in reverence — and krita-anjalih — joins his palms in prayer. This is the instinctive response of a devoted soul encountering the divine: not to run, not to cower, but to offer respect and worship. Until now, Arjuna had been Krishna’s friend, his charioteer companion, someone he addressed casually. But the vision of the Universal Form instantly transforms their relationship. Friendship gives way to awe, and casual address gives way to prayer.

The word abhaashata — “began to speak” — sets up the magnificent verses that follow (15-40), in which Arjuna will describe in his own words what he sees, what he feels, and what he understands. His words will swing between ecstatic praise and genuine terror, between theological insight and raw emotional honesty. It all begins here, with a bowed head and folded hands.