vaktraani te tvaramaanaa vishanti damshtraakaraalaani bhayaanakaani |
kechidvilagnaa dashanaantareshu sandrishyante choornitairuttamaangaihi || 27 ||
 
(They are) rushing to enter into your mouths, with fearful fangs, wide open. Some appear with their skulls crushed, stuck between your teeth.
 
vaktraani : mouths
te : your
tvaramaanaahaa : rushing
vishanti : entering
damshtraakaraalaani : wide open fangs
bhayaanakaani : fearful
kechit : some
vilagnaahaa : caught
dashanaantareshu : between teeth
sandrishyante : appear
choornitaihi : crushed
uttamaangaihi : skulls
 
Arjuna continued to narrate the horrifying scene from the future state of the Mahabhaarata war. He now saw several warriors from both armies rushing to enter the numerous mouths of Ishvara’s cosmic form. He also saw Ishvara devouring these warriors, with the remnants of his meal stuck between the gaps of his teeth. Arjuna uses the word “choornit” meaning powder to highlight the force of Ishvara’s jaws and their impact on the warriors.
 
This gruesome scene serves to remind us of the ephemerality of the material world comprised solely of names and forms. If Ishvara can create the variety of names and forms in his pleasant form, he can also dissolve that variety in his terrible form. Arjuna saw this vision quite clearly, as did many people in the northeastern United States that were impacted recently by the most powerful hurricane in history. Ishvara’s power can level entire towns within minutes.
 
Another intriguing aspect of this shloka is that Ishvara’s cosmic form isn’t going after all the warriors, in fact, they themselves are rushing into his mouths. It reinforces the message given by Shri Krishna earlier. Ishvara does not favour or hate anyone. Every individual creates his own destiny by the fruit of his choices and actions. The Kauravas and Paandavas decided to engage in a war, so it was natural that many of them would end up dead when the war ended.
 
Now, knowing that Shri Krishna could show him the future, Arjuna was curious to know whether he would win or lose. But he did not ask this question directly. He continued describing the scene, hoping that Shri Krishna would reveal it eventually.