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A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

~ Gita Journey is a straightforward, modern, contemporary, basic explanation and commentary of the Bhagawat Gita, with Sanskrit to English word meanings. Each shloka (verse) is explained in detail. An introduction to the Bhagavad Gita along with study resources can also be found here. A summary of each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is also included. It does not matter whether you are a student, a retiree, a professional, a mom, a dad or a housewife – no prior knowledge is needed.

A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

Category Archives: idam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 46, Chapter 18

04 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 18.46, abhyarchya, bhootaanaam, chapter 18 verse 46, idam, maanavaha, pravrittihi, sarvam, siddhim, svakarmanaa, tatam, vindanti, yataha, yena

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yataha pravrittirbhootaanaam yena sarvamidam tatam |
svakarmanaa tambhyarchya siddhim vindanti maanavaha || 46 ||

 
From whom arises the origin of all beings, by which this entire creation is pervaded, having worshipped that through his duty, the person attains perfection.
 
yataha : from whom
pravrittihi : origin
bhootaanaam : of all beings
yena : by which
sarvam : entire creation
idam : this
tatam : is pervaded
svakarmanaa : his duty
tam : that
abhyarchya : having worshipped
siddhim : perfection
vindanti : attains
maanavaha : person
 
Shri Krishna says that we should submit the performance of our duty as an offering to Ishvara. Only then does it result in the samsiddhi, the foremost accomplishment, the perfection that was spoken of earlier. Otherwise, mere performance of our duty will result in merits and demerits, paapa and punya, which will further trap us in the cycle of samsaara. We have to inject bhakti or devotion to Ishvara into all our actions. In other words, karma yoga and bhakti yoga need to go together. Performance of duty with devotion to Ishvara reduces the ego, the gigantic bundle of likes, dislikes and fears which is an obstacle to liberation.
 
Even in our daily lives, actions performed with devotion to someone or something have a different kind of feeling. They allow us to channel energy that we never thought we had. A mother will work tirelessly, day and night, for the benefit of her children. Freedom fighters gave their lives for the service of the nation. Offering actions to Ishvara, however, has the effect of reducing the sense of enjoyership, the bhokta bhaava, the pursuit of actions driven by likes and dislikes. Selfless service reduces the sense of kartaa bhaava, the notion that the I has to perform an action to remove some incompleteness. We become instruments of Ishvara’s will, so there is no room for personal will.
 
Now, who is this Ishvara? He is the source, the origin of all beings, the intelligence cause, like the potter of a clay pot. He is also the material cause, the stuff by which everything is created, like the clay in a clay pot. When we offer our actions to the creator and sustainer of the universe, we lose all fear of the future, since we accept whatever comes our way as a prasaada, a gift from Ishvara. So there is no personal will, there is no personal preference, there is no fear. Doership, likes, dislikes and fears are nothing but the ego. It then, slowly withers away through karma yoga.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 16

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 16.21, aatmanaha, chapter 16 verse 21, dvaaram, idam, kaamaha, krodhaha, lobhaha, naashanam, narakasya, tasmaat, trayam, trividham, tyajet

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trividham narakasyedam dvaaram naashanamaatmanaha |
kaamaha krodhastathaa lobhastasmaadetattrayam tyajet || 21 ||

 
Three gates of hell cause one’s destruction, desire, anger and greed. Therefore, give up these three.
 
trividham : three
narakasya : hell
idam : these
dvaaram : gates
naashanam : destructive
aatmanaha : oneself
kaamaha : desire
krodhaha : anger
tathaa : and
lobhaha : greed
tasmaat : therefore
etat : these
trayam : three
tyajet : give up
 
Like a good teacher, Shri Krishna summarizes the entire chapter comprising the rather lengthy list of devilish qualities into three main ones: desire, anger and greed. He says that we always need to watch out for these three qualities in our daily lives, and minimize them as much as possible. He calls them gateways into hell, because they lead to the path of destruction rather than the path of liberation. Even the order of these three is important, because both anger and greed follow desire.
 
The second chapter explained how kaama or desire comes into our lives. Dhyavato vishayaan, by constantly thinking of an object (or a person or a situation), we develop an association with it. If carried on for long, this association results in a desire to procure that object. If anyone or anything comes between us and the object, we develop anger. And once we have the object, once our desire is fulfilled, we want more of the object. This results in greed.
 
So then, how do we tackle these three gates of hell? Let us first look at kaama or desire. If desire develops through contemplation of objects, we can reduce desire to a certain extent by keeping a watch on what we expose our mind to. For example, we can go to the mall with a shopping list rather than wander around shops that we don’t need anything from. But the root of desire is the labelling of objects as desirable by our mind. This labelling or superimposition is known as “shobhana adhyaasa”. It is why the same dress looks desirable to one person and irrelevant to another, since objects by themselves are not desirable. Controlling and convincing the mind through study of scriptures and meditation helps to reduce this labelling.
 
Desire is somewhat easy to control, but once we are in the grip of anger, it becomes somewhat difficult to do so. At least we do not publicly display our desires, but we do not hesitate to show our anger publicly. We require tremendous control over our mind in order to release ourselves from the grip of anger. It is therefore better to focus on rooting out unnecessary desires than to confront anger directly.
 
Lastly, lobha or greed can be kept in check through charity. Anytime we start feeling pride over our wealth or possessions, we should immediately donate a portion of our wealth or possessions. How exactly we should do so is covered in the next chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 13

01 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 13.1, abhidheeyate, chapter 13 verse 1, etat, idam, iti, kaunteya, kshetrajnya, kshetram, prahuhu, shareeram, tadvidaha, vetti : knows tam, yaha

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
idam shareeram kaunteya kshetramityaabhidheeyate |
etadyo vetti tam prahuhu kshetrajnya iti tadvidaha || 1 ||

 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
This body is defined as the “field”, O Kaunteya, and he who knows it is called the “knower of the field”, in this manner, by the knowers of both.

 
idam : this
shareeram : body
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
kshetram : field
iti : in this manner
abhidheeyate : defined as
etat : it
yaha : which
vetti : knows
tam : he who
prahuhu : call
kshetrajnya : knower of the field
iti : in this manner
tadvidaha : knowers of both
 
As we commence the thirteenth chapter, let us take stock of where we have come so far in the Gita. In the first six chapters, Shri Krishna focused on revealing the true nature of the individual self, what we refer to as “I”. In the first chapter, Arjuna was caught in a web of grief and delusion because he considered himself as a body that is attached to its friends and family. Shri Krishna revealed to Arjuna that his nature was the infinite eternal essence and not the body. He then guided Arjuna step by step through the means of arriving at this understanding starting with karma yoga, then karma sanyaasa yoga, and finally dhyaana yoga. Only in meditation can we experience the true nature of our “I” as the “saakshi” or witness of our body, mind and intellect.
 
In the next set of six chapters, Shri Krishna focused on revealing the true nature of the world we live in. We usually think of the world as comprised of matter in various forms. Shri Krishna revealed to Arjuna that this world is comprised not only of matter, but also of spirit or life-giving consciousness. These are also known as the lower and higher aspects of Prakriti or nature, respectively. He then revealed that Prakriti is nothing but a shakti or power of Ishvara himself, and therefore Ishvara is in all, and all is in Ishvara. He is the material cause or the raw matter, as well as the efficient cause or the intelligence that has created the universe. The true nature of the world is Ishvara who is the “adhishthaana”, the foundation or the substratum of the world.
 
Having revealed all of this, why do we need six more chapters? Let us proceed step by step, since we will be delving into new waters. Our antahakarana or inner instrument comprising the mind, intellect, ego and memory comes with three inbuilt defects. “Mala” or dirt comprises our stock of unfulfilled desires. “Vikshepa” is the tendency of the mind to jump from one thought to another. “Aavarana” is the veiling or covering that hides the understanding of the true nature of the self, of who we are in essence. Karma yoga helps remove the defect of mala by extinguising selfish desires to a great extent. Bhakti yoga helps remove the defect of vikshepa through single-pointed devotion of Ishvara. However, we will never achieve complete self realization unless we tackle the third defect of Aavarana. That is the purpose of the last six chapters of the Gita.
 
How do the last six chapters remove this defect of aavarana or veiling? This can happen only when we intuitively understand the true meaning of the “mahaa vaakyas” or great statements that have been revealed in the Vedas. The Gita reveals the mahaa vaakya “Tat Tvam Asi” which means “You Are That”. The first six chapters of the Gita revealed the nature of “Tvam” which means “You” as the saakshi or witness, and the next six chapters revealed the true nature of “Tat” which means “That” as Ishvara, the adhishthaana or foundation. The last six chapters reveal “Asi”, the identity or the equality between the real nature of “You” and “That”. Shri Krishna knows that this topic may be somewhat tough to understand, so he addresses Arjuna as “Kaunteya”, one whose intellect is as sharp as a knife or “kunta”, so that he remains sharp and alert throughout this chapter.
 
Now, let us look at the first shloka. The term “shareera” or body is used in a general sense to refer to the three bodies that we are made up of: the physical body, the subtle body (the mind, intellect, ego, memory and the physiological functions) and the causal body (our vaasanaas or unfulfilled desires). In other words, anything that is temporary, changing and perishable is referred to as “this body”. Shri Krishna says that anything that we term as “this body” is defined as the “kshetra”, the field. But there is something in us which is changeless and knows that it is different from the ever-changing field. This intelligence principle in us, this consciousness is termed as the “kshetragnya”, the knower of the field. Both these terms are defined by the knowers of both the field and its knower, in other words, great seers and sages.
 
Why do we need to know such esoteric terms? Shri Krishna uses these terms to lay the groundwork for the next shloka, which is one of the most important shlokas in the Gita. He wants to give a foundation that we can use a spring board to leap into the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 12

30 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 12.20, ateeva, bhaktaaha, chapter 12 verse 20, dharmyaamritam, idam, mat, me, paramaahaa, paryupaasate, priyaha, shradyadhaanaa, te, tu, uktam, yatha, ye

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ye tu dharmyaamritamidam yathoktam paryupaasate |
shradyadhaanaa matparamaa bhaktosteteeva me priyaha || 20 ||

 
Therefore, those who partake of this nectar of law described here, endowed with faith, keeping me as the goal, those devotees are extremely dear to me.
 
ye : those who
tu : therefore
dharmyaamritam : nectar of law
idam : this
yatha : here
uktam : described
paryupaasate : partake
shradyadhaanaa : endowed with faith
mat : me
paramaahaa : goal
bhaktaaha : devotees
te : those
ateeva : extremely
me : me
priyaha : dear
 
Shri Krishna began listing the attributes of perfected devotees starting from the thirteenth chapter. In this shloka, he concludes this topic by highlighting two key attributes of such devotees: shraddha or faith, and making Ishvara as their ultimate goal, “matparamaahaa”. He terms the teaching of this chapter as the nectar of dharma. We can interpret the word dharma to mean the universal law of nature from the ninth chapter, or also as the nine fold bhaagvat dharma of Prahlaada that was explained earlier in this chapter.
 
Why are faith and goal-setting given such importance in bhakti or the path of devotion? Consider a child who eventually wants to study at one of the top universities in the world. Until he reaches a stage where he can qualify to attend that university, get selected for admission and begin his coursework, he needs to have faith in the notion that graduating from that university will significantly improve his life. That faith will propel him to set the single-pointed goal of academic success, work hard, to keep aside all distractions and to not give up. Only when he actually graduates will he not need faith anymore, because he has achieved what he set out to achieve. But until them, it is only faith in the goal that keeps him going.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that those devotees who have fixed Ishvara as the goal, and that who have unwavering faith in that goal, are extremely dear to him. Devotees who love Ishvara without having known him first are devotees of the highest caliber, since it is more difficult to love something without having first known it. Such devotees, who do not need to become monks but just diligently worship Ishvara with form, are assured of liberation by Ishvara himself. This is the concluding message of the twelfth chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade bhaktiyogo naama dvaadashodhyaayaha || 12 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 52, Chapter 11

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.52, asi, chapter 11 verse 52, darshanakaankshinaha, drishtvaan, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, idam, mama, nityam, roopam, roopasya, sudurdarsham

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
sudurdarshamidam roopam drishtvaanasi yanmama |
devaa apyasya roopasya nityam darshanakaankshinaha || 52 ||

 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
It is extremely rare (for anyone) to see that form of mine that you have just seen. Even the gods eternally long to see this form.

 
sudurdarsham: extremely rare to see
idam : this
roopam : form
drishtvaan : seen
asi : you have
yat : that
mama : mine
devaaha : gods
api : even
asya : this
roopasya : form
nityam : eternally
darshanakaankshinaha : long to see
 
The Gita uses a lot of the Katha Upanishad for its teachings. In that Upanishad, the young boy Nachiketa approaches the lord of death Yama for spiritual instruction. His most powerful question to Yama is : what happens to the soul after death. Yama tries to distract Nachiketa with boons of wealth and power, but fails. Eventually he responds : “Nachikata, even the gods are even anxious to know the answer to this question, and have never been able to figure this out”.
 
The same language is used by Shri Krishna in this shloka. He says that the gods have desired to see Ishvara’s cosmic form since eternity, but have not been able to do so. It is “sudurdarsham”, extremely difficult and rare to see, it is next to impossible. They may have seen Lord Naarayana in his four-armed form, but not the universal cosmic vision seen by Arjuna. And they will probably not see it in their lifetime.
 
Why is it the case the the gods cannot see this vision? Let’s investigate the nature of gods. They may be more powerful than humans, but they are subject to the three gunaas like every other aspect of creation. Which means that they also are impelled by selfish desires. Even Indra, the king of the gods, starts plotting to remove anyone who has an eye on his throne. So what Shri Krishna means here is that humans, gods, demons, anyone who is part of this creation, will never get to see this cosmic form unless they have a specific quality. Shri Krishna will give a detailed answer to this question soon.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 51, Chapter 11

04 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.51, asmi, chapter 11 verse 51, drishtvaa, gataha, idaaneem, idam, janaardana, maanusham, prakritim, roopam, sachetaahaa, samvrittaha, saumyam, tava

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Arjuna uvaacha:
drishtvedam maanusham roopam tava saumyam janaardana |
idaaneemasmi samvrittaha sachetaahaa prakritim gataha || 51 ||

 
Arjuna said:
Seeing this, your pleasant human form, O Janaardana, I have now regained my composure, and attained my true nature.

 
drishtvaa : seeing
idam : this
maanusham : human
roopam : form
tava : your
saumyam : pleasant
janaardana : O Janaardana
idaaneem : at this moment
asmi : I have
samvrittaha : become
sachetaahaa : composed
prakritim : my true nature
gataha : attained
 
The pleasing form of Shri Krishna is glorified in the Srimad Bhaagavatam repeatedly. The cowherdesses of Vrindaavan known as the gopis, elaborately praise this form in the tenth canto of the Bhaagavatam. They say: “Your beauty makes all three worlds auspicious. Even the cows, birds, trees and deer are enthralled when they see your beautiful form.” Arjuna, seeing the human form of Shri Krishna, regained his natural state, free from the fear and bewilderment resulting from the cosmic form.
 
We have come across the meaning of the term “Janaardana” earlier. “Arda” means one who moves, or makes others move. Jana means people, and therefore Janaardana means one who moves people to heaven or hell, in other words, dispenses justice to evildoers. Another meaning of Janaardana is one whom people ask for prosperity and well being. By addressing Shri Krishna as Janaardana, a term he used to address Shri Krishna prior to knowing that he was Ishvara, Arjuna recalled the glory of his human form.
 
So far, we saw Arjuna request Shri Krishna for the cosmic form, Arjuna’s description of the cosmic form and his subsequent reaction to it, followed by a request to revert back to the human form. Now, Shri Krishna summarizes the teaching of this chapter in the the four shlokas that follow.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 49, Chapter 11

02 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.49, chapter 11 verse 49, dristhvaa, eedranga, ghoram, idam, mama, prapashya, preetamanaahaa, punaha, roopam, tadeva, vimoodhabhaavaha, vyapetabheehee, vyathaa

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maa te vyathaa maa cha vimoodhabhaavo dristhvaa roopam ghorameedrangamamedam |
vyapetabheehee preetamanaahaa punastvam tadeva me roopamidam prapashya || 49 ||

 
Do not be disturbed, and do not be deluded on seeing that, my frightful form. Be fearless, with a pleasant mind, behold again this very form of mine.
 
maa : do not
te : you
vyathaa : disturbed
maa : do not
cha : and
vimoodhabhaavaha : state of delusion
dristhvaa : seeing
roopam : form
ghoram : frightful
eedranga : such
mama : my
idam : this
vyapetabheehee : fearless
preetamanaahaa : pleasant mind
punaha : again
tvam : you
tadeva : that very
me : my
roopam : form
idam : this
prapashya : behold
 
Knowing fully well that Arjuna’s mind could not deal with the fear-inducing cosmic form, Shri Krishna asked Arjuna to not worry, and to remove all traces of fear. He reassured him that it was his friend, charioteer and companion all along, not some other person. Nothing had changed. He used the word “prapashya” meaning “behold”, urging Arjuna not to look away, that the familiar form of Shri Krishna was on its way.
 
Unlike Arjuna, we have not seen the grand sweep and scale of the cosmic form. But, our daily life is part of that very universe, so whatever Shri Krishna says to Arjuna is also applicable to us. The terrors, the destructive forces in the universe usually create fear and agitation in our minds. Shri Krishna urges all of us to go about our lives with a fearless attitude and a pleasant mind, because he is present in everything. Only when we forget this fact will we create fear and agitation.
 
Ultimately, the root of all sorrow and fear is delusion, the confusion between right and wrong knowledge. In Arjuna’s case, it was the delusion created by attachment to his relatives. In our case, it is our attachment to our body, to our possessions, to our family, our job, our position, the list goes on and on. Shri Krishna says “maa vimoodhabhaavaha”, he urges all of us to cast our state of delusion away, and learn to see Ishvara in everything, and everything in Ishvara.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 47, Chapter 11

30 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.47, aadyam, anantam, arjuna, atmayogaat, chapter 11 verse 47, darshitama, drishtapoorvam, idam, param, prasannena, roopam, tejomayam, tvadanyena, vishvam

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
mayaa prasannena tavaarjunedam roopam param darshitamaatmayogaat |
tejomayam vishvamanantamaadyam yanme tvadanyena na drishtapoorvam || 47 ||

 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
Being pleased, I have shown this supreme form to you, O Arjuna, with my power. My form is luminous, universal, infinite and primal, which no one except you has seen before.

 
mayaa : I have
prasannena : being pleased
tava : to you
arjuna : Arjuna
idam : this
roopam : form
param : supreme
darshitama : have shown
atmayogaat : with my power
tejomayam : luminous
vishvam : universal
anantam : infinite
aadyam : primal
yat : which
me : I
tvadanyena : except you
na : not
drishtapoorvam : seen before
 
Previously, Shri Krishna had displayed his “soumya roopa”, the pleasant cosmic form, which was replaced by his “raudra roopa” his terror-inspiring form. Arjuna was extremely frightened when he saw it. Later, he acknowledged that he could not see it any more and begged Shri Krishna to stop showing it. In this shloka, Shri Krishna reassured Arjuna that there was no intent to scare Arjuna through the fearful form. It was only out of his compassion that the fearful cosmic form, a result of Ishvara’s power of maaya, was displayed.
 
Like Arjuna, we may also want to know why this terrible form was displayed. From a practical standpoint, it is an illustrative reminder to view creation and destruction with equanimity in our lives. Most of us tend to get attached to pleasant and favourable circumstances, and reject or run away from unpleasant circumstances. Ishvara’s universal form has room for both, and gives equal validity to both these aspects. Through this form. Shri Krishna wants us to view the same Ishvara in all aspects of life, pleasant and unpleasant.
 
Furthermore, Shri Krishna wanted to again caution us against objectifying this universal form, in other words, to think of ourselves as unique and distinct from it. We are part and parcel of that universal form, it is not outside us. To drive home this point, he summarizes the key aspects of this form. It is full of luster (tejomaya), it is that which is all pervading (vishwam), it is infinite (anantam), it is primal and beginningless (aadyam). He also points out the exclusivity of this form to Arjuna, which is elaborated in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 11

24 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.41, api, chapter 11 verse 41, he, idam, iti, krishna, mahimaanam, matvaa, mayaa, pramaadaat, pranayena, prasabham, sakhaa, tava, uktam, vaa, yaadava ajaanataa, yat

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sakheti matvaa prasabham yaduktam he krishna he yaadava he sakheti |
ajaanataa mahimaanam tavedam mayaa praamadaatpranayena vaapi || 41 ||

 
Thinking of you as a friend, I addressed you rashly as O Krishna, O Yaadava, O friend. Not knowing your greatness, I said it in this manner out of carelessness or also out of affection.
 
sakhaa : friend
iti : in this manner
matvaa : thinking
prasabham : rashly
yat : whatever
uktam : said
he : O
krishna : Krishna
yaadava : Yaadava
ajaanataa : not knowing
mahimaanam : greatness
tava : your
idam : this
mayaa : I
pramaadaat : in carelessness
pranayena : in affection
vaa : or
api : also
 
Arjuna and Shri Krishna were childhood friends. Growing up together, Arjuna never realized the divine nature of Shri Krishna’s birth. He had treated him as he would treat any other friend of his. Now, having understood his divine nature having viewed the cosmic form, he wanted to acknowledge his ill-treatment of Shri Krishna, and beg for forgiveness for all the times he had acted imprudently. After all he was Arjuna, whose name meant “one who is extremely straight-forward”.
 
In Arjuna’s time, just like in the present time, insults with respect to people’s skin colour or caste were quite popular. Arjuna recounts his insults to Shri Krishna where he used to call him dark-skinned, refer to his caste, or call him a friend instead of a more respectable title. And like any of us, his intellect knew that insulting anyone was not the right thing to do, but he did it anyway. Knowing this well, Arjuna owned up to his ignorance, carelessness and rash behaviour.
 
But Arjuna also gave another side of the story. Although he did insult Shri Krishna out of carelessness in some instances, there were other instances when he did it out of sheer affection for his friend. When there is affection from both sides between friends, it is totally acceptable to insult each other. Arjuna was going to ask for forgiveness very soon, and hoped that Shri Krishna would keep this side of the story in his mind.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 11

03 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.20, adbhutam, agram, antaram, chapter 11 verse 20, dishashcha, drashtvaa, dyaavaaprathivyoho, ekena, hi, idam, lokatrayam, mahaatman, pravyathitam, roopam, sarvaahaa, tava, tvayaa, vyaaptam

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dyaavaaprathivyoridamantaram hi vyaaptam tvayaikena dishashcha sarvaahaa |
drashtvaadbhutam roopamagram tavedam lokatrayam pravyathitam mahaatman || 20 ||

 
This distance between heaven, earth is and all directions is pervaded only by you alone. Having seen this, your fascinating and terrible form, the three worlds are afraid, O great one.
 
dyaavaaprathivyoho : heaven and earth
idam : this
antaram : distance
hi : only
vyaaptam : pervaded
tvayaa : by you
ekena : one
dishashcha : directions
sarvaahaa : all
drashtvaa : having seen
adbhutam : fascinating
roopam : form
agram : terrible
tava : your
idam : this
lokatrayam : three worlds
pravyathitam : afraid
mahaatman : O great one
 
Nowadays, computers can be trained to recognize objects and faces. They do this by first taking a snapshot of a scene, and then differentiating between what is space is what is not. If they can do this differentiation correctly, they can compare the outlines of the “not-space” with outlines of familiar objects to arrive at a conclusion such as “this is a box” and so on.
 
Our eyes work in pretty much the same way. Whenever they see space, they do three things. First, they separate whatever they see as not-space and call those things “objects”. Next, they send those objects to the mind which uses its memory to say “this is a box and a key”. But in addition to recognizing objects, the mind also automatically adds another thought. Since the box and key are separated by space, they are far away from me and therefore not a part of me.
 
Our minds are conditioned to believe that Ishvara is sitting somewhere far away. He is separated from us by space, by distance. But when Arjuna saw the cosmic form, he realized that space is not different from Ishvara. In fact, Shri Krishna himself said that space is part of his nature in the seventh chapter. Ishvara is not separate and far away from us, he is with us all the time. In fact, he only exists, “ekena”, all alone, by himself. We are not different from him. This is the main point of this shloka. Only by constantly remembering the cosmic form will we truly understand this message.
 
Now, Ishvara’s ugra roopa, his terrible form, slowly replaces his saumya roopa, his pleasant for. For every pleasant experience in the world, there has to be a corresponding unpleasant experience as well. Once you label something as “good”, there will be something “bad” by default. Seeing this frightful form of Ishvara, with fire coming out of all his mouths, all the three worlds were beginning to worry.

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