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Bhagavad-gītā 11.12

दिवि सूर्यसहस्रस्य भवेद्युगपदुत्थिता । यदि भा: सदृशी सा स्याद्भ‍ासस्तस्य महात्मन: ॥ १२ ॥
divi sūrya-sahasrasya
[divi soorya-sahasrasya]
bhaved yugapad utthitā
[bhaved yugapad utthitaa]
yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād
[yadi bhaah sadrishee saa syaad]
bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ
[bhaasas tasya mahaatmanah]
Word-for-word
divi — in the sky sūrya — of suns sahasrasya — of many thousands bhavet — there were yugapat — simultaneously utthitā — present yadi — if bhāḥ — light sadṛśī — like that sā — that syāt — might be bhāsaḥ — effulgence tasya — of Him mahā - ātmanaḥ — the great Lord .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
divi sūrya-sahasrasya
divi
in the sky
sūrya
of suns
sahasrasya
of many thousands
bhaved yugapad utthitā
bhavet
there were
yugapat
simultaneously
utthitā
present
yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād
yadi
if
bhāḥ
light
sadṛśī
like that
sā
that
syāt
might be
bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ
bhāsaḥ
effulgence
tasya
of Him
mahā - ātmanaḥ
the great Lord .
Important Words
  • divi — in the sky
    Locative. Sañjaya situates the imagined sunrise in the divya realm, not in the earth's atmosphere. The comparison is cosmic, not meteorological.
  • sūrya — of suns
    Genitive in compound with sahasrasya. The sun, the most luminous object known to ordinary experience, is multiplied — and even multiplied a thousandfold, only approximates.
  • sahasrasya — of a thousand
    Genitive singular. Sanskrit often uses sahasra as 'innumerable.' Even 'a thousand' here is a polite under-count.
  • yugapat — all at once
    Adverb — 'at the same instant.' The full force is in the simultaneity. A sun rising over many hours does not match; a thousand suns rising at the same instant might.
  • sadṛśī — similar
    Feminine adjective (qualifying bhāḥ, light). Sañjaya carefully does not say 'equal.' Even the most extreme analogy is only sadṛśī, similar — and only might be.
  • mahā - ātmanaḥ — of the great Self
    Genitive of mahātman. The brightness belongs to the mahātman; the suns are merely the measuring rod. The genitive keeps possession clear.
If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal form.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
A famous similitude: a thousand suns simultaneously rising only approach the splendor of the cosmic Person. The optative stack ('bhavet … syāt') is humble — even the analogy is conjectural; nothing in nature directly matches what Arjuna now sees.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Echoed by J. Robert Oppenheimer at Trinity (1945): 'If the radiance of a thousand suns…' The image dramatizes that the viśvarūpa is not just visually large but is sheer light beyond luminance. 'Mahātmā' here means the cosmic Self, not (as in moral usage) a great soul. Compare Muṇḍaka 2.2.10: 'na tatra sūryo bhāti.'
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
दिवि सूर्य-सहस्रस्य युगपत् उत्थिता भाः यदि भवेत्, सा तस्य महा-आत्मनः भासः सदृशी स्यात् ।
divi sūrya-sahasrasya yugapat utthitā bhāḥ yadi bhavet, sā tasya mahā-ātmanaḥ bhāsaḥ sadṛśī syāt |
If in the sky the radiance of a thousand suns were to rise at once, that might resemble the splendor of that great Self.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
दिवि सूर्य-सहस्रस्य भवेत् युगपत् उत्थिता । यदि भाः सदृशी सा स्यात् भासः तस्य महा-आत्मनः ॥
divi sūrya-sahasrasya bhavet yugapat utthitā | yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syāt bhāsaḥ tasya mahā-ātmanaḥ ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
दिवि divi दिव् (f.) loc.sg. (locative singular) in the sky
सूर्य-सहस्रस्य sūrya-sahasrasya सूर्य (m.) + सहस्र (n.) gen.sg. (genitive singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) of a thousand suns
भवेत् bhavet √भू opt. (optative) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) would be
युगपत् yugapat ind. (indeclinable), adv. simultaneously
उत्थिता utthitā उद् + √स्था p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)f. risen
यदि yadi ind. (indeclinable), conditional if
भाः bhāḥ भास् (f.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) radiance
सदृशी sadṛśī सदृश (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)f. similar, comparable
सा sā तद् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)f. that
स्यात् syāt √अस् opt. (optative) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) would be
भासः bhāsaḥ भास् (f.) gen.sg. (genitive singular) of the radiance
तस्य tasya तद् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular)m. of that
महा-आत्मनः mahā-ātmanaḥ महा (adj.) + आत्मन् (m.) gen.sg. (genitive singular), karmadhāraya cpd. (compound) of the great Self
Purport

What Arjuna saw was indescribable, yet Sañjaya is trying to give a mental picture of that great revelation to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Neither Sañjaya nor Dhṛtarāṣṭra was present, but Sañjaya, by the grace of Vyāsa, could see whatever happened. Thus he now compares the situation, as far as it can be understood, to an imaginable phenomenon (i.e., thousands of suns).

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
12. If the splendor of a thousand suns rose simultaneously in the sky, that effulgence would be somewhat similar to the effulgence of this great form.
Commentary

If at one time the effulgence (bhāḥ) of a thousand suns arose, then it would be somewhat similar to the effulgence (bhāsaḥ) of the universal form (mahātmanaḥ).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
12. If the splendor of a thousand suns rose simultaneously in the sky, that effulgence would be similar to one of the splendors in the effulgence of this great form.
Commentary

This verse described the incomparable effulgence of that form. If the effulgence of a thousand suns rose in the sky at once, it would be similar to one of the splendors of this universal form (mahāṭmanaḥ) of the Lord. Optative tense is used to show supposition. Here a metaphor called utprekṣa or poetic fancy is used, comparing the effulgence of a thousand suns to the astonishing nature of the object of comparison, the universal form. But since the comparison is deficient, what is suggested is that nothing could compare to this form’s effulgence. The verse is a continuation of the thought expressed previously in verse 9: He showed that form.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Because the magninimity or the greatness of the universal form was so wondrous and brilliant, unlimiting, all expanding, it is impossible to conceive of something like that. Here an example is given to give us some idea of the radiance of this form: 'If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky'.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
11.12 Should the bhah, effulgence; surya-sahasrasya, of a thousand suns; utthita bhavet, blaze forth; yugapat, simultaneously; divi, in the sky, or in heaven which is the third as counted (from this earth);sa, that; yadi syat, might be-or it might not be-; sadrsi, similar; to the bhasah, radiance; tasya, of that; mahat-manah, exalted One, the Cosmic Person Himself. The idea is that the brillinace of the Cosmic Person surely excels even this! Further,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
11.12 This is for illustrating that His splendour is infinite. The meaning is that it is of the nature of inexhaustible radiance.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
11.12 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
11.12 If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blaze out at once (simultaneously) in the sky, that would be the splendour of that mighty Being (great Soul).
Commentary

11.12 दिवि in the sky? सूर्यसहस्रस्य of a thousand suns? भवेत् were? युगपत् at once (simultaneously)? उत्थिता arisen? यदि if? भाः splendour? सदृशी like? सा that? स्यात् would be? भासः splendour? तस्य of that? महात्मनः of the mighty Being (great soul).Commentary Divi here means in the Antariksha or the sky.Mahatma here refers to the great Soul or the mighty Being? the Cosmic Form.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
11.12 Should the effulgence of a thousand suns blaze forth simultaneously in the sky, that might be similar to the radiance of that exalted One.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
11.12 Could a thousand suns blaze forth together it would be but a faint reflection of the radiance of the Lord God.
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Dhairya (Composure / Courage)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)Bhakti (Devotion)
Related verses
BG 10.11 BG 13.18 BG 15.12 SB 3.28.32 SB 8.7.23 SB 10.14.11 CC Ādi 2.12 CC Madhya 20.159 CC Madhya 6.141 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.2.10Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15
Study Q&A referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
If hundreds of thousands of suns rose at once, their splendor might approach the splendor of that Supreme Personality.
Practical Applications
  • Hold the magnitude — many suns' splendor.
  • Use this image to dwarf personal worries.
  • Recognize that the Lord's brilliance is beyond ordinary measurement.
Reflection Questions
  • What worry of mine fits 'a single sun'-sized perspective?
  • How does the magnitude shift it?
Analogy

If a thousand suns were to rise together — that's the only handhold the mind is given. Even then it is a similitude, not the thing. The verse trains the disciple to compare and then to confess the comparison is inadequate.

Stories
Bhīṣma sees the Light of lights

On the bed of arrows, with Kṛṣṇa standing before him whip in hand, Bhīṣma offered the Bhīṣma-stuti (Bhāgavatam 1.9). He did not address an impersonal radiance; he addressed Pārtha-sārathi — the dark-bodied charioteer whose face was reddened with battle-dust — and called Him the source of all light, the very person on whom yogīs meditate.

This is the light the Gītā names at 13.18 as jyotiṣām api taj jyotiḥ — the Light beyond all lights. Kṛṣṇa now shows Arjuna the upper limit of that effulgence: a thousand suns, and even those only might resemble it (sadṛśī syāt).

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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