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Bhagavad-gītā 11.14

तत: स विस्मयाविष्टो हृष्टरोमा धनञ्जय: । प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृताञ्जलिरभाषत ॥ १४ ॥
tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo
[tatah sa vismayaavishto]
hṛṣṭa-romā dhanañ-jayaḥ
[hrishta-romaa dhanan-jayah]
praṇamya śirasā devaṁ
[pranamya shirasaa devam]
kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata
[kritaanjalir abhaashata]
Word-for-word
tataḥ — thereafter saḥ — he vismaya - āviṣṭaḥ — being overwhelmed with wonder hṛṣṭa - romā — with his bodily hairs standing on end due to his great ecstasy dhanam - jayaḥ — Arjuna praṇamya — offering obeisances śirasā — with the head devam — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead kṛta - añjaliḥ — with folded hands abhāṣata — began to speak .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo
tataḥ
thereafter
saḥ
he
vismaya - āviṣṭaḥ
being overwhelmed with wonder
hṛṣṭa-romā dhanañ-jayaḥ
hṛṣṭa - romā
with his bodily hairs standing on end due to his great ecstasy
dhanam - jayaḥ
Arjuna
praṇamya śirasā devaṁ
praṇamya
offering obeisances
śirasā
with the head
devam
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
kṛtāñjalir abhāṣata
kṛta - añjaliḥ
with folded hands
abhāṣata
began to speak .
Important Words
  • vismaya - āviṣṭaḥ — overcome with wonder
    Compound: vismaya (wonder) + āviṣṭa (entered, possessed). Arjuna is not wondering — wonder has entered him. The grammar of devotional emotion is always passive.
  • hṛṣṭa - romā — hair standing on end
    One of the eight sāttvika-bhāvas in classical rasa-theory: romāñca, the involuntary bristling of body-hair in extreme emotion. The Gītā here records a textbook sāttvika sign.
  • praṇamya — having bowed
    Gerund of pra-nam. Sequential — first the bowing, then the speaking. Praise spoken from a standing posture is not the same praise.
  • śirasā — with the head
    Instrumental. Not a nod — the head itself goes to the ground. Body-language is theology in the Gītā's grammar.
  • kṛta - añjaliḥ — with folded hands
    Compound: kṛta (made) + añjali (the hollow of joined palms). The añjali is the universal Indic gesture of receiving — Arjuna's hands are formed to receive what is about to be spoken and seen.
Then, bewildered and astonished, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head to offer obeisances and with folded hands began to pray to the Supreme Lord.
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)
Sañjaya describes Arjuna's bodily response before any word: wonder, gooseflesh, bowed head, joined palms. The body marks the moment of darśana sacramentally before the mouth can compose a stotra.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The physiological signs (vismaya, hṛṣṭa-roma) are technical markers of sāttvika-bhāva in Sanskrit aesthetics — involuntary responses to overwhelming presence. The verse functions as a stage direction setting up the long Arjuna-stotra of 11.15-31. Hands and head, the two main organs of namaskāra, are both engaged.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
ततः विस्मय-आविष्टः हृष्ट-रोमा सः धनञ्जयः शिरसा देवं प्रणम्य कृत-अञ्जलिः अभाषत ।
tataḥ vismaya-āviṣṭaḥ hṛṣṭa-romā saḥ dhanañjayaḥ śirasā devaṃ praṇamya kṛta-añjaliḥ abhāṣata |
Then Dhanañjaya, filled with wonder, his hair bristling, bowed his head to the Divine One and, with folded hands, spoke.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
ततः सः विस्मय-आविष्टः हृष्ट-रोमा धनञ्जयः । प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृत-अञ्जलिः अभाषत ॥
tataḥ saḥ vismaya-āviṣṭaḥ hṛṣṭa-romā dhanañjayaḥ | praṇamya śirasā devaṃ kṛta-añjaliḥ abhāṣata ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
ततः tataḥ ind. (indeclinable), adv. then
सः saḥ तद् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. he
विस्मय-आविष्टः vismaya-āviṣṭaḥ विस्मय (m.) + आविष्ट (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) filled with wonder
हृष्ट-रोमा hṛṣṭa-romā हृष्ट (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + रोमन् (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) having hair standing on end
धनञ्जयः dhanañjayaḥ धनञ्जय (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
प्रणम्य praṇamya प्र+√नम् abs. (absolutive) having bowed
शिरसा śirasā शिरस् (n.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) with the head
देवम् devam देव (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) to the Divine One
कृत-अञ्जलिः kṛta-añjaliḥ कृत (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + अञ्जलि (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) with folded hands
अभाषत abhāṣata √भाष् impf. (imperfect) 3sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) spoke
Purport

Once the divine vision is revealed, the relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna changes immediately. Before, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna had a relationship based on friendship, but here, after the revelation, Arjuna is offering obeisances with great respect, and with folded hands he is praying to Kṛṣṇa. He is praising the universal form. Thus Arjuna’s relationship becomes one of wonder rather than friendship. Great devotees see Kṛṣṇa as the reservoir of all relationships. In the scriptures there are twelve basic kinds of relationships mentioned, and all of them are present in Kṛṣṇa. It is said that He is the ocean of all the relationships exchanged between two living entities, between the gods, or between the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Here Arjuna was inspired by the relationship of wonder, and in that wonder, although he was by nature very sober, calm and quiet, he became ecstatic, his hair stood up, and he began to offer his obeisances unto the Supreme Lord with folded hands. He was not, of course, afraid. He was affected by the wonders of the Supreme Lord. The immediate context is wonder; his natural loving friendship was overwhelmed by wonder, and thus he reacted in this way.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
14. Then, overcome with wonder, hair standing on end, Arjuna, bowing his head before the Lord and folding his hands in prayer, spoke.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
14. Then, overcome with wonder, hair standing on end, Arjuna, bowing his head before the Lord and folding his hands in prayer, spoke.
Commentary

Arjuna, who knew Kṛṣṇa, then experienced the rasa of adbhuta (astonishment) on seeing at that time the form with a thousand heads which he understood actually existed within Kṛṣṇa. Looking at Kṛṣṇa who had furnished this form, he spoke. Arjuna was the conqueror of all wealth (dhanaṁjayaḥ), and thus very steady, but with hairs standing on end, overcome with astonishment, after offering his respects to Kṛṣṇa by touching his head to the earth, he spoke with folded hands. It is hinted that he did not cover up his eyes out of fear, but displayed openly great astonishment. The Lord is the ālambana (the viṣaya) or object invoking rasa. [Note: This is part of vibhāva. In rasa there are five components: sattvika bhāva, anubhāva, sañcari bhāva, vibhāva, and sthāyi bhāva. Vibhāva (preliminary factors) has two components: alambana (persons involved-viṣaya, object of love and āśraya, the experiencer) and uddīpana (stimulants).] When Arjuna looked at Him again and again, the gazing became the uddīpana, or instigation for rasa. Offering respects and folding hands are anubhāvas. Standing of hairs on end is the sāttvika bhāva. Mind overwhelmed by these elements, joy and steadiness are sañcari bhāvas. By these four components, the fifth component, the sthāyī bhāva called viṣmaya became nourished, and the five together became adbhuta rasa.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Now Arjuna is seeing what previously he had heard about. He was astonished and bewildered but because he is a great ksatryia he didn't run away. But still, he put his head down in great astonishment and bewilderement. All the primary rasas and all, for except one, of the secondary rasas will be exhibited in this Chapter to Arjuna.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
11.14 Tatah, then, having seen Him; sah, he, Dhananjaya; became vismaya-avistah, filled with wonder; and hrsta-roma, had his hairs standing on end. Becoming filled with humility, pranamya, bowing down, bowing down fully; [With abundant respect and devotion.] sirasa, with his head; devam, to the Lord, who had assumed the Cosmic form; abhasata, he said; krta-anjalih, with folded hands, with palms joined in salutation: How? 'I am seeing the Cosmic form that has been revealed by You'-thus expressing his own experience,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
11.14 Then Arjuna became overcome with amazement on seeing the Lord, at a point of whose being this wonderful universe in its entirely stands supported, who enables all things to act, and who is the possesor of a host of auspicious attributes like omniscience. With his hairs standing erect, he bowed down like a stick, and with folded hands, he spoke thus:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
11.14 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
11.14 Then, Arjuna, filled with wonder and with his hair standing on end, bowed down his head to the God and spoke with joined palms.
Commentary

11.14 ततः then? सः he? विस्मयाविष्टः filled with wonder? हृष्टरोमा with hair standing on end? धनञ्जयः Arjuna? प्रणम्य having prostrated? शिरसा with (his) head? देवम् the God? कृताञ्जलिः with joined palms? अभाषत spoke.Commentary Tatah Then? having seen the Cosmic Form.Arjuna joined his palms in order to do prostration to the Cosmic Form. The great hero had attained true humility which the bowed head and joined palms represented? and which is the essential ingredient of devotion.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
11.14 Then, filled with wonder, with hairs standing on end, he, Dhananjaya, (Arjuna), bowing down with his head to the Lord, said with folded hands:
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
11.14 Thereupon Arjuna, dumb with awe, his hair on end, his head bowed, his hands clasped in salutation, addressed the Lord thus:
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)
Related verses
BG 11.35 BG 11.44 BG 11.50 SB 10.7.35 SB 3.15.43 SB 11.14.23 CC Madhya 8.227 CC Antya 14.83 CC Madhya 23.40 BRS 2.3.16 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Bewildered with hairs standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head and offered prayers with folded hands.
Practical Applications
  • Honor the body's response to spiritual reality (tears, hairs standing).
  • Don't suppress reverent body-response.
  • Pair body and prayer — bow physically when bowing internally.
Reflection Questions
  • When did I last let my body fully respond to spiritual encounter?
  • What body-practice would honor those moments?
Analogy

When the temple doors finally open at the auspicious hour, the pilgrim does not declaim — he falls, hands joined, head down. Arjuna, the master archer, drops his stance and becomes a body of obeisance. The hair-on-end (hṛṣṭa-romā) is the body's own honest signal that the soul has met something larger.

Stories
Akrūra in the Yamunā

When Akrūra was driving Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to Mathurā (SB 10.39), he stepped into the Yamunā to bathe and there beheld the four-armed form of Viṣṇu with conch, disc, mace, and lotus, attended by all the great sages. His hair stood on end, tears poured forth, and he could only fold his hands and pray.

Arjuna's response in 11.14 is identical: praṇamya śirasā kṛta-añjaliḥ. Different devotees, different settings — same bodily grammar of darśana.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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