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Bhagavad-gītā 11.15

अर्जुन उवाच पश्यामि देवांस्तव देव देहे सर्वांस्तथा भूतविशेषसङ्घान् । ब्रह्माणमीशं कमलासनस्थ- मृषींश्च सर्वानुरगांश्च दिव्यान् ॥ १५ ॥
arjuna uvāca
[arjuna uvaacha]
paśyāmi devāṁs tava deva dehe
[pashyaami devaams tava deva dehe]
sarvāṁs tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān
[sarvaams tathaa bhoota-vishesha-sanghaan]
brahmāṇam īśaṁ kamalāsana-stham
[brahmaanam eesham kamalaasana-stham]
ṛṣīṁś ca sarvān uragāṁś ca divyān
[risheemsh cha sarvaan uragaamsh cha divyaan]
Word-for-word
arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said paśyāmi — I see devān — all the demigods tava — Your deva — O Lord dehe — in the body sarvān — all tathā — also bhūta — living entities viśeṣa - saṅghān — specifically assembled brahmāṇam — Lord Brahmā īśam — Lord Śiva kamala - āsana - stham — sitting on the lotus flower ṛṣīn — great sages ca — also sarvān — all uragān — serpents ca — also divyān — divine .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
arjuna uvāca
arjunaḥ uvāca
Arjuna said
paśyāmi devāṁs tava deva dehe
paśyāmi
I see
devān
all the demigods
tava
Your
deva
O Lord
dehe
in the body
sarvāṁs tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān
sarvān
all
tathā
also
bhūta
living entities
viśeṣa - saṅghān
specifically assembled
brahmāṇam īśaṁ kamalāsana-stham
brahmāṇam
Lord Brahmā
īśam
Lord Śiva
kamala - āsana - stham
sitting on the lotus flower
ṛṣīṁś ca sarvān uragāṁś ca divyān
ṛṣīn
great sages
ca
also
sarvān
all
uragān
serpents
ca
also
divyān
divine .
Important Words
  • paśyāmi — I see
    First-person singular present — the verse's signature verb. Arjuna will repeat it through verses 15–19 like a refrain; the granted divya-cakṣus is now active in real time.
  • devān — the demigods
    Accusative plural. The devas are objects of perception inside Kṛṣṇa — not separate gods to be appeased, but functions of the one Lord.
  • brahmāṇam — Brahmā
    Accusative. Even the highest cosmic functionary, the four-headed creator, appears inside the form — placing Kṛṣṇa above the entire trimūrti hierarchy.
  • kamala - āsana - stham — seated on the lotus
    Compound: lotus + seat + standing. The classical iconography of Brahmā is preserved exactly — Arjuna sees him in his canonical posture, sitting on the navel-lotus from Viṣṇu (cf. SB 3.8).
  • uragān — the serpents
    Lit. 'breast-going,' those that move by the chest. Even the serpentine race — Ananta, Vāsuki — is included. Nothing is left outside the form.
  • divyān — divine
    Adjective. Sañjaya keeps marking 'divine' to insist that what Arjuna sees is not mythic invention but real spiritual category.
Arjuna said: My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I see assembled in Your body all the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahmā sitting on the lotus flower, as well as Lord Śiva and all the sages and divine serpents.
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)
Arjuna's stotra opens with a survey: the gods, every class of being, Brahmā on the lotus, ṛṣis, divine nāgas — all inside the one body. He begins not with terror but with sheer inventory, as if naming each item helps him hold the vision.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The metre shifts to Triṣṭubh (Upajāti) for 11.15-50, signaling a high-style hymnic register. Brahmā 'kamala-āsana-stha' is the demiurge born from Viṣṇu's navel-lotus (Bhāgavata 3.8); seeing Brahmā inside Kṛṣṇa establishes the hierarchy that ch. 10 had asserted ('ahaṁ ādir hi devānāṁ', 10.2). The catalog mirrors but exceeds 11.6 because Arjuna now sees, not just hears.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे देव! तव देहे सर्वान् देवान्, तथा भूत-विशेष-सङ्घान्, कमल-आसन-स्थं ब्रह्माणम् ईशं, सर्वान् ऋषीन् च, दिव्यान् उरगान् च पश्यामि ।
he deva! tava dehe sarvān devān, tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān, kamala-āsana-sthaṃ brahmāṇam īśaṃ, sarvān ṛṣīn ca, divyān uragān ca paśyāmi |
O Divine One, in Your body I see all the gods, and likewise hosts of varied beings, Brahmā the Lord seated on the lotus, all the sages, and the divine serpents.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अर्जुनः उवाच
arjunaḥ uvāca
पश्यामि देवान् तव देव देहे सर्वान् तथा भूत-विशेष-सङ्घान् । ब्रह्माणम् ईशं कमल-आसन-स्थम् ऋषीन् च सर्वान् उरगान् च दिव्यान् ॥
paśyāmi devān tava deva dehe sarvān tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān | brahmāṇam īśaṃ kamala-āsana-stham ṛṣīn ca sarvān uragān ca divyān ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
पश्यामि paśyāmi √दृश् pres. (present) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I see
देवान् devān देव (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) the gods
तव tava युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) Your
देव deva देव (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular) O Divine One
देहे dehe देह (m.) loc.sg. (locative singular) in the body
सर्वान् sarvān सर्व (adj.) acc.pl. (accusative plural)m. all
तथा tathā ind. (indeclinable), conn. likewise
भूत-विशेष-सङ्घान् bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān भूत (n.) + विशेष (m.) + सङ्घ (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) hosts of various kinds of beings
ब्रह्माणम् brahmāṇam ब्रह्मन् (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) Brahmā
ईशम् īśam ईश (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) the Lord
कमल-आसन-स्थम् kamala-āsana-stham कमल (n.) + आसन (n.) + स्थ (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) seated on the lotus-throne
ऋषीन् ṛṣīn ऋषि (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) the sages
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
उरगान् uragān उरग (m.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) the serpents
दिव्यान् divyān दिव्य (adj.) acc.pl. (accusative plural)m. divine
Purport

Arjuna sees everything in the universe; therefore he sees Brahmā, who is the first creature in the universe, and the celestial serpent upon which the Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu lies in the lower regions of the universe. This snake bed is called Vāsuki. There are also other snakes known as Vāsuki. Arjuna can see from the Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu up to the topmost part of the universe on the lotus-flower planet where Brahmā, the first creature of the universe, resides. That means that from the beginning to the end, everything could be seen by Arjuna, who was sitting in one place on his chariot. This was possible by the grace of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
15. Arjuna said: In Your body I see all the devatās, as well as the mass of all the beings. I see Lord Brahmā, seated on a lotus, all the ṛṣis, and shining snakes.
Commentary

I see a multitude of viviparous animals (bhūtā-viśeṣa) and Brahmā situated on Mount Meru at the center of the lotus of the earth planet.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
15. Arjuna said: In Your body I see all the devatās, as well as the mass of all the beings. I see Lord Brahma, Viṣṇu, who is situated within Brahmā sitting on his lotus, all the ṛṣis, and shining snakes.
Commentary

What did he say? This is described in seven verses. I see a collection of creatures born from wombs (bhūta viśeṣa), as well as Brahmā with four heads, and Viṣṇu situated as antaryāmin within the lotus-seated Brahmā (kamalāsana stham), who is Garbhodakaśayi Viṣṇu (iśam). I see snakes such as Vāsuki (uragān).

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Arjuna speaks ‘his realisations’ of the Universal Form

PLEASE NOTE: All points of the purports are included as the sub-points; as such there are no individual ‘Focus of

Learning’ sections for these verses.

ARJUNA’S DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIVERSAL FORM

All living entities at one place – See’s all demigods and living entities assembled in that form – Lord Brahma sitting on a lotus flower, also Lord Siva and all the sages and divine serpents (11.15)
To see all at one place is possible only by Krishna’s grace
Krishna is unlimited – See’s many many arms, bellies, mouths, eyes without any limit and with no end, middle and beginning (11.16)
Through Him, everything could be seen
Blazing like sun (11.17) –
Analogy: Glaring effulgence on all sides like a blazing fire or immeasurable radiance like the sun
This form is very difficult to see
Arjuna attempts to describe immeasurable – He is trying to say “You are the Supreme Lord” by the following statements: (11.18*)
You are the Supreme primal objective
Ultimate resting place of all the universe
Inexhaustible / oldest
Maintainer of eternal religion
Sun and moon are your eyes (11.19)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
11.15 Deva, O God; pasyami, I see, perceive; tava dehe, in Your body; sarvan, all; the devan, gods; tatha, as also; bhuta-visesa-sanghan, hosts of (various) classes of beings, groups of moving and non-moving living things having different shapes; and besides, brahmanam, Brahma, with four faces; isam, the Ruler of creatures; kamalasana-stham, sitting on a lotus seat, i.e. sitting on Mount Meru which forms the pericarp of the lotus that is the earth; and sarvan, all; the divyan, heavenly; rsin, sages-Vasistha and others; and (the heavenly) uragan, serpents-Vasuki and others.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
11.15 Arjuna said O Lord! I behold in Your body all gods and all classes of living beings as also Brahma, the four-faced ruler of the cosmic egg. So too Siva (Isa) who is seated in the lotus-seated Brahma, meaning that Siva abides by the directions of Brahma. So also all the seers of whom the divine seers are the foremost; and lustrous snakes like Vasuki, Taksaka etc.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
11.15 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
11.15 Arjuna said I see all the gods, O God, in Thy body, and (also) hosts of various classes of beings, Brahma, the Lord, seated on the lotus, all the sages and the celestial serpents.
Commentary

11.15 पश्यामि (I) see? देवान् the gods? तव Thy? देव O God? देहे in the body? सर्वान् all? तथा also? भूतविशेषसङ्घान् hosts of various classes of beings? ब्रह्माणम् Brahma? ईशम् the Lord? कमलासनस्थम् seated on the lotus? ऋषीन् sages? च and? सर्वान् all? उरगान् serpents? च and? दिव्यान् divine.Commentary Arjuna describes his own experience of the Cosmic Form in this and the following verses? 15 to 31.Bhutaviseshasanghan Hosts of various classes of beings? both animate and inanimate. These numerous entities are in Thy Cosmic Form? like hairs on the human body.Brahma? the fourfaced? the Lord of all creatures? is seated in the centre of the earthlotus on the Meru which forms the thalamus as it were of the earthlotus.Sages? such as Vasishtha. Serpents? such as Vasuki.Moreover --

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
11.15 Arjuna said O God, I see in Your body all the gods as also hosts of (various) classes of beings; Brahma the ruler, sitting on a lotus seat, and all the heavely sages and serpents.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
11.15 Arjuna said: O almighty God! I see in Thee the powers of Nature, the various creatures of the world, the Progenitor on his lotus throne, the Sages and the shining angels.
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Discriminative WisdomVairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)
Related verses
BG 10.2 BG 11.6 BG 10.8 SB 2.6.13 SB 3.8.15 SB 8.7.22 CC Ādi 5.50 CC Madhya 20.272 CC Madhya 20.302 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.1.7Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.12
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Arjuna says: I see all the demigods within Your body, including Brahmā on the lotus, all the sages, the celestial serpents.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize the Vedic cosmology as actually present within Kṛṣṇa.
  • Don't treat 'demigods' as defunct mythology.
  • Honor the cosmic furniture of devotion.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have I dismissed Vedic cosmology as outdated?
  • What does taking it seriously open?
Analogy

A scholar opens what he thought was a chapter and finds it is the whole library — every author, every sage, every god he has ever heard of, gathered between two covers. Arjuna opens the form of Kṛṣṇa and finds the entire pantheon inside.

Stories
Aśvatthāmā Confronted with Nārāyaṇa

After his crimes at the close of the war, Aśvatthāmā released the brahmāstra and Arjuna countered (Mahābhārata, Sauptika-parva 13–16). Vyāsa appeared between the two weapons. Aśvatthāmā then perceived Kṛṣṇa as the source of all the demigods he had invoked — he saw on Kṛṣṇa's chest the whole array of devas and ṛṣis.

Arjuna's vision in 11.15 is the same recognition: every devatā he has ever worshiped is inside the one form. The Gītā is firm — the demigods are real, and they are in Kṛṣṇa.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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