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Bhagavad-gītā 11.16

अनेकबाहूदरवक्‍त्रनेत्रं पश्यामि त्वां सर्वतोऽनन्तरूपम् । नान्तं न मध्यं न पुनस्तवादिं पश्यामि विश्वेश्वर विश्वरूप ॥ १६ ॥
aneka-bāhūdara-vaktra-netraṁ
[aneka-baahoodara-vaktra-netram]
paśyāmi tvāṁ sarvato ’nanta-rūpam
[pashyaami tvaam sarvato ’nanta-roopam]
nāntaṁ na madhyaṁ na punas tavādiṁ
[naantam na madhyam na punas tavaadim]
paśyāmi viśveśvara viśva-rūpa
[pashyaami vishveshvara vishva-roopa]
Word-for-word
aneka — many bāhu — arms udara — bellies vaktra — mouths netram — eyes paśyāmi — I see tvām — You sarvataḥ — on all sides ananta - rūpam — unlimited form na antam — no end na madhyam — no middle na punaḥ — nor again tava — Your ādim — beginning paśyāmi — I see viśva - īśvara — O Lord of the universe viśva - rūpa — in the form of the universe .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aneka-bāhūdara-vaktra-netraṁ
aneka
many
bāhu
arms
udara
bellies
vaktra
mouths
netram
eyes
paśyāmi tvāṁ sarvato ’nanta-rūpam
paśyāmi
I see
tvām
You
sarvataḥ
on all sides
ananta - rūpam
unlimited form
nāntaṁ na madhyaṁ na punas tavādiṁ
na antam
no end
na madhyam
no middle
na punaḥ
nor again
tava
Your
ādim
beginning
paśyāmi viśveśvara viśva-rūpa
paśyāmi
I see
viśva - īśvara
O Lord of the universe
viśva - rūpa
in the form of the universe .
Important Words
  • aneka — many
    Again the chapter's pressure-word. Arjuna repeats it; words that do not exhaust the count must at least register the failure to count.
  • ananta - rūpam — of unlimited form
    Compound: an-anta (without end) + rūpa (form). A form that paradoxically has no boundary — the verse's central contradiction-as-truth.
  • na antam — no end
    Negation + accusative. Antaḥ means end; here it is denied. The Gauḍīya reading is positive: an-anta is a name of the Lord Himself — Ananta-śeṣa, on whom Viṣṇu reclines. Arjuna is not negating predicates; he is seeing unlimitedness as Bhagavān's own personal attribute.
  • na madhyam — no middle
    The middle is the test of finitude — a thing with a middle has two ends. Denying the middle denies the framework that would let one locate beginning and end.
  • viśva - īśvara — O Lord of the universe
    Vocative compound. The same form Arjuna cannot measure is the īśvara of the entire viśva. Limitlessness and lordship are one fact.
  • viśva - rūpa — O universal form
    Vocative compound. The proper name of this chapter's vision. Arjuna at last calls Kṛṣṇa by this title — and the title will stay attached to this manifestation in tradition forever.
O Lord of the universe, O universal form, I see in Your body many, many arms, bellies, mouths and eyes, expanded everywhere, without limit. I see in You no end, no middle and no beginning.
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)
From inventory Arjuna moves to limit: he can find none. Anywhere he looks, more form. Beginning, middle, end — the standard frame of any object — fail to fit. The vocative 'viśva-rūpa' enters the Gītā here as a name for what cannot be circumscribed.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Negation triplet 'na antaṁ na madhyaṁ na ādim' parallels the Upaniṣadic 'anādi-madhya-anta' negations (cf. 11.19 below; Śvetāśvatara 6.9). The word 'viśva-rūpa' is doctrinally loaded — it names this whole chapter (Viśvarūpa-darśana-yoga) and the form that will be withdrawn in 11.50 to relieve Arjuna's terror.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे विश्व-ईश्वर! हे विश्व-रूप! अनेक-बाहु-उदर-वक्त्र-नेत्रं सर्वतः अनन्त-रूपं त्वां पश्यामि; तव अन्तं न, मध्यं न, पुनः आदिं (अपि) न पश्यामि ।
he viśva-īśvara! he viśva-rūpa! aneka-bāhu-udara-vaktra-netraṃ sarvataḥ ananta-rūpaṃ tvāṃ paśyāmi; tava antaṃ na, madhyaṃ na, punaḥ ādiṃ (api) na paśyāmi |
O Lord of the universe, O universal form, I see You with countless arms, bellies, mouths, and eyes, of infinite form on every side; I see no end, no middle, and no beginning of You.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अनेक-बाहु-उदर-वक्त्र-नेत्रं पश्यामि त्वां सर्वतः अनन्त-रूपम् । न अन्तं न मध्यं न पुनः तव आदिं पश्यामि विश्व-ईश्वर विश्व-रूप ॥
aneka-bāhu-udara-vaktra-netraṃ paśyāmi tvāṃ sarvataḥ ananta-rūpam | na antaṃ na madhyaṃ na punaḥ tava ādiṃ paśyāmi viśva-īśvara viśva-rūpa ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
अनेक-बाहु-उदर-वक्त्र-नेत्रम् aneka-bāhu-udara-vaktra-netram अनेक (adj.) + बाहु (m.) + उदर (n.) + वक्त्र (n.) + नेत्र (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) having many arms, bellies, mouths, eyes
पश्यामि paśyāmi √दृश् pres. (present) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I see
त्वाम् tvām युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular) You
सर्वतः sarvataḥ ind. (indeclinable), adv. on all sides
अनन्त-रूपम् ananta-rūpam अनन्त (adj.) + रूप (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) of infinite form
न na ind. (indeclinable), neg. not
अन्तम् antam अन्त (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) end
मध्यम् madhyam मध्य (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) middle
तव tava युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) Your
आदिम् ādim आदि (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) beginning
विश्व-ईश्वर viśva-īśvara विश्व (n.) + ईश्वर (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) O Lord of the universe
विश्व-रूप viśva-rūpa विश्व (n.) + रूप (n.) voc.sg. (vocative singular), bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) O one whose form is the universe
Purport

Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is unlimited; thus through Him everything could be seen.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
16. I see You everywhere with infinite form, with many arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes. O lord of the universe, origin of all this! O form of the universe! I do not see a beginning, middle or end of this form of Yours.
Commentary

Viśveśvara means the original person, the origin of this form.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
16. I see You everywhere with infinite form, with many arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes. O lord of the universe, origin of all this! O form of the universe! I do not see a beginning, middle or end of this form of Yours.
Commentary

Arjuna then describes the forms of devas and others that he saw in the body of the universal form. O form of the universe! This means the first puruṣa (mahā viṣṇu).

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
11.16 Pasyami, I see; tvam, You; aneka-bahu-udara-vaktra-netram, as possessed of numerous arms, bellies, mouths and eyes; ananta-rupam, having infinite forms; sarvatah, all around. Visveswara, O Lord of the Universe; visva-rupa, O Cosmic Person; na pasyami, I see not; ['I do not see-because of Your all-pervasiveness.'] tava, Your; antam, end; na madhyam, nor the middle-what lies between two extremities; na punah, nor again; the adim, beginning-I see not the limit (end) nor the middle, nor again the beginning, of You who are God! Furthermore,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
11.16 I behold Your infinite form on all sides with many arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes. O Lord of the universe, namely, the controller of the universe, O Universal Form having the universe as Your body! As You are infinite, therefore, I see no end, no middle and no beginning for You.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
11.16 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
11.16 I see Thee of boundless form on every side with many arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes: neither the end nor the middle nor also the beginning do I see, O Lord of the universe, O Cosmic Form.
Commentary

11.16 अनेकबाहूदरवक्त्रनेत्रम् with manifold arms? stomachs? mouths and eyes? पश्यामि (I) see? त्वाम् Thee? सर्वतः on every side? अनन्तरूपम् of boundless form? न not? अनत्म् end? न not? मध्यम् middle? न not? पुनः,again? तव Thy? आदिम् origin? पश्यामि (I) see? विश्वेश्वर O Lord of the universe? विश्वरूप O Cosmic Form.Commentary A thing that is limited by space and time has a begining? a middle and an end? but the Lord is omnipresent and eternal. He exists in the three periods of time -- past? present and future? but is not limited by time and space. Therefore He has neither a beginning nor middle nor end.Arjuna could have this divine vision only with the help of the divine eye bestowed upon him by the Lord. He who has supreme devotion to the Lord and on whom the Lord showers His grace can enjoy this wondrous vision.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
11.16 I see You as possessed of numerous arms, bellies, mouths and eyes; as having infinite forms all around. O Lord of the Universe, O Cosmic Person, I see not Your limit nor the middle, nor again the beginning!
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
11.16 I see Thee, infinite in form, with, as it were, faces, eyes and limbs everywhere; no beginning, no middle, no end; O Thou Lord of the Universe, Whose Form is universal!
Related values & verses
Related values
Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)
Related verses
BG 13.14 BG 11.19 BG 10.32 SB 2.1.29 SB 11.16.1 SB 3.6.21 CC Madhya 21.13 CC Madhya 20.153 CC Madhya 21.7 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.16Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.1.4
Concepts
IshvaraPurusha
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
I see Your unlimited expansions — many arms, bellies, mouths, eyes — without beginning, middle, or end.
Practical Applications
  • Hold the numerical immensity Kṛṣṇa is showing.
  • Don't shrink-fit Kṛṣṇa to fit your imagination.
  • Cultivate awe rather than mastery.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have I been trying to master what only awes?
  • What does awe restore?
Analogy

The map of a coastline can be drawn from one side; the map of a sphere cannot. Wherever you start, the sphere has no edge. Arjuna's mind, trained on coastline-things, now meets a sphere — and the words 'no end, no middle, no beginning' are the only honest geometry.

Stories
The Beggar Brāhmaṇa in the Bhāgavatam

In the eleventh canto (SB 11.7–8), Lord Kṛṣṇa narrates the story of the avadhūta brāhmaṇa who had twenty-four gurus drawn from nature. From the sky as guru he learned that the Lord, though pervading all bodies, is without beginning, middle, or end — anantam — and remains untouched by what He pervades.

Arjuna's words in 11.16 are this same teaching seen rather than heard. The sky has no edge; the form he beholds has no edge; the parallel is exact.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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