FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 11.17

किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रिणं च तेजोराशिं सर्वतो दीप्‍तिमन्तम् । पश्यामि त्वां दुर्निरीक्ष्यं समन्ता- द्दीप्‍तानलार्कद्युतिमप्रमेयम् ॥ १७ ॥
kirīṭinaṁ gadinaṁ cakriṇaṁ ca
[kireetinam gadinam chakrinam cha]
tejo-rāśiṁ sarvato dīptimantam
[tejo-raashim sarvato deeptimantam]
paśyāmi tvāṁ durnirīkṣyaṁ samantād
[pashyaami tvaam durnireekshyam samantaad]
dīptānalārka-dyutim aprameyam
[deeptaanalaarka-dyutim aprameyam]
Word-for-word
kirīṭinam — with helmets gadinam — with maces cakriṇam — with discs ca — and tejaḥ - rāśim — effulgence sarvataḥ — on all sides dīpti - mantam — glowing paśyāmi — I see tvām — You durnirīkṣyam — difficult to see samantāt — everywhere dīpta - anala — blazing fire arka — of the sun dyutim — the sunshine aprameyam — immeasurable .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kirīṭinaṁ gadinaṁ cakriṇaṁ ca
kirīṭinam
with helmets
gadinam
with maces
cakriṇam
with discs
ca
and
tejo-rāśiṁ sarvato dīptimantam
tejaḥ - rāśim
effulgence
sarvataḥ
on all sides
dīpti - mantam
glowing
paśyāmi tvāṁ durnirīkṣyaṁ samantād
paśyāmi
I see
tvām
You
durnirīkṣyam
difficult to see
samantāt
everywhere
dīptānalārka-dyutim aprameyam
dīpta - anala
blazing fire
arka
of the sun
dyutim
the sunshine
aprameyam
immeasurable .
Important Words
  • kirīṭinam — with crowns
    Accusative of kirīṭin, 'crown-bearer.' The crown identifies the cosmic king, and 'crowns' in the plural acknowledges that He bears them across all His manifestations.
  • gadinam — with maces
    Accusative of gadin. The gadā Kaumodakī is Viṣṇu's signature weapon. Arjuna sees it on this terrible form, anchoring the universal vision to the familiar four-armed iconography.
  • cakriṇam — with discs
    Accusative of cakrin. The Sudarśana-cakra — the wheel that protects devotees and severs ego. Its presence here promises that the awful vision is still Kṛṣṇa's, still wielding the same protective wheel.
  • tejaḥ - rāśim — mass of effulgence
    Compound: tejas (radiant energy) + rāśi (heap, accumulation). Not light scattered; light heaped. The accumulation is itself the form's substance.
  • durnirīkṣyam — difficult to see
    Compound: duḥ (hard) + nir-īkṣ (to gaze). Even with divya-cakṣus, the gazing is difficult. The eye is enabled, not made omnipotent.
  • aprameyam — immeasurable
    From a-pra-mā, 'not able to be measured.' One of the Lord's standard epithets in the Upaniṣads. Measurement presupposes a measure — there is none here.
Your form is difficult to see because of its glaring effulgence, spreading on all sides, like blazing fire or the immeasurable radiance of the sun. Yet I see this glowing form everywhere, adorned with various crowns, clubs and discs.
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)
The Viṣṇu-iconography (crown, mace, discus) appears inside the cosmic blaze, identifying the universal form as Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa Himself. Yet it is 'durnirīkṣya' — too bright to look at — preparing the shift in Arjuna's tone from delight to dread.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The verse threads two registers: the recognizable Viṣṇu icons (kirīṭa, gadā, cakra) and the unbounded fire-light. This anchors the vision: even at maximum cosmic scale, the Lord remains the same Viṣṇu of Vaikuṇṭha. 'Durnirīkṣya' is the first real hint that this gift is hard to bear; 11.24 develops it into pravyathita.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रिणं च, तेजः-राशिं सर्वतः दीप्ति-मन्तं, समन्तात् दुर्निरीक्ष्यं, दीप्त-अनल-अर्क-द्युतिम् अप्रमेयं त्वां पश्यामि ।
kirīṭinaṃ gadinaṃ cakriṇaṃ ca, tejaḥ-rāśiṃ sarvataḥ dīpti-mantaṃ, samantāt durnirīkṣyaṃ, dīpta-anala-arka-dyutim aprameyaṃ tvāṃ paśyāmi |
I see You crowned, mace-bearing, discus-bearing, a mass of radiance shining on every side, hard to gaze upon all around, of the splendor of blazing fire and sun, immeasurable.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रिणं च तेजः-राशिं सर्वतः दीप्ति-मन्तम् । पश्यामि त्वां दुर्निरीक्ष्यं समन्तात् दीप्त-अनल-अर्क-द्युतिम् अप्रमेयम् ॥
kirīṭinaṃ gadinaṃ cakriṇaṃ ca tejaḥ-rāśiṃ sarvataḥ dīpti-mantam | paśyāmi tvāṃ durnirīkṣyaṃ samantāt dīpta-anala-arka-dyutim aprameyam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
किरीटिनम् kirīṭinam किरीटिन् (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. wearing a crown
गदिनम् gadinam गदिन् (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. bearing a mace
चक्रिणम् cakriṇam चक्रिन् (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. bearing a discus
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
तेजः-राशिम् tejaḥ-rāśim तेजस् (n.) + राशि (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) a mass of brilliance
सर्वतः sarvataḥ ind. (indeclinable), adv. on all sides
दीप्ति-मन्तम् dīpti-mantam दीप्ति (f.) + मत् (taddhita poss.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. possessing splendor
पश्यामि paśyāmi √दृश् pres. (present) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I see
त्वाम् tvām युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular) You
दुर्निरीक्ष्यम् durnirīkṣyam दुर् + निर् + √ईक्ष् pot. pass. (passive) part. acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. hard to look at
समन्तात् samantāt ind. (indeclinable), adv. from all sides
दीप्त-अनल-अर्क-द्युतिम् dīpta-anala-arka-dyutim दीप्त (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + अनल (m.) + अर्क (m.) + द्युति (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) of the brilliance of blazing fire and sun
अप्रमेयम् aprameyam अ + प्र + √मा pot. pass. (passive) part. acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. immeasurable
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
17. I see You with crown, club, cakra, a mass of light shining everywhere, difficult to behold, with immeasurable radiance on all sides like the blazing of fire and sun.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
17. I see You with crown, club, cakra, a mass of light shining everywhere, difficult to behold, with immeasurable radiance on all sides like the blazing of fire and sun.
Commentary

Now he describes that form in another way. Thought difficult to behold, I can see You, because by Your mercy I have attained celestial eyes. The form is difficult to behold because on all sides it is as brilliant as blazing fire. Thus it is impossible to measure it (aprameyam).

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

It is immeasurable, but it has some specific elements that we should note what this universal form is: (1) it is immeasurable, (2) it has a great, great radiance, (3) everything is situated in one place (all the universes, the demigods, etc..., everything in one place). These are, at this point, the main qualities of the universal form. Now in next verse Arjuna is going to try to describe the immeasurable.

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
11.17 Pasyami, I see; tvam, You; as kiritinam, wearing a diadem-kirita is a kind of decoration for the head; one having it is kiriti; gadinam, wielding a mace; and also cakrinam, holding a disc; tejorasim, a mass of brilliance; sarvatah diptimantam, glowing all around; durniriksyam, difficult to look at; samantat, from all sides, at every point; as though dipta-analarka-dyutim, possessed of the radiance (dyuti) of the blazing (dipta) fire (anala) and sun (arka); and aprameyam, immeasurable, i.e. beyond limitation. 'For this reason also, i.e., by seeing Your power of Yoga, I infer' that-
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
11.17 I behold you a mass of light shining everywhere, hard to look at, blazing like a burning fire and the sun. You, who are identifiable with Your divine diadem, mace and discus, are indefinable and immeasurable.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
11.17 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
11.17 I see Thee with the diadem, the club and the discus, a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very hard to look at, blazing all round like burning fire and the sun, and immeasurable.
Commentary

11.17 किरीटिनम् one with diadem? गदिनम् with club? चक्रिणम् with discus? च and? तेजोराशिम् a mass of radiance? सर्वतः everywhere? दीप्तिमन्तम् shining? पश्यामि (I) see? त्वाम् Thee? दुर्निरीक्ष्यम् very hard to look at? समन्तात् all round? दीप्तानलार्कद्युतिम् blazing like burning fire and sun? अप्रमेयम् immeasurable.Commentary Kiritam is a special ornament for the head? the crown.Arjuna had worshipped the Lord as having a crown? club and discus and the Lord showed him the same form now. He is in all forms and He is beyond all forms as the transcendental Reality. Who can comprehend His GloryTejorasim A mass of splendour that cannot be perceived without the inner divine eye of intuition.Aprameyam Immeasurable? whose limits cannot be fixed.I infer from this vision of Thy power of Yoga that Thu art the Imperishable? etc.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
11.17 I see You as wearing a diadem, wielding a mace, and holding a disc; a mass of brilliance glowing all around, difficult to look at from all sides, possessed of the radiance of the blazing fire and sun, and immeasurable.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
11.17 I see thee with the crown, the sceptre and the discus; a blaze of splendour. Scarce can I gaze on thee, so radiant thou art, glowing like the blazing fire, brilliant as the sun, immeasurable.
Related values & verses
Related values
Dhairya (Composure / Courage)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Kritajnata (Gratitude)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Nyaya (Justice / Righteous Judgment)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)
Related verses
BG 11.12 BG 11.30 BG 11.46 SB 8.3.13 SB 3.15.41 SB 2.2.8 CC Madhya 20.205 CC Madhya 21.79 CC Madhya 21.101 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.2.10Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
I see You wearing crowns, holding clubs and discs, brilliant beyond measure — like blazing fire, the immeasurable sun, dazzling.
Practical Applications
  • Honor Kṛṣṇa's regal, weapon-bearing, blazing aspect.
  • Don't sentimentalize Him into only sweetness.
  • Recognize majesty as part of His full identity.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have I sentimentalized away His majesty?
  • What does restored majesty add?
Analogy

Looking directly at a welder's arc burns the eye even though the arc is small; the radiance is not measured by size. Arjuna is now looking at the welder's arc of the cosmos — durnirīkṣyam, hard to look upon — and the only way he can describe it is by what it resembles, blazing fire and the sun.

Stories
Bhīṣma's Vision on the Bed of Arrows

Lying on his bed of arrows, the dying Bhīṣma beheld Kṛṣṇa with his last sight and offered the Bhīṣma-stuti (SB 1.9.32–42). He saw Kṛṣṇa as 'the supreme effulgence' (paraṁ jyotiḥ) shining like the sun upon all directions — kirīṭinaṁ kuṇḍalinam, crowned and bejewelled, with weapons at the ready.

The iconographic vocabulary of BG 11.17 — crowned, with mace and disc, blazing like fire and the sun — is the same Bhīṣma uses. Two warriors, two darśanas, identical witness.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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