FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 11.19

अनादिमध्यान्तमनन्तवीर्य- मनन्तबाहुं शशिसूर्यनेत्रम् । पश्यामि त्वां दीप्‍तहुताशवक्‍त्रं स्वतेजसा विश्वमिदं तपन्तम् ॥ १९ ॥
anādi-madhyāntam ananta-vīryam
[anaadi-madhyaantam ananta-veeryam]
ananta-bāhuṁ śaśi-sūrya-netram
[ananta-baahum shashi-soorya-netram]
paśyāmi tvāṁ dīpta-hutāśa-vaktraṁ
[pashyaami tvaam deepta-hutaasha-vaktram]
sva-tejasā viśvam idaṁ tapantam
[sva-tejasaa vishvam idam tapantam]
Word-for-word
anādi — without beginning madhya — middle antam — or end ananta — unlimited vīryam — glories ananta — unlimited bāhum — arms śaśi — the moon sūrya — and sun netram — eyes paśyāmi — I see tvām — You dīpta — blazing hutāśa - vaktram — fire coming out of Your mouth sva - tejasā — by Your radiance viśvam — universe idam — this tapantam — heating .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
anādi-madhyāntam ananta-vīryam
anādi
without beginning
madhya
middle
antam
or end
ananta
unlimited
vīryam
glories
ananta-bāhuṁ śaśi-sūrya-netram
ananta
unlimited
bāhum
arms
śaśi
the moon
sūrya
and sun
netram
eyes
paśyāmi tvāṁ dīpta-hutāśa-vaktraṁ
paśyāmi
I see
tvām
You
dīpta
blazing
hutāśa - vaktram
fire coming out of Your mouth
sva-tejasā viśvam idaṁ tapantam
sva - tejasā
by Your radiance
viśvam
universe
idam
this
tapantam
heating .
Important Words
  • anādi — without beginning
    Compound: an (not) + ādi (beginning). One of the Gītā's most loaded words (cf. 13.13, 15.3). Without beginning means uncreated, self-existent — the Lord is not anyone's effect.
  • ananta — unlimited
    Compound: an + anta (end). Used here both for vīryam (power) and bāhum (arms). Arjuna applies the word to two different attributes in one verse; the Lord's limitlessness is multi-dimensional.
  • vīryam — potency
    From vīra, 'hero.' Heroic power, the vital energy of action. The Lord's vīrya is what carries out cosmic functions — creating, sustaining, destroying.
  • śaśi — moon
    Nominative. The moon, named alongside the sun in the same verse — together they form the dual eyes of the cosmic body. The Puruṣa-sūkta is in the background.
  • sūrya — sun
    Nominative. Paired with śaśi as the second of the two cosmic eyes. The luminaries are not symbols; in this vision they are organs of one body.
  • hutāśa - vaktram — fire-eating mouth
    Compound: huta-āśa (eater of oblations, i.e. Agni) + vaktra (mouth). Foreshadows the devouring vision of verses 25–30 — the same mouth that eats oblations will be seen eating warriors.
You are without origin, middle or end. Your glory is unlimited. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are Your eyes. I see You with blazing fire coming forth from Your mouth, burning this entire universe by Your own radiance.
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)
Three 'ananta' epithets pile up — no boundary in time, in power, in limbs. The cosmos is being burned by the very brilliance of the one in whom it stands. The benevolent vibhūti-survey of ch. 10 is now seen with its scorching edge.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
'Śaśi-sūrya-netram' (moon-and-sun-eyed) is a Vedic trope (cf. Puruṣa-sūkta: 'candramā manaso jātaḥ, cakṣoḥ sūryo ajāyata'). Here the cosmic body has the luminaries as eyes, reversing the cause-effect chain. 'Sva-tejasā viśvam tapantam' prepares the imminent shift into the kāla-rūpa: the same heat that sustains can also consume.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
अनादि-मध्य-अन्तम् अनन्त-वीर्यम् अनन्त-बाहुं शशि-सूर्य-नेत्रं दीप्त-हुताश-वक्त्रं स्व-तेजसा इदं विश्वं तपन्तं त्वां पश्यामि ।
anādi-madhya-antam ananta-vīryam ananta-bāhuṃ śaśi-sūrya-netraṃ dīpta-hutāśa-vaktraṃ sva-tejasā idaṃ viśvaṃ tapantaṃ tvāṃ paśyāmi |
I see You without beginning, middle, or end, of infinite power, of infinite arms, with sun and moon for eyes, with blazing-fire mouth, scorching this universe with Your own splendor.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अनादि-मध्य-अन्तम् अनन्त-वीर्यम् अनन्त-बाहुं शशि-सूर्य-नेत्रम् । पश्यामि त्वां दीप्त-हुताश-वक्त्रं स्व-तेजसा विश्वम् इदं तपन्तम् ॥
anādi-madhya-antam ananta-vīryam ananta-bāhuṃ śaśi-sūrya-netram | paśyāmi tvāṃ dīpta-hutāśa-vaktraṃ sva-tejasā viśvam idaṃ tapantam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
अनादि-मध्य-अन्तम् anādi-madhya-antam अन् + आदि (m.) + मध्य (n.) + अन्त (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) without beginning, middle, or end
अनन्त-वीर्यम् ananta-vīryam अनन्त (adj.) + वीर्य (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) of infinite valor
अनन्त-बाहुम् ananta-bāhum अनन्त (adj.) + बाहु (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) of infinite arms
शशि-सूर्य-नेत्रम् śaśi-sūrya-netram शशिन् (m.) + सूर्य (m.) + नेत्र (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) with moon and sun for eyes
पश्यामि paśyāmi √दृश् pres. (present) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I see
त्वाम् tvām युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular) You
दीप्त-हुताश-वक्त्रम् dīpta-hutāśa-vaktram दीप्त (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + हुताश (m., fire) + वक्त्र (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) with blazing-fire mouth
स्व-तेजसा sva-tejasā स्व (adj.) + तेजस् (n.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular), karmadhāraya cpd. (compound) by Your own splendor
विश्वम् viśvam विश्व (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) the universe
इदम् idam इदम् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. this
तपन्तम् tapantam √तप् pres. (present) part. acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. scorching
Purport

There is no limit to the extent of the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here and in many other places there is repetition, but according to the scriptures, repetition of the glories of Kṛṣṇa is not a literary weakness. It is said that at a time of bewilderment or wonder or of great ecstasy, statements are repeated over and over. That is not a flaw.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
19. I see You are without beginning, middle or end, possessed of infinite strength, infinite arms, with the sun and moon for Your eyes, with a mouth of blazing fire, burning this universe with its heat.
Commentary

With words like anādi, Arjuna seems to repeat himself. Do not find fault however with the repetition in the words of Arjuna, who was submerged in the ocean of the rasa of great astonishment (mahā-viṣmaya-rasa). It is said: prasāde viṣmaye harṣe dvi-trir-uktaṁ na duṣyati: repetition of statements two or three times due to joy, astonishment or kindness is not a fault.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
19. I see You are without beginning, middle or end, possessed of infinite strength, a thousand arms, with the sun and moon for Your eyes, with a mouth of blazing fire, burning this universe with Your heat.
Commentary

I see You without beginning, middle or end. You have infinite vīrya or potency. This infers all the six opulences: vīrya, yaśas, śrī, jñāna, vairāgya and aiśvarya. [Note: Another list of the six is: jṇāna, śakti, vairāgya, aiśvarya, vīrya and tejaḥ.] You have thousands of arms (ananta bāahum), and eyes like the sun and moon. Your eyes are pleasing (like the moon) to the devas who are obedient to You, and harsh (like the sun) to the demons who disobey You. Your mouths are like a blazing fire, similar to the fire of destruction. Repetition of items in Arjuna’s words is not a fault, as he was overcome with astonishment. It is said prasāde vismaye harṣe dvi-trir-uktaṁ na duṣyati: uttering statements two or three times out of joy, dismay or kindness is not a fault.

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

Now Arjuna describes Kala-rupa

COMMON THEME: Text 11.19 marks the beginning of description of ‘Kala-rupa’ (The form as Time) which

continues up till Text 11.31

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 FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIVERSAL FORM AS ‘KALA-RUPA’.

Blazing fire coming forth from your mouth, burning this entire universe (11.19)
Numberless arms and sun and moon are the eyes
Without origin, middle and end
Repetition of glories is not a flaw – It is a sign of bewilderment, wonder or great ecstasy
Spread throughout – Spread throughout the sky and planets and all space in between; and all the planetary systems are perturbed seeing you (11.20)
‘Dyav-a-prthivyoh’ (Space between heaven and earth) and ‘Loka-trayam’ (Three worlds) –indicate that not only Arjuna saw, but other planetary systems, whoever endowed with divine vision, also saw this form and got perturbed
This proves that Arjuna’s seeing was not a dream
Petitioned by demigods – Kala-rupa is petitioned by demigods and sages – All are fearful (11.21 – 11.22)
Demigods are surrendering and praying with folded hands
Great sages are praying with Vedic hymns
Siva, Adityas, Vasus etc beholding You in wonder
Rasa changes to fear – Arjuna experiences a terrible fearsome sight (11.23)
Arjuna loses steadiness and equilibrium of mind, because mind is perturbed by fear (11.24)
Arjuna sees blazing death-like faces and awful teeth (11.25)
Link between texts 11.25 & 11.26: Text 11.26 through 11.30 describe future occurrences that Arjuna sees within the kala-rupa. In Text 11.7, Krishna said that Arjuna could see “whatever *he+ may want to see in the future.” In these texts, Arjuna sees that Bhisma, Drona and Karna – the three most feared members of the opposing army – will be destroyed.
Two Analogies: Devouring all soldiers of both armies on both sides, including Bhisma, Drona & Karna, rushing into Your mouth (11.26 – 11.27)
Analogy: As many waves of river flow into the ocean (11.28)
Analogy: As moths dash to destruction in blazing fire (11.29*)
Indicates that Arjuna could see his awaited victory
All-devouring – You are devouring all people from all sides, your effulgence is covering all the universe with terrible scorching rays(11.30)

ARJUNA’S QUESTIONS

Arjuna in great fear asks two questions (11.31)
Who are You?
What is Your mission?
Why Arjuna asks these questions – Because although Arjuna knew Krishna as his friend and Supreme Personality of Godhead, but he was puzzled by various forms exhibited by Krishna
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
11.19 Pasyami, I see; tvam, You; as anadi-madhya-antam, without beginning, middle and end; ananta-viryam, possessed of infinite valour; and also ananta-bahum, having innumerable arms; sasi-surya-netram, having the sun and the moon as the eyes; dipta-hutasavakram, having a mouth like a blazing fire; tapantam, heating up; idam, this; visvam, Universe; sva-tejasa, by Your own birlliance.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
11.19 I behold You as without beginning, middle and end. Your might is infinite, of unsurpassed excellence. Here the term 'might' is used for illustration. The meaning is that You are the sole repository of knowledge, strength, sovereignty, valour, power and glory, one whose excellence cannot be surpassed. Your arms are infinite, i.e., they are countless. This is also for illustration, implying that You have an infinite number of arms, stomachs, feet, mouths etc. The sun and moon are Your eyes; all Your eyes are like the moon and the sun, beaming with grace and power. The grace is directed towards the devotees like the gods who offer salutations etc., and power is directed against Asuras, Raksasas etc., who are opposed to these. For it will be said later on: 'The Raksasas flee on all sides in fear, and all the hosts of Siddhas bow down to You' (11.36). Your mouth is emitting fire, namely, the fire appropriate for destroying all things, as the Fire of Time consumes the world at the time of dissolution. With Your own radiance You are warming the universe. By radiance (Tejas) is meant the poweer to vanish others. I behold You warming (or governing) the universe with Your own radiance. The meaning is this: 'I directly realise You' as taught before as the Creator of all, as the supporter of everything, as the sovereign over everything, as the destroyer of everything, as the ocean of knowledge and other infinite attributes, as without beginning, middle and end, and as possessing a divine body of this nature. How, in one divine body, can there be many stomachs etc.? This is possible in the following way: From a hip of infinite extent, stomachs etc., as described, branc off upwards. The divine feet etc., branch off downwards. So there is no contradiction in attributing a pair of eyes for each face. 'On perceiving You to be thus, the gods etc., and myself, have become frightened - says Arjuna in the following words:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
11.19 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
11.19 I see Thee without beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of endless arms, the sun and the moon being Thy eyes, the burning fire Thy mouth, heating the whole universe with Thy radiance.
Commentary

11.19 अनादिमध्यान्तम् without beginning? middle or end? अनन्तवीर्यम् infinite in power? अनन्तबाहुम् of endless arms? शशिसूर्यनेत्रम् Thy eyes as the sun and the moon? पश्यामि (I) see? त्वाम् Thee? दीप्तहुताशवक्त्रम् Thy mouth as the burning fire? स्वतेजसा with Thy radiance? विश्वम् the universe? इदम् this? तपन्तम् heating.Commentary Anantabahu Having endless arms. This denotes that the multiplicity of His limbs are endless.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
11.19 I see You as without beginning, middle and end, possessed of infinite valour, having innumerable arms, having the sun and the moon as eyes, having a mouth like a blazing fire, and heating up this Universe by Your own brilliance.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
11.19 Without beginning, without middle and without end, infinite in power, Thine arms all-embracing, the sun and moon Thine eyes, Thy face beaming with the fire of sacrifice, flooding the whole universe with light.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 11.16 BG 13.14 BG 11.32 SB 2.1.30 SB 2.6.9 SB 3.26.39 CC Madhya 20.291 CC Madhya 21.44 CC Ādi 5.101 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.1.4Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.3
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
You are without origin, middle, or end — Your power unlimited, Your arms innumerable; sun and moon are Your eyes.
Practical Applications
  • Hold cosmic scale in your imagination of Kṛṣṇa.
  • Use sun and moon as eyes-of-the-Lord meditation.
  • Don't reduce Kṛṣṇa to local.
Reflection Questions
  • When did I last connect with sun or moon as His eye?
  • What does that practice offer?
Analogy

Imagine a single sentence in which every word is the first word and the last word and the middle — that is the shape of what Arjuna is trying to describe. Without origin, middle, or end, the sun and moon must serve as eyes because there is no larger body to host them.

Stories
The Puruṣa-sūkta

The Ṛg-veda's Puruṣa-sūkta (10.90) describes the cosmic Person from whose mouth came the Brāhmaṇas, from whose arms the Kṣatriyas, from whose eyes the sun, from whose mind the moon. The hymn predates the Gītā by centuries and is the canonical Vedic background of this very verse.

When Arjuna says śaśi-sūrya-netram — moon-and-sun-eyed — he is echoing the Puruṣa-sūkta with his own eyes. The vision and the hymn are not two things; the hymn was always a description of what Arjuna is now seeing.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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