Bhagavad-gītā 11.23
रूपं महत्ते बहुवक्त्रनेत्रं
महाबाहो बहुबाहूरुपादम् ।
बहूदरं बहुदंष्ट्राकरालं
दृष्ट्वा लोका: प्रव्यथितास्तथाहम् ॥ २३ ॥
rūpaṁ mahat te bahu-vaktra-netraṁ
[roopam mahat te bahu-vaktra-netram]
mahā-bāho bahu-bāhūru-pādam
[mahaa-baaho bahu-baahooru-paadam]
bahūdaraṁ bahu-daṁṣṭrā-karālaṁ
[bahoodaram bahu-damshtraa-karaalam]
dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitās tathāham
[drishtvaa lokaah pravyathitaas tathaaham]
Word-for-word
rūpam
—
the form
mahat
—
very great
te
—
of You
bahu
—
many
vaktra
—
faces
netram
—
and eyes
mahā - bāho
—
O mighty-armed one
bahu
—
many
bāhu
—
arms
ūru
—
thighs
pādam
—
and legs
bahu - udaram
—
many bellies
bahu - daṁṣṭrā
—
many teeth
karālam
—
horrible
dṛṣṭvā
—
seeing
lokāḥ
—
all the planets
pravyathitāḥ
—
perturbed
tathā
—
similarly
aham
—
I .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
rūpaṁ mahat te bahu-vaktra-netraṁ
rūpam
the form
mahat
very great
te
of You
bahu
many
vaktra
faces
netram
and eyes
mahā-bāho bahu-bāhūru-pādam
mahā - bāho
O mighty-armed one
bahu
many
bāhu
arms
ūru
thighs
pādam
and legs
bahūdaraṁ bahu-daṁṣṭrā-karālaṁ
bahu - udaram
many bellies
bahu - daṁṣṭrā
many teeth
karālam
horrible
dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitās tathāham
dṛṣṭvā
seeing
lokāḥ
all the planets
pravyathitāḥ
perturbed
tathā
similarly
aham
I .
Important Words
-
vaktra
—
mouth
Compound element repeated through the verse. The mouths are now stressed because they are about to become devouring (verses 25–30). Vocabulary thickens around the form's terrible aspect.
-
mahā - bāho
—
O mighty-armed
Vocative — an epithet Arjuna himself usually receives. Here Arjuna applies it to Kṛṣṇa, surrendering even his own warrior-title to the form before him.
-
bahu - daṁṣṭrā
—
many-toothed
Compound: many + tooth/fang. Daṁṣṭrā is specifically the fang — predatory, not vegetarian. The lexicon is now openly that of a devouring being.
-
karālam
—
terrible
Adjective from kṛ — 'doing fearful things.' Karāla becomes a standard epithet of Kālī and other fierce forms; Arjuna invokes it here for the cosmic form.
-
pravyathitāḥ
—
perturbed
Same root as 11.20 — the trembling intensifies. The worlds were perturbed; now Arjuna joins them. The grammar is precise: tathā aham — 'so am I.'
O mighty-armed one, all the planets with their demigods are disturbed at seeing Your great form, with its many faces, eyes, arms, thighs, legs and bellies and Your many terrible teeth; and as they are disturbed, so am I.
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 fang-detail enters: 'bahu-daṁṣṭrā-karālam.' What was wondrous in 11.10-11 turns frightful. Arjuna lets slip his own state — 'tathā 'ham' — admitting that he is no longer just a witness; he is among the disturbed.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Pivot verse from awe to terror. The compound 'daṁṣṭrā-karāla' becomes the keyword of the next several verses (11.25, 11.27). 'Tathā 'ham' is the personal disclosure: in 11.20 only loka-traya was pravyathita; now Arjuna is too. The vocative 'mahā-bāho' (mighty-armed) — usually flattery — now sounds ominous when the arms in question are countless and gripping weapons.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे महा-बाहो! बहु-वक्त्र-नेत्रं बहु-बाहु-ऊरु-पादं बहु-उदरं बहु-दंष्ट्रा-करालं ते महत् रूपं दृष्ट्वा लोकाः प्रव्यथिताः, तथा अहम् (अपि) ।
he mahā-bāho! bahu-vaktra-netraṃ bahu-bāhu-ūru-pādaṃ bahu-udaraṃ bahu-daṃṣṭrā-karālaṃ te mahat rūpaṃ dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitāḥ, tathā aham (api) |
O mighty-armed one, seeing Your great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs, and feet, many bellies, and dreadful with many fangs — the worlds are agitated, and so am I.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
रूपं महत् ते बहु-वक्त्र-नेत्रं महा-बाहो बहु-बाहु-ऊरु-पादम् । बहु-उदरं बहु-दंष्ट्रा-करालं दृष्ट्वा लोकाः प्रव्यथिताः तथा अहम् ॥
rūpaṃ mahat te bahu-vaktra-netraṃ mahā-bāho bahu-bāhu-ūru-pādam | bahu-udaraṃ bahu-daṃṣṭrā-karālaṃ dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitāḥ tathā aham ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
| Sanskrit | IAST | Grammar | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| रूपम् | rūpam | रूप (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) | form |
| महत् | mahat | महत् (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. | great |
| ते | te | युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) | Your |
| बहु-वक्त्र-नेत्रम् | bahu-vaktra-netram | बहु (adj.) + वक्त्र (n.) + नेत्र (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) | with many mouths and eyes |
| महा-बाहो | mahā-bāho | महा (adj.) + बाहु (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular), bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) | O mighty-armed |
| बहु-बाहु-ऊरु-पादम् | bahu-bāhu-ūru-pādam | बहु (adj.) + बाहु (m.) + ऊरु (m.) + पाद (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) | with many arms, thighs, feet |
| बहु-उदरम् | bahu-udaram | बहु (adj.) + उदर (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) | with many bellies |
| बहु-दंष्ट्रा-करालम् | bahu-daṃṣṭrā-karālam | बहु (adj.) + दंष्ट्रा (f.) + कराल (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) | dreadful with many fangs |
| दृष्ट्वा | dṛṣṭvā | √दृश् abs. (absolutive) | having seen |
| लोकाः | lokāḥ | लोक (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural) | the worlds |
| प्रव्यथिताः | pravyathitāḥ | प्र + √व्यथ् p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m. | agitated |
| तथा | tathā | ind. (indeclinable), adv. | likewise |
| अहम् | aham | अस्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular) | I |
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
23. O mighty-armed one, seeing this great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, many thighs and feet, many stomachs, fearful with many teeth, the world and I as well are filled with terror.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
23. O mighty-armed one, seeing this great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs and feet, many stomachs, fearful with many teeth, the world is filled with terror.
Commentary
This verse concludes the description of the three worlds being agitated on seeing the form. This form was ferocious (karālam) with many teeth. The rest of the verse is clear. The last phrase tathāham (I also) is connected to the next verse as the subject.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Now Arjuna starts to see the fear even of the demigods, he also becomes affraid. His rasa changes from wonder (adbhuta) to fear (bhaya).
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
11.23 Mahabaho, O mighty-armed One; drstva, seeing; te, Your; mahat, immence, very vast; upam, form of this kind; bahu-vaktra-netram, with many mouths and eyes; bahu-bahu-uru-padam, having many arms, thighs and feet; and further, bahu-udaram, with many bellies; and bahu-damstra-karalam, fearful with many teeth; lokah, the creatures in the world; are pravya-thitah, struck with terror; tatha, and so also; am even aham, I.
The reason of that is this:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
11.23 Beholding Your mighty form, as described earlier, which is an exceedingly terrifying figure because of the large teeth - all the worlds, described earlier and containing three kinds of beings, friendly, antagonistic and neutral, and I myself too have become panic-stricken.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
11.23 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
11.23 Having seen Thy immeasurable form with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed, with many arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs and fearful with many teeth the worlds are terrified and so am I.
Commentary
11.23 रूपम् form? महत् immeasurable? ते Thy? बहुवक्त्रनेत्रम् with many mouths and eyes? महाबाहो O,mightyarmed? बहुबाहूरुपादम् with many arms? thighs and feet? बहूदरम् with many stomachs. बहुदंष्ट्राकरालम् fearful with many teeth? दृष्ट्वा having seen? लोकाः the worlds? प्रव्यथिताः are terrified? तथा also? अहम् I.Commentary Lokah The worlds -- all living beings in the world. Here is the cause of my fear. Arjuna describes below the nature of the Cosmic Form which has caused terror in his heart.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
11.23 O mighty-armed One, seeing Your immense form with many mouths and eyes, having numerous arms, thighs and feet, with many bellies, and fearful with many teeth, the creatures are struck with terror, and so am I.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
11.23 Seeing Thy stupendous Form, O Most Mighty, with its myriad faces, its innumerable eyes and limbs and terrible jaws, I myself and all the worlds are overwhelmed with awe.
Related values & verses
Related values
Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)
Related verses
BG 11.25
BG 11.30
BG 11.20
SB 10.3.31
SB 3.15.32
SB 12.4.15
CC Madhya 20.394
CC Madhya 21.44
CC Madhya 21.119
Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.3.3Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.21
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Seeing Your great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms and thighs — all the worlds are perturbed, as I am.
Practical Applications
- Recognize that even Arjuna is perturbed by this vision.
- Don't expect spiritual vision to always be soothing.
- Honor the disturbance as a stage.
Reflection Questions
- When has spiritual encounter disturbed me?
- Did I treat it as failure or stage?
Analogy
A peasant who has never left his valley meets the army of his emperor — every regiment, every general, every weapon — and he trembles as the worlds tremble. Arjuna sees the cosmos trembling, and his own self, made of the cosmos, trembles in unison.
My note
Source: vedabase.io