किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रहस्तमिच्छामि त्वां द्रष्टुमहं तथैव ।
तेनैव रूपेण चतुर्भुजेनसहस्रबाहो भव विश्वमूर्ते ॥
तेनैव रूपेण चतुर्भुजेनसहस्रबाहो भव विश्वमूर्ते ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
मैं आपको वैसे ही किरीटधारी, गदाधारी और हाथमें चक्र लिये हुए देखना चाहता हूँ । इसलिये हे सहस्रबाहो हे विश्वमूर्ते आप उसी चतुर्भुजरूपसे हो जाइये ॥
English
I want to see you again in your crowned form, with mace and discus in your hands. O Thousand-Armed One, O Universal Form, return to that four-armed shape.
What this verse means
Arjuna asks Krishna to return to the familiar four-armed form with crown, mace, and discus. The overwhelming cosmic form has moved him, but he longs for a shape he can meet with devotion.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna has just seen Krishna's vast cosmic form and feels shaken. He now asks Krishna to return to the four-armed form he knows, because the infinite vision is overwhelming and he can meet that gentler form with steadier devotion.
Why this verse still matters
You finally see the full truth of a situation, and it leaves you trembling. After the shock, you want something familiar enough to hold without breaking.
The takeaway
Awe can be too much to hold. The heart asks for a form it can love without fear.
Word-by-word translation
किरीटिनम् (crowned) / गदिनम् (with mace) / चक्रहस्तम् (with discus in hand) / इच्छामि (I want) / त्वाम् (you) / द्रष्टुम् (to see) / अहम् (I) / तथा एव (just so, exactly) / तेन एव (by that very) / रूपेण (form) / चतुर्भुजेन (with four arms) / सहस्रबाहो (O thousand-armed one) / भव (be) / विश्वमूर्ते (O universal form)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga — The Universal Form, which contains 55 verses.
Explore related themes: bhakti (69 verses), arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses)