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.
— Arjuna
❋
Bhagavad Gita · 11.46
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 ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
किरीटिनम्crownedगदिनम्with maceचक्रहस्तम्with discus in handइच्छामिI wantत्वाम्youद्रष्टुम्to seeअहम्Iतथा एवjust so, exactlyतेन एवby that veryरूपेणformचतुर्भुजेनwith four armsसहस्रबाहोO thousand-armed oneभवbeविश्वमूर्तेO universal form
Read literallycrowned · with mace · with discus in hand · I want · you · to see · I · just so, exactly · by that very · form · with four arms · O thousand-armed one · be · O universal form
Understanding the verse
✦
It teaches you that reverence can include a need for limits, and that love may ask for a form the mind can bear.
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.
02
On the battlefield
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.
03
In your life
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.”
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.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 11.46?
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga" (The Universal Form).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 11.46?
Verse 46 sits in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, "The Universal Form". The chapter has 55 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 11.46 matter today?
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.
It teaches you that reverence can include a need for limits, and that love may ask for a form the mind can bear.
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.
“Awe can be too much to hold. The heart asks for a form it can love without fear.”
Explore related themes: bhakti (69 verses), arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses)