BG 11.2 — Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 11.2Chapter 11 · Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · anuṣṭubh

भवाप्ययौ हि भूतानां श्रुतौ विस्तरशो मया ।

त्वत्तः कमलपत्राक्ष माहात्म्यमपि चाव्ययम् ॥

bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṃ śrutau vistaraśo mayā

tvattaḥ kamala-patrākṣa māhātmyam api cāvyayam

spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip

meaning

Arjuna says: I have heard in full, lotus-eyed one, how all beings arise and dissolve from you, and how your greatness is without end.

ekras · bhāṣya

I have heard in detail from You the bhava and apyaya of beings, kamala-patra-aksha, and Your mahatmya, the imperishable. Two things heard: the cosmic arising-and-passing of beings, and Krishna's avyaya-mahatmya. The address kamala-patra-aksha — lotus-petal-eyed — names Krishna with the affectionate epithet that situates the moment.

Shankara reads the recapitulation as the disciple's confirmation of what was received. Bhava-apyaya — arising and dissolution of beings — was given in chapters 7-9; mahatmya avyaya — imperishable greatness — was given in chapter 10. The disciple has heard both registers: the cosmic and the personal.

Madhusudana reads the verse as Arjuna's acknowledgment of the two things he needs before requesting darshana. The cosmic arc — bhava and apyaya — and the immutable mahatmya, both have landed; the disciple is now in proper position to ask for the direct sight.

Ramanuja reads with characteristic relational warmth: the disciple's recapitulation is the bhakta's natural movement of receiving.

Krishna has given two registers; Arjuna acknowledges both before requesting more.

Madhva reads on the bheda-frame: the eternally distinct jiva, having heard, names what has been heard before asking for more. The bhakta's discipline of recapitulation precedes the request.

Vallabha reads through pushti-marga: each register of teaching is prasada received; recapitulation acknowledges the gift before requesting the next.

Shridhara reads cleanly: arising-passing heard, mahatmya heard, ground prepared.

Context

where

Chapter 11 · Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga · meter anuṣṭubh

who speaks

Krishna → Arjuna

preceded by — BG 11.1

The supreme secret you spoke to me out of grace, the teaching called knowledge of the self, has swept this delusion of mine away.

What's going on

Arjuna says: I have heard in full, lotus-eyed one, how all beings arise and dissolve from you, and how your greatness is without end.

Sūtras through this verse (46)

AbhinavaguptaclassicalA

Knowing and acting are one powerbetween

7.1Together they cover everything to be known.───→here11.2───→11.18Sat names the union of the two powers.

RāmānujaclassicalB

The śāstra is one bracket (2.12 → 18.66)between

11.1Arjuna confirms the bracket from inside.───→here11.2───→18.66The teaching closes with one command.

VallabhaclassicalA

Two paths — rule-bound and grace-onlybetween

10.14Faith comes only from the Lord's own giving.───→here11.2───→11.55Grace-soul acts only when the Lord wills.

show all 46

AbhinavaguptaclassicalB

Recognition, not additionbetween

11.1Now: experience what was taught.───→here11.2───→11.55See the world as Śiva's own body.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalC

Vision is the structural centerbetween

11.1Instruction yields, experience opens up.───→here11.2───→11.8The eye is given, never earned by work.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalD

Avatāra: appearance without departurebetween

9.4He pervades, yet is not in any of it.───→here11.2───→11.46Cosmic and gracious one self-luminous.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalG

Saṃvit: one referent under many namesbetween

8.3Brahman, ātman, all facets of one Lord.───→here11.2───→11.34Consciousness itself swallows the cosmos.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalH

Bhakti as non-dual recognitionbetween

9.22Consciousness tending its own self-knowing modes.───→here11.2───→11.49Ananya bhakti is non-dual recognition.

RāmānujaclassicalC

Three ṣaṭkas (1–6 / 7–12 / 13–18)between

11.1The aiśvarya-delusion now to be removed.───→here11.2───→12.1Sa-guṇa or nir-guṇa, which path wins?

RāmānujaclassicalD

Karma-yoga as kainkarya (worship)between

9.27Whatever you do, do it as offering.───→here11.2───→11.55Five clauses, one shelter: mat-karma-kṛt.

RāmānujaclassicalE

Bhakti as continuous recollectionbetween

10.10I give the buddhi-yoga to those who love.───→here11.2───→11.54Undivided love beholds it.

RāmānujaclassicalH

Prapatti / śaraṇāgati — universal upāyabetween

9.32Even the lowest birth reaches Me through this.───→here11.2───→11.55Five clauses for the one who is Mine.

RāmānujaclassicalI

Vibhūti as evidence for antaryāminbetween

10.42One fragment props the world.───→here11.2───→11.13Arjuna sees all at once.

RāmānujaclassicalJ

Śeṣa-śeṣī · pati-vrata similebetween

9.34Set toward Me, the seeker's whole posture.───→here11.2───→11.55He is the one telos.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalE

Field and field-knower as Parameśvaraapproach

───→here11.2───→13.1One knower in every field — Parameśvara.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalI

Anugraha: grace as the active powerapproach

───→here11.2───→11.8The eye is given; seeing is grace.

RāmānujaclassicalK

Tri-guṇa diagnostic for the bhaktaapproach

───→here11.2───→13.20Both natures cause the body's binding.

Madhusūdanaclassicalmadhusudan_bhagavad_arpana

Madhusudan Bhagavad Arpanabetween · other

9.22Yogakshema as offering returned───→here11.2───→11.55Five offering-clauses

MadhusūdanaclassicalD

Offer the act to the Lord and it stops bindingbetween

9.22The undivided ones the Lord himself sustains.───→here11.2───→11.55The whole Gītā distilled to five offering-clauses.

MadhusūdanaclassicalE

Devotion is how knowing actually arrivesbetween

9.22Constant thought of Me is self-contemplation itself.───→here11.2───→11.55The five-clause crystal is bhakti named whole.

MadhusūdanaclassicalF

Every middle chapter opens with a bow to the teacherbetween

11.1I worship the unborn, the self-luminous teacher.───→here11.2───→11.55With awe I praise him, Kāśirāja, my teacher.

MadhusūdanaclassicalH

Krishna with form is the ground beneath formless Brahmanbetween

10.8From Me everything flows; wise ones know this and worship.───→here11.2───→11.55The crystal verse names the saguṇa in absolute form.

MadhusūdanaclassicalK

Arjuna's grief has two roots, not onebetween

11.1Arjuna marks the universal moha cured.───→here11.2───→18.73Confusion gone, memory gained — the cure complete.

JayatīrthaclassicalC

Refuting Śaṅkara-style readings, named or unnamedbetween

7.13Why this declaration? The gloss must answer.───→here11.2───→11.16Aneka- is not just two-or-more.

JayatīrthaclassicalE

Vishnu-sarvottamatva read into apparently neutral wordsbetween

8.4Adhiyajña clause: viṣṇur eva.───→here11.2───→11.16Many-armed is Viṣṇu, not a pantheon.

JayatīrthaclassicalF

Bhakti-tāratamya: gradation among devotees, gradation in fruitbetween

9.25Each worship reaches its own destination.───→here11.2───→11.55Five-clause sādhana names the apex.

JayatīrthaclassicalG

Citation as proof — śruti, smṛti, MB, Aṣṭādhyāyī, Pañcarātrabetween

7.5Parā-prakṛti backed by Pañcarātra.───→here11.2───→11.16Aṣṭādhyāyī 5.4.78 settles aneka-.

JayatīrthaclassicalI

Lakṣaṇā-control — literal preferred when availablebetween

7.5Surrounding clause picks literal Śrī.───→here11.2───→11.16Aneka- means many; no upacāra needed.

VallabhaclassicalB

Grace alone — the technical markbetween

9.32The unsheltered take shelter and reach Me.───→here11.2───→11.54Undivided love — sādhana stripped, grace-clothed.

VallabhaclassicalG

The Lord plays — calf-affection, not contractbetween

9.32The unsheltered run to their cowherd-Lord.───→here11.2───→11.54The form revealed is Krishna in blue, not abstract.

VallabhaclassicalH

Stilling the mind — into the Lordbetween

6.47Stilling the mind into Vāsudeva — not into nothing.───→here11.2───→11.54Vision opens only to the love-stilled mind.

VallabhaclassicalI

A closed three-source citation gridbetween

9.32Even the unsheltered reach the highest goal.───→here11.2───→11.54Bhāgavata + Brahmasūtra fuse at the vision-verse.

VallabhaclassicalJ

Strategic silence — pointers, not absencesbetween

1.31The despondency catalogue goes to Viṭṭhaleśa.───→here11.2───→11.21The cosmic-form catalogue is bracketed.

ŚrīdharaclassicalB

The Lord descends out of compassionbetween

11.1By high compassion He showed the world-form.───→here11.2───→11.43Teacher, and teacher's teacher beyond compare.

ŚrīdharaclassicalC

Devotion is both the way and the homebetween

9.34Mind on Me, bowed to Me — you reach Me.───→here11.2───→11.54By undivided love alone — knowable, seen.

ŚrīdharaclassicalH

The grammar of single-pointednessbetween

9.22The undivided are my one foundation.───→here11.2───→11.54Undivided love alone unlocks the world-form.

ŚrīdharaclassicalD

The path that turns no one awayexit

9.32Women, śūdras, all, also reach the goal.───→here11.2───→

VedāntadeśikaclassicalB

Prapatti — bhakti's access for those the long path defeatsbetween

9.34Mind on Me, devoted — you reach Me.───→here11.2───→11.54Bhakti without rival is the seeing-instrument.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalF

Saṅgati — anticipation-and-resolutionbetween

9.1Chapter 7's residue of wonder forces 9's disclosure.───→here11.2───→11.54The saguṇa-bhakta privileged ahead of 12.1.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalJ

Sañjaya's frame — evidentiary, not ornamentalbetween

1.2Dṛṣṭvā tu — Sañjaya speaks to be heard later.───→here11.2───→11.50Sañjaya names the viśva-rūpa as witness.

Ekrasmodernbhakti

Bhakti — devotion pathbetween · v2

9.30Even the wrong-doer───→here11.2───→11.54Only by undivided bhakti

RamsukhdasclassicalF

Surrender — the single shelterbetween

9.30Even a great wrongdoer, fixed on Me, is good.───→here11.2───→11.55Five clauses join into one shelter.

Ramsukhdasclassical

Sādhaka Sañjīvanī commentary at this versebetween

───→here11.2───→

Ekrasmodernforgiveness

Forgivenessapproach · other

───→here11.2───→12.13Friendly, compassionate

Gauravmodernkarma_yoga_hand

Karma Yoga Handbetween

9.22Pinky finger. Shraddha, faith. Gaurav lands shraddha with the Sushma Swaraj six-───→here11.2───→11.32Wrist, kalai. Kala, time. 'Kalo'smi loka-kshaya-krit pravriddhah.' Gaurav arrive

ŚaṅkaraclassicalH

The Lord is friend of every beingbetween

10.42With one part I pervade this whole world, and stand.───→here11.2───→11.55Acting for Me, holding Me supreme — that is the road.

Śabda · lemmas (15 unique · 15 occurrences)

श्रुतौ √śru — to hear (verbal root) · nominative masculine dual participle noun
त्वत्तः tvad — you (2nd person pronoun stem) · ablative masculine singular noun

show all 15

भव bhava — becoming, existence, birth (from √bhū) · compound
अप्ययौ apyaya — dissolution, end (apa- + √i) · nominative masculine dual noun
हि hi — for, indeed, because (particle)
भूतानाम् bhūta — being, creature; element; past, gone · genitive neuter plural noun
विस्तरशः vistaraśaḥ — in detail, extensively
मया mad — I, me (1st person pronoun stem); also: to rejoice (verbal root) · instrumental singular noun
कमल kamala — lotus · compound
पत्र pattra — leaf · compound
अक्ष akṣa — axle; eye; die (gambling) · vocative masculine singular noun
माहात्म्यम् māhātmya — greatness, glory (from mahātman) · nominative neuter singular noun
अपि api — also, even, although
च ca — and; (homonym: also the consonant ca)
अव्ययम् avyaya — imperishable (a- + vyaya 'perishable', from vi-√i 'go away') · nominative neuter singular noun

Praśna · so what (7)

01Arjuna says he has heard the teaching 'in detail' (vistaraśaḥ) — what does it mean to truly hear (śravaṇa) rather than merely receive words, and why does he still need to see?
02Five schools hear the phrase 'from you' (tvattaḥ) as cosmological causation; how does each school's interpretation of that causal relationship reshape what Arjuna is actually asking for when he requests the cosmic vision?

show all 7

03Śrīdhara concludes this verse with 'the moha (delusion) that I am the doer has departed' — why would hearing about creation and dissolution dissolve the sense of personal agency?
04Rāmānuja reads hi as marking a transition from hearing to the desire to see (didrīkṣā) — what is the Viśiṣṭādvaita account of why intellectual knowledge of Bhagavān's greatness necessarily generates the impulse toward direct perception?
05Madhusūdana holds that calling Kṛṣṇa kamalapatrākṣa here is an act of preman rather than simple address — what does it reveal about the relationship between aesthetic perception of the beloved and the request for a terrifying cosmic form that follows?
06The māhātmya is described as avyaya (imperishable/inexhaustible) — if Kṛṣṇa's greatness admits no diminution, what is the significance of Arjuna needing to have it confirmed through vision rather than through śravaṇa alone?
07Vallabha compresses the entire verse into the phrase tava mayeti (all of this is yours, by me heard) — how does the Puṣṭi-mārga reading of the universe as vibhūtirūpa (the form of divine glory) rather than external creation change the emotional register of Arjuna's request?

Vyavahāra · try it in your life

Advaita

When you have studied a subject thoroughly and still feel the need to experience it directly — recognize this as the movement from pārokṣa (indirect) to aparokṣa (direct) knowing. The study has not failed; it has done its work by generating the readiness for direct encounter. Do not mistake accumulated information for understanding, nor mistake the gap between them for ignorance.

Viśiṣṭādvaita

After absorbing all that you know about a person — their history, their capacities, their qualities — there comes a point where only presence satisfies. Rāmānuja's hi marks this precisely: what has been heard about Bhagavān's governance of every impulse generates the longing to be in that governance consciously. When information about someone dear accumulates into love, let it move you toward encounter rather than analysis.

show all 6

Dvaita

Dvaita's insistence that the jīva's very arising belongs to Hari's will — not the jīva's own intrinsic power — dissolves the habitual error of treating one's existence as a self-originating fact. In daily life: hold your capacities, opportunities, and continued existence as received rather than owned. This is not passivity; it is accurate accounting of dependence.

Śuddhādvaita

Vallabha reads creation itself as the vibhūti (radiant self-expression) of Kṛṣṇa — not a task performed but a glory manifested. Applied practically: approach your work not as production of something external but as the expression of what is already alive in you. The world you make or shape is the form your inner life takes in the world. Creation and dissolution are both part of that self-expression.

Bhakti

Śrīdhara's conclusion — that hearing the teaching removed the moha of 'I am the doer' — points to a practical threshold. When teaching genuinely lands, the insistence on personal authorship relaxes. Notice when you are clinging to credit or blame for outcomes; this is the moha still operating. The antidote is not suppression but genuine hearing of how causation actually works.

Advaita-Bhakti

Madhusūdana notes that Arjuna's address kamalapatrākṣa is premātiśayāt — an overflow of love, not a formal epithet. In your own relationships, watch for the moment when a name or a face carries more than information — when addressing someone is itself an act of feeling. Madhusūdana is pointing out that this overflow is not distraction from the serious request that follows; it is the ground that makes the request sincere.

Adhiṣṭhāna · substrate signature

substratev2.6-frozen

parserByT5-Sanskrit-multitask (Nehrdich/Hellwig/Keutzer EMNLP 2024)

mūlaBelvalkar critical edition (BORI 1947), via Ambuda multi-witness

show all metadata

weightsa=1 · b=0.01 · e_v=0.005 · z=0.2 · h=0 · th=0.01

anchorfit on Ramsukhdas's Sādhak Sañjīvanī (1980), frozen across the eight-commentator panel; cross-validated R@4 = 71.6% on Śaṅkara

extracted2026-04-21

methodPaper 1, Section II.B

↓ view raw per-verse object (JSON)↗ per-verse-object schema ↗ substrate code (MIT) + data (CC-BY 4.0)

The schema generalizes to any bounded-polysemy corpus with discrete primary text units, attested witness traditions, identifiable schools, and formal substrate. Port the per-verse object; refit weights on a domain-appropriate Layer-3 anchor; ship.

Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 11, Verse 2: Krishna to Arjuna — Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga