BG 11.25 — Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 11.25Chapter 11 · Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · upajāti

दंष्ट्राकरालानि च ते मुखानि । दृष्ट्वैव कालानलसन्निभानि । दिशो न जाने न लभे च शर्म । प्रसीद देवेश जगन्निवास ॥

daṃṣṭrākarālāni ca te mukhāni

dṛṣṭvaiva kālānalasannibhāni

diśo na jāne na labhe ca śarma

prasīda deveśa jagannivāsa

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

meaning

Your fang-filled mouths blaze like the fire of dissolution, and at the sight of them I lose all sense of direction and find no comfort. Be gracious, Lord of gods, abode of the world.

ekras · bhāṣya

Seeing Your fang-filled mouths blazing like the kala-anala — dissolution-fire — I do not know the directions, find no comfort. Be gracious, deva-isha, jagat-nivasa. The verse is the disciple's plea. Kala-anala — the fire of dissolution — is the precise image. The mouths are the form's most terrible aspect; the disciple cannot orient.

Shankara reads the verse precisely. Damshtra-karala — fang-fearsome — mukhani: the form's mouths. Kala-anala-sam-nibhani — like the dissolution-fire that comes at the end of the world. Seeing them, the disciple loses disha — direction itself — and finds no sharma — comfort, refuge. The plea prasida — be gracious — invokes Krishna's two related roles: deva-isha — lord of the gods — and jagat-nivasa — abode of the world.

Madhusudana reads the verse as the bhakta's honest naming of the kala-anala that the form is showing. The chapter is now directly approaching what 11.32 will state explicitly: I am Time, the destroyer of the world. The disciple is receiving the full scope of the rupa's terrible aspect.

Ramanuja reads with characteristic pathos: the address jagat-nivasa is precise — Krishna is the world's dwelling-place; the disciple appeals to that very role to ask for mercy.

Madhva reads on the bheda-frame: kala-anala is svatantra Hari's manifest dissolution-power.

Vallabha reads through pushti-marga: the bhakta's plea for prasada is itself the prasada's response.

Shridhara reads cleanly: dissolution-fire mouths, lost orientation, prasida invocation.

Context

where

Chapter 11 · Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga · meter upajāti

who speaks

Krishna → Arjuna

preceded by — BG 11.24

Seeing you blazing, sky-high, many-colored, with vast mouths open wide and enormous burning eyes, my inner self shakes, O Viṣṇu. I find no steadiness in me, no peace.

What's going on

Your fang-filled mouths blaze like the fire of dissolution, and at the sight of them I lose all sense of direction and find no comfort. Be gracious, Lord of gods, abode of the world.

Sūtras through this verse (46)

AbhinavaguptaclassicalA

Knowing and acting are one powerbetween

11.18Sat names the union of the two powers.───→here11.25───→11.34Already slain — the question is finally retired.

RāmānujaclassicalB

The śāstra is one bracket (2.12 → 18.66)between

11.1Arjuna confirms the bracket from inside.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→11.55Grace-soul acts only when the Lord wills.

show all 46

AbhinavaguptaclassicalB

Recognition, not additionbetween

11.1Now: experience what was taught.───→here11.25───→11.55See the world as Śiva's own body.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalC

Vision is the structural centerbetween

11.8The eye is given, never earned by work.───→here11.25───→11.49Cosmic returns to gracious; ananya means non-dual.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalD

Avatāra: appearance without departurebetween

9.4He pervades, yet is not in any of it.───→here11.25───→11.46Cosmic and gracious one self-luminous.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalG

Saṃvit: one referent under many namesbetween

8.3Brahman, ātman, all facets of one Lord.───→here11.25───→11.34Consciousness itself swallows the cosmos.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalH

Bhakti as non-dual recognitionbetween

9.22Consciousness tending its own self-knowing modes.───→here11.25───→11.49Ananya bhakti is non-dual recognition.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalI

Anugraha: grace as the active powerbetween

11.8The eye is given; seeing is grace.───→here11.25───→11.35By grace-nature, the secret discloses itself.

RāmānujaclassicalC

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

11.1The aiśvarya-delusion now to be removed.───→here11.25───→12.1Sa-guṇa or nir-guṇa, which path wins?

RāmānujaclassicalD

Karma-yoga as kainkarya (worship)between

9.27Whatever you do, do it as offering.───→here11.25───→11.55Five clauses, one shelter: mat-karma-kṛt.

RāmānujaclassicalE

Bhakti as continuous recollectionbetween

10.10I give the buddhi-yoga to those who love.───→here11.25───→11.54Undivided love beholds it.

RāmānujaclassicalH

Prapatti / śaraṇāgati — universal upāyabetween

9.32Even the lowest birth reaches Me through this.───→here11.25───→11.55Five clauses for the one who is Mine.

RāmānujaclassicalI

Vibhūti as evidence for antaryāminbetween

11.13Arjuna sees all at once.───→here11.25───→13.2The whole vibhūti clinches sāmānādhikaraṇya.

RāmānujaclassicalJ

Śeṣa-śeṣī · pati-vrata similebetween

9.34Set toward Me, the seeker's whole posture.───→here11.25───→11.55He is the one telos.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalE

Field and field-knower as Parameśvaraapproach

───→here11.25───→13.1One knower in every field — Parameśvara.

RāmānujaclassicalK

Tri-guṇa diagnostic for the bhaktaapproach

───→here11.25───→13.20Both natures cause the body's binding.

Madhusūdanaclassicalmadhusudan_bhagavad_arpana

Madhusudan Bhagavad Arpanabetween · other

9.22Yogakshema as offering returned───→here11.25───→11.55Five offering-clauses

MadhusūdanaclassicalD

Offer the act to the Lord and it stops bindingbetween

9.22The undivided ones the Lord himself sustains.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→18.73Confusion gone, memory gained — the cure complete.

JayatīrthaclassicalC

Refuting Śaṅkara-style readings, named or unnamedbetween

11.16Aneka- is not just two-or-more.───→here11.25───→13.5Brahma-sūtra is text, not just utterance.

JayatīrthaclassicalE

Vishnu-sarvottamatva read into apparently neutral wordsbetween

11.16Many-armed is Viṣṇu, not a pantheon.───→here11.25───→12.1Beyond avyakta is puruṣa, and Viṣṇu.

JayatīrthaclassicalF

Bhakti-tāratamya: gradation among devotees, gradation in fruitbetween

9.25Each worship reaches its own destination.───→here11.25───→11.55Five-clause sādhana names the apex.

JayatīrthaclassicalG

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

11.16Aṣṭādhyāyī 5.4.78 settles aneka-.───→here11.25───→15.1Aṣṭādhyāyī 3.2.4 settles aśvattha.

JayatīrthaclassicalI

Lakṣaṇā-control — literal preferred when availablebetween

11.16Aneka- means many; no upacāra needed.───→here11.25───→13.5Brahma-sūtra is text, not paraphrase.

VallabhaclassicalB

Grace alone — the technical markbetween

9.32The unsheltered take shelter and reach Me.───→here11.25───→11.54Undivided love — sādhana stripped, grace-clothed.

VallabhaclassicalG

The Lord plays — calf-affection, not contractbetween

9.32The unsheltered run to their cowherd-Lord.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→11.54Vision opens only to the love-stilled mind.

VallabhaclassicalI

A closed three-source citation gridbetween

9.32Even the unsheltered reach the highest goal.───→here11.25───→11.54Bhāgavata + Brahmasūtra fuse at the vision-verse.

VallabhaclassicalJ

Strategic silence — pointers, not absencesbetween

11.21The cosmic-form catalogue is bracketed.───→here11.25───→11.45The frame, not the catalogue, carries the doctrine.

ŚrīdharaclassicalB

The Lord descends out of compassionbetween

11.1By high compassion He showed the world-form.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→11.54By undivided love alone — knowable, seen.

ŚrīdharaclassicalH

The grammar of single-pointednessbetween

9.22The undivided are my one foundation.───→here11.25───→11.54Undivided love alone unlocks the world-form.

ŚrīdharaclassicalD

The path that turns no one awayexit

9.32Women, śūdras, all, also reach the goal.───→here11.25───→

VedāntadeśikaclassicalB

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

9.34Mind on Me, devoted — you reach Me.───→here11.25───→11.54Bhakti without rival is the seeing-instrument.

VedāntadeśikaclassicalF

Saṅgati — anticipation-and-resolutionbetween

9.1Chapter 7's residue of wonder forces 9's disclosure.───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→11.50Sañjaya names the viśva-rūpa as witness.

Ekrasmodernbhakti

Bhakti — devotion pathbetween · v2

9.30Even the wrong-doer───→here11.25───→11.54Only by undivided bhakti

RamsukhdasclassicalF

Surrender — the single shelterbetween

9.30Even a great wrongdoer, fixed on Me, is good.───→here11.25───→11.55Five clauses join into one shelter.

Ramsukhdasclassical

Sādhaka Sañjīvanī commentary at this versebetween

───→here11.25───→

Ekrasmodernforgiveness

Forgivenessapproach · other

───→here11.25───→12.13Friendly, compassionate

Gauravmodernkarma_yoga_hand

Karma Yoga Handbetween

9.22Pinky finger. Shraddha, faith. Gaurav lands shraddha with the Sushma Swaraj six-───→here11.25───→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.───→here11.25───→11.55Acting for Me, holding Me supreme — that is the road.

Śabda · lemmas (20 unique · 22 occurrences)

मुखानि mukha — face, mouth; gateway · accusative neuter plural noun
देवेश deveśa — Lord of gods (deva + īśa) · vocative masculine singular noun · also at 11.37, 11.45
करालानि karāla — terrible, formidable, gaping · accusative neuter plural noun
जाने √jñā — to know (verbal root) · present indicative 1st person singular verb
शर्म śarman — shelter, refuge, joy · accusative neuter singular noun
प्रसीद pra-√sad — to be gracious, become clear (pra- + √sad) · present imperative 2nd person singular verb
निवास nivāsa — dwelling, abode (ni- + √vas 'dwell') · vocative masculine singular noun · also at 9.16, 9.17, 9.18, 11.37, 11.45

show all 20

च ca ×2 — and; (homonym: also the consonant ca)
न na ×2 — not (negation particle)
कस्मात् kasmāt — from what cause? why? (abl. of ka)
दंष्ट्रा daṃṣṭra — tooth, fang (from √daṃś 'bite') · compound
ते tvad — you (2nd person pronoun stem) · genitive singular noun
दृष्ट्वा dṛś — to see (verbal root) · conv
एव eva — indeed, truly, only (emphatic particle)
काल kāla — time; death; the appropriate time · compound
अनल anala — fire (Agni) · compound
संनिभानि saṃnibha — resembling, like (sam- + nibha) · accusative neuter plural noun
दिशः diś — direction, quarter; to point out (verbal root) · accusative feminine plural noun
लभे √labh — to obtain, get (verbal root) · present indicative 1st person singular verb
जगन् jagant — the world, the moving (universe) · compound

Praśna · so what (6)

01What is the difference between being disoriented by something terrible and being disoriented by something overwhelmingly real — and which is happening to Arjuna here?
02Arjuna loses both direction and comfort (sarma) simultaneously: can genuine peace coexist with an honest encounter with reality's full scale, or must comfort always be a kind of narrowing?

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03The plea 'prasida' is addressed to the very source of the terror — what does it mean to ask your disruption for shelter, and when in your own life have you done this?
04Each school reads Arjuna's helplessness differently: as ego-dissolution (Advaita), as entry into prapatti (Viśiṣṭādvaita), as jiva-paratantrya (Dvaita), as lila-pedagogy (Śuddhādvaita) — which reading most honestly names what overwhelm actually feels like to you?
05Madhusudana notes that even the vision of the beloved form fails to bring joy in this state — what does it mean when the thing you most love becomes temporarily inaccessible through its own excess?
06If the cosmic fire of dissolution (kala-nala) is not an enemy but the Lord's own action, what changes about how you relate to endings, losses, and destructions in your own life?

Vyavahāra · try it in your life

Advaita

When a crisis — illness, betrayal, sudden loss — strips away your familiar coordinates and you genuinely do not know which way to turn, that disorientation is not a malfunction. It is the empirical ego (ahamkara) losing its grip on the map it built. The Advaita practice is to resist the reflex to immediately rebuild orientation, and instead rest briefly in the groundlessness — which is, in that school's terms, the nearest most people ever get to the recognition of pure awareness.

Viśiṣṭādvaita

When the scale of something — a climate report, a medical diagnosis, a historical atrocity — makes you feel that no personal effort could be adequate, Ramanuja's reading suggests: that feeling of inadequacy is not paralysis but accurate perception. The Viśiṣṭādvaita response is to turn toward the one who holds the whole — in practice, this might mean moving from anxious personal strategizing into surrender-shaped action: doing what is yours to do while releasing the outcome to the whole system you are embedded in.

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Dvaita

Madhva's framework insists that the jiva cannot rescue itself from anything ultimately important — the rescue is the Lord's to give. In daily terms: there are crises where every technique and effort genuinely hits a wall. The Dvaita practice is to recognize that wall honestly (not as failure but as correct perception of one's paratantrya, dependence) and then to petition — to actually ask, in prayer or in the world, for help rather than grinding alone.

Śuddhādvaita

Vallabha's lila-lens reads terror as the stripping of false supports so that only Krsna-love remains. The everyday application: when everything you were relying on — reputation, health, a relationship, a plan — is removed, the Pustimarga practitioner is trained to notice what is still present after the removal. That residue of orientation toward the Beloved, however faint, is what the overwhelming experience was clearing space for.

Bhakti

Sridhara's brevity here teaches something practical: in states of bhaya-avesa (fear-possession), elaborate analysis is not available and is not needed. The bhakta's resource is the reflex — 'prasida,' 'be gracious to me' — directed at whatever is ultimate for that person. Building that reflex in calm times (through japa, prayer, practice) is what makes it available when orientation collapses.

Advaita-Bhakti

Madhusudana's observation that even the beloved's form can temporarily block its own joy points to a mature devotional reality: there are moments when the very depth of your love or awe becomes inaccessible to you, blocked by the overwhelming scale of what you love. The practice is not to force the joy but to do exactly what Arjuna does — name the blockage honestly ('I cannot find comfort even in your presence') and ask the relationship itself to restore what the relationship has disrupted.

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 25: Krishna to Arjuna — Viśvarūpa-Darśana-Yoga