You are the father of this world, of the moving and the unmoving. You are the supreme guru, and there is none equal to You. How could anyone be superior?
Therefore, bowing down and prostrating my body, I seek Your mercy, O adorable Lord. As a father forgives a son, a friend forgives a dear friend, or a lover forgives a beloved, O God, please forgive me.
I rejoice seeing Your universal form that I had never seen before, but my mind is also tormented with fear. Show me, O God of gods, Your four-armed form again.
O thousand-armed one, I desire to see You again in Your four-armed form with a crown, a mace, and a discus in Your hand.
The Blessed Lord said: Out of compassion for you, O Arjuna, I have revealed My universal form through My divine power. It is an infinite, effulgent, and original form that no one has seen before.
Arjuna’s desire to see Krishna’s four-armed form reflects the human need for an approachable aspect of divinity. It signifies a transition from awe and fear of the universal form to devotion and comfort in a familiar divine image.
Not through the Vedas, austerities, charity, or sacrifices can I be seen in this universal form by anyone other than you, O Arjuna.
Krishna reveals the uniqueness of the experience granted to Arjuna, emphasizing that such divine visions are rare and beyond the reach of ordinary perception, even for celestial beings or those with extensive spiritual practice.
Do not be disturbed or bewildered by seeing this terrible form of Mine. With a fearless and joyful heart, behold My human form again.
The assurance that austerities, rituals, or sacrifices alone cannot lead to such visions highlights the indispensability of grace and devotion. Krishna underscores that witnessing divinity requires both effort and divine favor.
