Chapter 11, Verse 4
मन्यसे यदि तच्छक्यं मया द्रष्टुमिति प्रभो | योगेश्वर ततो मे त्वं दर्शयात्मानमव्ययम् ||११-४||
manyase yadi tacchakyaṃ mayā draṣṭumiti prabho . yogeśvara tato me tvaṃ darśayātmānamavyayam ||11-4||
Meaning
11.4 If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for me to see it, do Thou, then, O Lord of the Yogins, show me Thy imperishable Self.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Arjuna's request, though intense, is wrapped in humility. He does not demand; he says manyase yadi — 'if You consider' it possible for one such as me to behold this. He leaves the judgement entirely to Krishna, recognising that the vision can only be granted, never seized.
He addresses Krishna as Yogesvara, Lord of all yoga, the master of every mystic power, and asks to see the avyaya atman — the imperishable Self. This phrasing shows discernment: Arjuna does not crave a spectacle but the deathless reality behind the changing world. The lesson here is the balance of bold aspiration and surrender. We may ask for the highest, yet we ask it on the Divine's terms, trusting that what is given, and when, is exactly what we are ready to receive. Reverent receptivity, not entitlement, is the key that opens the vision.
💡 Key Takeaway
Ask for the highest with bold longing, yet leave the granting humbly to the Divine's wisdom.
Related Verses
एवमेतद्यथात्थ त्वमात्मानं परमेश्वर | द्रष्टुमिच्छामि ते रूपमैश्वरं पुरुषोत्तम ||११-३||
evametadyathāttha tvamātmānaṃ parameśvara . draṣṭumicchāmi te rūpamaiśvaraṃ puruṣottama ||11-3||
11.3 (Now) O Supreme Lord, as Thou hast thus described Thyself, O Supreme Person, I wish to see Thy divine form.
सञ्जय उवाच | एवमुक्त्वा ततो राजन्महायोगेश्वरो हरिः | दर्शयामास पार्थाय परमं रूपमैश्वरम् ||११-९||
sañjaya uvāca . evamuktvā tato rājanmahāyogeśvaro hariḥ . darśayāmāsa pārthāya paramaṃ rūpamaiśvaram ||11-9||
11.9 Sanjaya said Having thus spoken, O king, the great Lord of Yoga, hari (Krishna), showed to Arjuna His supreme form as the Lord.
ततः स विस्मयाविष्टो हृष्टरोमा धनञ्जयः | प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृताञ्जलिरभाषत ||११-१४||
tataḥ sa vismayāviṣṭo hṛṣṭaromā dhanañjayaḥ . praṇamya śirasā devaṃ kṛtāñjalirabhāṣata ||11-14||
11.14 Then, Arjuna, filled with wonder and with his hair standing on end, bowed down his head to the God and spoke with joined palms.