Chapter 11, Verse 40
नमः पुरस्तादथ पृष्ठतस्ते नमोऽस्तु ते सर्वत एव सर्व | अनन्तवीर्यामितविक्रमस्त्वं सर्वं समाप्नोषि ततोऽसि सर्वः ||११-४०||
namaḥ purastādatha pṛṣṭhataste namo.astu te sarvata eva sarva . anantavīryāmitavikramastvaṃ sarvaṃ samāpnoṣi tato.asi sarvaḥ ||11-40||
Meaning
11.40 Salutations to Thee, in front and behind! Salutations to Thee on every side! O All!! Thou infinite in power and prowess, pervadest all; wherefore Thou art all.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Arjuna's adoration becomes total, encircling the Divine from every direction: namah purastat, salutations in front; prsthatah, behind; sarvatah eva, from every side. He addresses Krishna simply as Sarva — 'O All' — for there is no place where the Divine is not. The worshipper turns and bows, and turns and bows again, until all directions are filled with reverence.
The verse culminates in one of the Gita's grandest declarations: sarvam samapnosi tatah asi sarvah — 'You pervade everything, therefore You are everything.' This is not vague pantheism but a precise recognition born of direct vision. Because the Divine penetrates and fills all that exists, all that exists is ultimately the Divine. Arjuna has arrived at the heart of the cosmic teaching. The fear of earlier verses has fully transformed into encircling love. To bow in every direction is to acknowledge that wherever we turn, in front or behind, we stand in the presence of the One who is all.
💡 Key Takeaway
The Divine pervades all that exists; wherever we turn, we stand in the presence of the One who is everything.
Related Verses
भवाप्ययौ हि भूतानां श्रुतौ विस्तरशो मया | त्वत्तः कमलपत्राक्ष माहात्म्यमपि चाव्ययम् ||११-२||
bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṃ śrutau vistaraśo mayā . tvattaḥ kamalapatrākṣa māhātmyamapi cāvyayam ||11-2||
11.2 The origin and the destruction of beings verily have been heard by me in detail from Thee, O lotus-eyed Lord, and also Thy inexhaustible greatness.
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.
पश्यादित्यान्वसून्रुद्रानश्विनौ मरुतस्तथा | बहून्यदृष्टपूर्वाणि पश्याश्चर्याणि भारत ||११-६||
paśyādityānvasūnrudrānaśvinau marutastathā . bahūnyadṛṣṭapūrvāṇi paśyāścaryāṇi bhārata ||11-6||
11.6 Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Asvins and also the Maruts; behold many wonders never seen before, O Arjuna.