Chapter 9, Verse 11
अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम् | परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम् ||९-११||
avajānanti māṃ mūḍhā mānuṣīṃ tanumāśritam . paraṃ bhāvamajānanto mama bhūtamaheśvaram ||9-11||
Meaning
9.11 Fools disregard Me, clad in human form, not knowing My higher Being as the great Lord of (all) beings.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna turns to a human failing: the deluded (mudha) see only his outward human form and so look down on him, blind to his para-bhava, the supreme reality he truly is — the maheshvara, great Lord of all beings. They mistake the visible garment for the wearer, the limited appearance for the limitless presence within.
The teaching extends beyond Krishna's own person. We habitually judge by surfaces, dismissing the sacred when it comes clothed in the ordinary. The Divine often appears in humble, unremarkable forms — and our cleverness can blind us to it. Reverence requires looking past appearance to essence. To honour the deeper reality behind every form, especially the most modest, is the mark of wisdom; to scorn it for its plain exterior is the mark of delusion.
💡 Key Takeaway
Do not judge the sacred by its outward appearance; the divine often comes clothed in the humble and ordinary.
Related Verses
मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः | राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ||९-१२||
moghāśā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥ . rākṣasīmāsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ ||9-12||
9.12 Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge and senseless, they verily are possessed of the deceitful nature of demons and undivine beings.