The Divine is beautiful, vast, and powerful.
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra
अनेकवक्त्रनयनमनेकाद्भुतदर्शनम् |अनेकदिव्याभरणं दिव्यानेकोद्यतायुधम् ||११-१०||
anekavaktranayanamanekādbhutadarśanam . anekadivyābharaṇaṃ divyānekodyatāyudham ||11-10||
Use this verse for awe-based visualization.
Meaning
The form had many mouths and eyes, many wondrous visions, many divine ornaments, and many raised divine weapons.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The Vishvarupa appears vast, wondrous, beautiful, and powerful.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
The divine form is not one-dimensional. It contains beauty and power, wonder and protection, multiplicity and unity. People can contemplate the Divine beyond simplistic comfort.
Read the traditional commentary
Sanjaya begins to describe the indescribable, and the word that dominates is aneka — 'numerous', repeated again and again. The form has countless mouths and eyes, countless marvels, countless divine ornaments, countless raised weapons. Language strains under the weight of infinity; all it can do is multiply.
The imagery holds a tension that will deepen as the chapter unfolds. The divya-abharana, divine ornaments, speak of glory and beauty; the udyata-ayudha, weapons held aloft, hint at terror and the power to destroy. From the very first description, the cosmic form unites splendour and dread.
This is honest spirituality. The Reality that sustains all things is also the Reality that consumes them; creation and dissolution belong to the same source. To behold the Divine fully is to see that its beauty and its fierceness are not contradictions but one undivided truth.
In daily life
Respect both the comforting and awe-inspiring sides of God.
A seeker may need Krishna as friend and also Krishna as cosmic power.
Try this today
Reflect on one powerful aspect of Krishna.
I honor Krishna’s wondrous power.Reflect
Do I allow God to be bigger than my comfort?
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Quick check
What does ‘अनेकाद्भुतदर्शनम्’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on awe, in other chapters
Swipe left for 11.11 · Wonder opens the heart to the infinite.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.10
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.10, and to whom?
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra in verse 11.10, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.10 mean?
The form had many mouths and eyes, many wondrous visions, many divine ornaments, and many raised divine weapons. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.10 for daily life?
Respect both the comforting and awe-inspiring sides of God. A seeker may need Krishna as friend and also Krishna as cosmic power.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.10 mean?
अनेकवक्त्रनयनम् — with many mouths and eyes; अनेकाद्भुतदर्शनम् — with many wonderful sights; अनेकदिव्याभरणम् — with many divine ornaments; दिव्यानेकोद्यतायुधम् — with many divine uplifted weapons.
Where does verse 11.10 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 10 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.11.