All sacred orders are contained in Krishna.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
अर्जुन उवाच |पश्यामि देवांस्तव देव देहेसर्वांस्तथा भूतविशेषसङ्घान् |ब्रह्माणमीशं कमलासनस्थ-मृषींश्च सर्वानुरगांश्च दिव्यान् ||११-१५||
arjuna uvāca . paśyāmi devāṃstava deva dehe sarvāṃstathā bhūtaviśeṣasaṅghān . brahmāṇamīśaṃ kamalāsanasthaṃ ṛṣīṃśca sarvānuragāṃśca divyān ||11-15||
Use this verse for cosmic inclusion reflection.
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Divine One, I see all gods in Your body, hosts of beings, Brahma seated on the lotus, all sages, and divine serpents.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna begins describing the cosmic contents of Krishna’s form.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Arjuna sees that every divine category, every being, and every sacred order is contained within Krishna. This vision confirms that Krishna is not one object inside the universe; the universe is contained in Him.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna at last finds words, and they begin with pasyami — 'I see'. He inventories the vision: all the gods, every class of being, Brahma the creator seated upon his lotus, the great rishis, the celestial serpents. The entire hierarchy of existence, from the highest creative power downward, appears within the one body of the Lord.
The placement of Brahma here is striking. In the cosmology of the tradition, Brahma is the creator of the worlds — yet even he is contained within Krishna, born from Him as the lotus springs from Vishnu's navel. This dissolves any rivalry among the divine forms men worship.
They are all gathered in the source. For the seeker who has ever wondered which deity is supreme, Arjuna's vision answers: all of them dwell within the one infinite Reality, and that Reality is what now stands revealed before him.
In daily life
See all spiritual traditions and beings within the larger Divine reality.
A seeker can respect many sacred beings while keeping Krishna as the universal center.
Try this today
Reflect on one area of life as contained in Krishna.
Everything sacred rests in Krishna.Reflect
Do I see Krishna as part of life or life as held in Krishna?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘ब्रह्माणम् ईशम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on creation, in other chapters
- Verse 7.6All that is born and all that dissolves rests in the one Source — so meet creation and loss alike with steady trust.
- Verse 13.17The one undivided Self only appears as countless separate beings — beneath the many, all is one.
- Verse 14.4All beings, in every form of life, share one universal mother and one divine father — which makes every creature kin.
- Verse 10.23No realm of existence stands outside the Divine — the foremost in each reveals one face of the one Lord.
Swipe left for 11.16 · Krishna is beyond all limits.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.15
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.15, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 11.15, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.15 mean?
Arjuna said: O Divine One, I see all gods in Your body, hosts of beings, Brahma seated on the lotus, all sages, and divine serpents. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.15 for daily life?
See all spiritual traditions and beings within the larger Divine reality. A seeker can respect many sacred beings while keeping Krishna as the universal center.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.15 mean?
पश्यामि — I see; देवान् — the gods; तव देव देहे — in Your body, O Lord; सर्वान् — all; भूतविशेषसङ्घान् — hosts of various classes of beings.
Where does verse 11.15 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 15 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.16.