Divine power is radiant and immeasurable.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रिणं चतेजोराशिं सर्वतो दीप्तिमन्तम् |पश्यामि त्वां दुर्निरीक्ष्यं समन्ताद्दीप्तानलार्कद्युतिमप्रमेयम् ||११-१७||
kirīṭinaṃ gadinaṃ cakriṇaṃ ca tejorāśiṃ sarvato dīptimantam . paśyāmi tvāṃ durnirīkṣyaṃ samantād dīptānalārkadyutimaprameyam ||11-17||
Use this verse for protective Krishna visualization.
Meaning
I see You crowned, with mace and discus, a mass of radiance shining everywhere, difficult to behold, blazing like fire and sun, immeasurable.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna’s form is radiant, majestic, and immeasurable.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Arjuna’s vision combines royal majesty, divine weapons, and unbearable radiance. The Divine is not only gentle; He is also protective, powerful, and beyond measurement.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna sees the recognisable emblems of Vishnu — the kirita (crown), the gada (mace), the cakra (discus) — yet they are set within a tejo-rasim, a mass of pure radiance shining on every side. The familiar and the overwhelming meet: the form he knows as Krishna is wrapped in light beyond bearing.
The key word turns now to difficulty: durniriksyam, 'hard to look upon', blazing like fire and sun together, aprameyam, immeasurable. The wonder of the earlier verses begins to shade into strain. Arjuna can no longer simply admire; the vision is becoming too much for even the divine eye to rest upon.
This is a subtle truth of the spiritual path. The fullness of the Divine, when it draws near, is not always soothing. Its glory can scorch as much as it can soothe, and the seeker must be prepared to meet not only beauty but a brilliance that tests the very capacity to behold it.
In daily life
Respect Krishna’s power, not only His sweetness.
A devotee may pray to Krishna as friend, but also remember Him as the protector of dharma.
Try this today
Meditate on Krishna’s protective radiance.
Krishna’s light protects and guides me.Reflect
Do I allow Krishna to be powerful, not only comforting?
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Quick check
What does ‘दीप्तानलार्कद्युतिम्’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on splendour, in other chapters
Swipe left for 11.18 · Krishna is the eternal support of dharma.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.17
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.17, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 11.17, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.17 mean?
I see You crowned, with mace and discus, a mass of radiance shining everywhere, difficult to behold, blazing like fire and sun, immeasurable. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.17 for daily life?
Respect Krishna’s power, not only His sweetness. A devotee may pray to Krishna as friend, but also remember Him as the protector of dharma.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.17 mean?
किरीटिनम् — with a diadem / crown; गदिनम् — with a mace; चक्रिणम् — with a discus; तेजोराशिम् — a mass of radiance; सर्वतः दीप्तिमन्तम् — shining on all sides.
Where does verse 11.17 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 17 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.18.