Knowledge should mature into realization.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
भवाप्ययौ हि भूतानां श्रुतौ विस्तरशो मया |त्वत्तः कमलपत्राक्ष माहात्म्यमपि चाव्ययम् ||११-२||
bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṃ śrutau vistaraśo mayā . tvattaḥ kamalapatrākṣa māhātmyamapi cāvyayam ||11-2||
Use this verse to move from study to realization.
Meaning
O lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the origin and dissolution of beings and Your imperishable greatness.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna has heard the cosmic teaching and now seeks direct vision.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Hearing is the first step; seeing and realizing are deeper steps. Arjuna’s request shows that wisdom should mature from information into lived awe.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna summarises what he has absorbed: the bhava and apyaya — the coming-into-being and the dissolution — of all creatures, explained vistarasah, in full detail. He has also heard of Krishna's mahatmyam, glory, described as avyayam, inexhaustible and never diminishing.
The tender address kamala-patraksa, 'lotus-eyed', is significant. Even as Arjuna prepares to ask for the cosmic vision, he still speaks to Krishna as the gentle, beautiful friend beside him on the chariot. This holds a deep truth: the same reality is both intimately personal and infinitely vast.
We do not lose the nearness of the Divine by recognising its immensity. Arjuna's words model the right posture of a student — first receiving teaching attentively, then letting genuine understanding ripen into longing for something more direct.
In daily life
Move from hearing wisdom to experiencing its meaning.
A person who reads about impermanence may later reflect deeply during a life transition.
Try this today
Choose one teaching and meditate on it for three minutes.
I let knowledge become realization.Reflect
What have I heard but not yet realized?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘विस्तरशः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on dissolution, 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 8.18All forms arise from and return to an unseen source in an endless rhythm, so hold the changing world lightly.
- Verse 9.7Creation moves in vast cycles of dissolution and renewal — what looks like an ending is a return to source, never true loss.
- Verse 4.4 · ArjunaSincere questioning, free of both blind acceptance and cynical dismissal, is the doorway to deeper understanding.
Swipe left for 11.3 · True seeing follows trust and readiness.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.2
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.2, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 11.2, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.2 mean?
O lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the origin and dissolution of beings and Your imperishable greatness. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.2 for daily life?
Move from hearing wisdom to experiencing its meaning. A person who reads about impermanence may later reflect deeply during a life transition.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.2 mean?
भवाप्ययौ — origin and dissolution; हि — verily / indeed; भूतानाम् — of (all) beings; श्रुतौ — have been heard; विस्तरशः — in detail / at length.
Where does verse 11.2 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 2 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.3.