Krishna includes all levels of existence.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
रुद्रादित्या वसवो ये च साध्याविश्वेऽश्विनौ मरुतश्चोष्मपाश्च |गन्धर्वयक्षासुरसिद्धसङ्घावीक्षन्ते त्वां विस्मिताश्चैव सर्वे ||११-२२||
rudrādityā vasavo ye ca sādhyā viśve.aśvinau marutaścoṣmapāśca . gandharvayakṣāsurasiddhasaṅghā vīkṣante tvāṃ vismitāścaiva sarve ||11-22||
Use this verse to expand cosmic vision.
Meaning
Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvedevas, Ashvins, Maruts, ancestors, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas all behold You in amazement.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
All cosmic orders behold Krishna with amazement.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Arjuna lists many categories of beings to show that no realm is outside Krishna’s universal presence. The vision includes all orders, not only one group.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna names the full assembly of celestial orders — Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, the Visvedevas, the Asvins, Maruts, the ancestral manes, and the hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras and Siddhas. From the loftiest deities to the demons, every order of being throughout the three worlds is gathered as witness to the cosmic form.
The single uniting word is vismitah — amazed. Whatever their nature, gentle or fierce, divine or demonic, all are struck with the same wonder. The universality is the teaching.
The vision of the Infinite does not belong to one favoured class; it overwhelms every kind of being equally. Before the boundless Reality, the distinctions we cling to — higher and lower, friend and foe, holy and unholy — fall silent. All are reduced to the same posture of astonished gazing, for the truth that confronts them is greater than any category the cosmos can hold.
In daily life
Avoid narrow spirituality; see Divine presence across creation.
A person can respect varied traditions and beings while keeping Krishna as the universal center.
Try this today
Expand one narrow belief with humility.
Krishna’s presence includes all creation.Reflect
Where is my spiritual view too narrow?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘विश्वे अश्विनौ’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on universality, in other chapters
- Verse 9.32The highest spiritual goal is open to absolutely everyone; sincere refuge in the Divine, not birth or status, is the only qualification.
- Verse 10.23No realm of existence stands outside the Divine — the foremost in each reveals one face of the one Lord.
- Verse 18.77 · SanjayaRemembering the majesty of the Divine fills the heart with wonder and recurring joy.
Swipe left for 11.23 · Honest fear can coexist with devotion.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.22
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.22, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 11.22, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.22 mean?
Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvedevas, Ashvins, Maruts, ancestors, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas all behold You in amazement. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.22 for daily life?
Avoid narrow spirituality; see Divine presence across creation. A person can respect varied traditions and beings while keeping Krishna as the universal center.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.22 mean?
रुद्रादित्याः — the Rudras and Adityas; वसवः — the Vasus; ये च साध्याः — and those Sadhyas; विश्वे अश्विनौ — the Visvedevas and the two Asvins; मरुतः च ऊष्मपाः च — the Maruts and the manes (drinkers of vapour).
Where does verse 11.22 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 22 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.23.