Honest fear can coexist with devotion.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
रूपं महत्ते बहुवक्त्रनेत्रंमहाबाहो बहुबाहूरुपादम् |बहूदरं बहुदंष्ट्राकरालंदृष्ट्वा लोकाः प्रव्यथितास्तथाहम् ||११-२३||
rūpaṃ mahatte bahuvaktranetraṃ mahābāho bahubāhūrupādam . bahūdaraṃ bahudaṃṣṭrākarālaṃ dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitāstathāham ||11-23||
Use this verse when devotion includes fear.
Meaning
Seeing Your great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs, feet, bellies, and terrible teeth, the worlds are shaken, and so am I.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The Vishvarupa overwhelms even Arjuna.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
The Divine vision is too vast for ordinary emotional control. Arjuna honestly admits fear, which makes his devotion real and human.
Read the traditional commentary
The tone shifts decisively toward terror. Where earlier verses spoke of ornaments and radiance, Arjuna now fixes on the fearsome — the bahu-damstra-karalam, the form made dreadful with many gaping teeth. The same multiplicity that was wondrous becomes frightening when the eye falls on what those mouths might do.
The most honest words come at the very end: pravyathitah, the worlds are terrified, tatha aham — 'and so am I'. Arjuna no longer hides behind describing the reactions of others; he confesses his own dread. This is a crucial moment of spiritual honesty.
He had asked to see the cosmic form, imagining glory; he now meets the part of Reality that devours, and admits his fear plainly. The Gita does not shame this fear. It shows that the path to the highest truth passes through encounter with what overwhelms us — and that naming our terror honestly is itself a form of courage.
In daily life
Do not hide fear from Krishna; bring it to Him.
A person feeling scared during major life change can pray honestly instead of pretending confidence.
Try this today
Write one fear as a prayer.
I bring my fear honestly to Krishna.Reflect
What fear do I need to bring to Krishna?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘बहुबाहूरुपादम्’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on honesty, in other chapters
- Verse 6.33 · ArjunaIt is honest to admit that the restless mind makes a steady spiritual state seem impossible to sustain.
- Verse 2.35A defining moment of cowardice can undo the credit of a lifetime of courage — meet your critical hour with the same standard you have set for yourself all along.
- Verse 10.33The Divine is the everlasting Time and all-seeing sustainer from whom nothing in the cosmos is ever hidden.
- Verse 18.77 · SanjayaRemembering the majesty of the Divine fills the heart with wonder and recurring joy.
Swipe left for 11.24 · Great truth can shake before it heals.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.23
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.23, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 11.23, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.23 mean?
Seeing Your great form with many mouths and eyes, many arms, thighs, feet, bellies, and terrible teeth, the worlds are shaken, and so am I. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.23 for daily life?
Do not hide fear from Krishna; bring it to Him. A person feeling scared during major life change can pray honestly instead of pretending confidence.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.23 mean?
रूपम् महत् ते — Your immense form; बहुवक्त्रनेत्रम् — with many mouths and eyes; महाबाहो — O mighty-armed one; बहुबाहूरुपादम् — with many arms, thighs and feet; बहूदरम् — with many stomachs.
Where does verse 11.23 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 23 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.24.