When direction is lost, ask for grace.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
दंष्ट्राकरालानि च ते मुखानिदृष्ट्वैव कालानलसन्निभानि |दिशो न जाने न लभे च शर्मप्रसीद देवेश जगन्निवास ||११-२५||
daṃṣṭrākarālāni ca te mukhāni dṛṣṭvaiva kālānalasannibhāni . diśo na jāne na labhe ca śarma prasīda deveśa jagannivāsa ||11-25||
Use this verse as a crisis prayer.
Meaning
Seeing Your terrible mouths with fierce teeth, like the fire of time, I lose my sense of direction and find no comfort. Be gracious, O Lord of gods, abode of the universe.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna asks for grace when cosmic fear becomes unbearable.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
The vision of time and destruction is difficult. Arjuna does not run away; he prays for grace. This makes the verse a powerful prayer during fear and disorientation.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna's gaze locks onto the most terrifying feature: the mouths blazing like kala-anala, the fire of cosmic dissolution that consumes the worlds at the end of an age. This is the first explicit glimpse of Time-as-destroyer, the theme Krishna will name openly a few verses later. The vision is showing Arjuna the face of mortality itself.
Utterly disoriented, he says diso na jane — 'I no longer know the directions'; all bearings are lost, and he finds no sarma, no comfort. From this depth comes the turning point of his speech: prasida — 'have mercy'. For the first time he stops describing and begins to pray.
He addresses Krishna as Devesa and Jagannivasa, Lord of gods and abode of the universe. When wonder and terror exhaust every other response, the soul reaches instinctively for grace. This cry for mercy is the seed of true surrender, the gateway through which peace will finally return.
In daily life
Use prayer when fear destroys your clarity.
During panic, a person can repeat: Prasida Devesha, please be gracious.
Try this today
Pray for grace before making a fear-based decision.
Krishna’s grace guides me when I lose direction.Reflect
Where do I feel directionless?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘कालानलसन्निभानि’ mean in this verse?
Krishna 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 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.
Swipe left for 11.26 · All events unfold within divine time.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.25
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.25, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 11.25, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.25 mean?
Seeing Your terrible mouths with fierce teeth, like the fire of time, I lose my sense of direction and find no comfort. Be gracious, O Lord of gods, abode of the universe. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.25 for daily life?
Use prayer when fear destroys your clarity. During panic, a person can repeat: Prasida Devesha, please be gracious.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.25 mean?
दंष्ट्राकरालानि — fearful with tusks / teeth; ते मुखानि — Your mouths; दृष्ट्वा एव — just on seeing; कालानलसन्निभानि — resembling the fire of cosmic dissolution; दिशः न जाने — I know not the directions.
Where does verse 11.25 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 25 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.26.