Bhagavad Gita BG 11.12
Chapter 11, Verse 12 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
दिवि सूर्यसहस्रस्य भवेद्युगपदुत्थिता । यदि भाः सदृशी सा स्यात् भासस्तस्य महात्मनः ॥
divi surya-sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthita yadi bhah sadrshi sa syad bhasas tasya mahatmanah
Meaning
If the splendor of a thousand suns were to blaze simultaneously in the sky, even that might resemble the splendor of that Great Self (Mahatman).
Understanding
The most famous simile of the Vishvarupa description. Surya-sahasrasya (of a thousand suns) bhaved yugapad utthita (were to blaze simultaneously) — yadi bhas sadrshi sa syat (if that brilliance were to resemble) bhasas tasya mahatmanah (the brilliance of that Mahatman). Note: not that a thousand suns EQUAL the Vishvarupa's splendor — only that they might resemble it (sadrshi syat — 'might resemble'). Even a thousand suns simultaneously blazing is only a comparison, not an equivalence. The actual splendor is beyond any comparison.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| सहस्रस्य | sahasrasya | of a thousand |
| युगपत् | yugapat | simultaneously, at the same time |
| उत्थिता | utthita | arisen, blazing, appeared |
| भाः | bhah | splendor, brilliance, light |
| सदृशी | sadrshi | resembling, similar to, like (not equal) |
| महात्मनः | mahatmanah | of the Great Self, the Great Being |
| दिवि | divi | in the sky, in heaven |
| सूर्य-सहस्रस्य | sūrya-sahasrasya | of a thousand suns |
| भवेत् | bhavet | would be |
| उत्थिता | utthitā | risen, arisen |
| यदि | yadi | if |
| भाः | bhāḥ | the light, the radiance |
| सदृशी | sadṛśī | similar to, like |
| सा | sā | that |
| स्यात् | syāt | would be |
| भासः | bhāsaḥ | the radiance, the light |
| तस्य | tasya | of that |
| महात्मनः | mahātmanaḥ | of that great soul |