Bhagavad Gita BG 11.14
Chapter 11, Verse 14 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
ततः स विस्मयाविष्टो हृष्टरोमा धनञ्जयः । प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं कृताञ्जलिरभाषत ॥
tatah sa vismayavishtho hrishta-roma dhananjayah pranamya shirasa devam krtanjalirabhasata
Meaning
Then Dhananjaya (Arjuna), filled with wonder (vismaya), his hair standing on end (hrishta-roma), bowed his head (pranamya shirasa) to the Divine and spoke with joined palms (krtanjali).
Understanding
The physical and emotional response to the Vishvarupa: sa vismayavishtah — he was vismaya-avishta, completely seized/filled by wonder/astonishment (vismaya = wonder that overwhelms). Hrishta-roma — hair standing on end (hrishta = excited, roma = body hair). This is one of the classical signs of bhakti-rasa (the aesthetic experience of devotion) — the spontaneous physical response to the overwhelming presence of the Divine. Pranamya shirasa — bowing his head. The head — the seat of ego, the locus of 'I' — bows. Krtanjali — joined palms, the posture of complete surrender and reception. Abhasata — spoke. What follows (v15 onwards) is Arjuna's description of what he sees — the longest sustained passage of bhakti-poetry in the Gita.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| विस्मयाविष्टः | vismaya-avishtah | seized by wonder, completely filled with astonishment |
| हृष्टरोमा | hrishta-roma | hair standing on end (hrishta = excited, roma = body hair) — sign of devotional ecstasy |
| धनञ्जयः | dhananjayah | Dhananjaya — epithet of Arjuna (winner of wealth) |
| प्रणम्य शिरसा | pranamya shirasa | bowing the head, prostrating with the head |
| कृताञ्जलिः | krtanjalih | with joined palms (the gesture of prayer/surrender) |
| ततः | tataḥ | then |
| सः | saḥ | he |
| विस्मयाविष्टः | vismayāviṣṭaḥ | overwhelmed with wonder |
| हृष्ट-रोमा | hṛṣṭa-romā | with hair standing on end |
| धनञ्जयः | dhanañjayaḥ | Dhananjaya (Arjuna) |
| प्रणम्य | praṇamya | bowing down |
| शिरसा | śirasā | with his head |
| देवम् | devam | the Lord |
| कृतांजलिः | kṛtāñjaliḥ | with joined palms |
| अभाषत | abhāṣata | spoke, said |