Bhagavad Gita BG 11.15
Chapter 11, Verse 15 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अर्जुन उवाच पश्यामि देवांस्तव देव देहे सर्वांस्तथा भूतविशेषसङ्घान् । ब्रह्माणमीशं कमलासनस्थम् ऋषींश्च सर्वानुरगांश्च दिव्यान् ॥
arjuna uvaca pashyami devams tava deva dehe sarvaims tatha bhuta-vishesha-sanghan brahmanaim isham kamala-asana-stham rshims ca sarvan uragams ca divyan
Meaning
Arjuna said: I see the gods (devah) in Your body (tava dehe), O God (deva), and all the various hosts of beings (bhuta-vishesha-sanghan); Lord Brahma seated on the lotus throne (kamala-asana-stha), all the sages (rishis), and divine serpents (divyan uraga).
Understanding
Arjuna's vision begins with the recognition of specific beings within the universal form: devams (all the gods) in tava dehe (Your body) — the gods are within Krishna, not outside. Sarvan bhuta-vishesha-sanghan — all the hosts of special/distinct beings. Then the specific: Brahmanam Isham kamala-asana-stham — Lord Brahma (the creator), the lord of creation, seated on the lotus-throne (kamala-asana = lotus-seat, the classic seat of Brahma). The lotus represents the arising of creation from the pure ground — Brahma on the lotus is the creator arising from the Absolute. Rishins ca sarvan — all the sages. Uragams ca divyan — the divine serpents. The cosmic hierarchy is visible within the divine body — from the creator-god to the sages to the divine serpents of the deep.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| देव देहे | deva dehe | in Your body, O God (deva = divine, dehe = in the body) |
| भूतविशेषसङ्घान् | bhuta-vishesha-sanghan | hosts of various/special beings (bhuta = being, vishesha = special/distinct, sangha = group) |
| कमलासनस्थम् | kamala-asana-stham | seated on the lotus-throne (Brahma's iconic posture) |
| ऋषीन् | rishim | the sages (seers, the rishi tradition) |
| उरगान् | uragan | serpents (ura = breast + ga = going, the chest-movers) |
| अर्जुन उवाच | arjuna uvāca | Arjuna said |
| पश्यामि | paśyāmi | I see, I behold |
| देवान् | devān | the gods |
| तव | tava | Your |
| देव | deva | O Lord |
| देहे | dehe | in the body |
| सर्वान् | sarvān | all |
| तथा | tathā | as well as |
| भूत-विशेष-संघान् | bhūta-viśeṣa-saṃghān | hosts of all beings |
| ब्रह्माणम् | brahmāṇam | Brahma (the creator) |
| ईशम् | īśam | the lord (Shiva) |
| कमल-आसन-स्थम् | kamala-āsana-stham | seated on the lotus |
| ऋषीन् | ṛṣīn | the sages |
| च | ca | and |
| सर्वान् | sarvān | all |
| उरगान् | uragān | the serpents |
| च | ca | and |
| दिव्यान् | divyān | divine |