Bhagavad Gita BG 11.16
Chapter 11, Verse 16 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अनेकबाहूदरवक्त्रनेत्रं पश्यामि त्वां सर्वतोऽनन्तरूपम् । नान्तं न मध्यं न पुनस्तवादिं पश्यामि विश्वेश्वर विश्वरूप ॥
aneka-bahudara-vaktra-netram pashyami tvam sarvato 'nanta-rupam nantam na madhyam na punas tavadim pashyami vishveshvara vishva-rupa
Meaning
I see You with many arms (bahu), bellies (udara), mouths (vaktra), eyes (netra) — infinite form (ananta-rupa) everywhere (sarvato). O Lord of the universe (Vishveshvara), O Universal Form (Vishvarupa), I see no end (anta), no middle (madhya), and no beginning (adi) of You.
Understanding
The encounter with the formless-in-form: aneka-bahu-udara-vaktra-netram — the form has many (aneka) arms (bahu), bellies (udara), mouths (vaktra), eyes (netra) — not two of each as in a finite form but the innumerable. Pashyami tvam sarvato ananta-rupam — I see You everywhere in infinite form. Then the most profound statement: na antam na madhyam na punas tavadim pashyami — I see no end, no middle, and no beginning of You. The Absolute has no spatial or temporal bounds — no edge, no center, no origin-point visible. Vishveshvara — Lord of the universe. Vishvarupa — the Universal Form itself as an address: Krishna IS the vishvarupa, the All-Form. The vision dissolves ordinary spatial concepts.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अनेकबाहूदरवक्त्रनेत्रम् | aneka-bahudara-vaktra-netram | with innumerable arms, bellies, mouths, and eyes |
| अनन्तरूपम् | ananta-rupam | infinite form, form without end |
| सर्वतः | sarvato | everywhere, in all directions |
| विश्वेश्वर | vishveshvara | Lord of the universe (vishva = universe, ishvara = lord) |
| विश्वरूप | vishva-rupa | the Universal Form (vishva = universe/all, rupa = form) |
| अनेक-बाहूदर-वक्त्र-नेत्रम् | aneka-bāhūdara-vaktra-netram | with many arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes |
| पश्यामि | paśyāmi | I see |
| त्वाम् | tvām | You |
| सर्वतः | sarvataḥ | everywhere, on all sides |
| अनन्त-रूपम् | ananta-rūpam | of infinite form |
| न | na | not |
| अन्तम् | antam | end |
| न | na | nor |
| मध्यम् | madhyam | middle |
| न | na | nor |
| पुनः | punaḥ | again |
| तव | tava | Your |
| आदिम् | ādim | beginning |
| पश्यामि | paśyāmi | I see |
| विश्वेश्वर | viśveśvara | O Lord of the universe |
| विश्व-रूप | viśva-rūpa | O universal form |