Bhagavad Gita BG 11.20
Chapter 11, Verse 20 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
द्यावापृथिव्योरिदमन्तरं हि व्याप्तं त्वयैकेन दिशश्च सर्वाः । दृष्ट्वाऽद्भुतं रूपमुग्रं तवेदं लोकत्रयं प्रव्यथितं महात्मन् ॥
dyava-prthivyor idam antaram hi vyaptam tvayaikena dishash ca sarvah drishtvaa 'dbhutam rupam ugram tavedam loka-trayam pravyathitam mahatman
Meaning
This space between heaven (dyava) and earth (prthivi) and all the directions are pervaded (vyaptam) by You alone (tvayaikena). Seeing Your wondrous and terrible (ugra) form, O Great Soul (Mahatman), the three worlds (loka-traya) are trembling (pravyathitam).
Understanding
The cosmic scale of the vision expands: dyava-prthivyor idam antaram (the space between the heavens and the earth — the entire visible universe) and dishash ca sarvah (and all the directions) are vyaptam tvayaikena (pervaded by You alone — by You single, one). The Absolute fills all space — not most of it, not some extraordinary portion of it, but ALL of it, alone, by itself. Then the response: drishtvaa adbhutam rupam ugram (seeing Your wondrous and terrible form) — adbhuta (wonder-striking, amazing) and ugra (terrible, fierce, overwhelming) simultaneously. Loka-trayam pravyathitam — the three worlds are trembling, shaking. Even the cosmic order is destabilized by the vision of the Absolute's unveiled power. Mahatman — O Great Soul, the supreme, the vast.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| द्यावापृथिव्योः | dyava-prthivyor | of heaven and earth (dyava = heavens, prthivi = earth) |
| अन्तरम् | antaram | the space between, the intermediate space |
| व्याप्तम् | vyaptam | pervaded, filled completely (vi + ap = spread through completely) |
| त्वयैकेन | tvayaikena | by You alone (tvaya = by You, ekena = alone, by one) |
| उग्रम् | ugram | terrible, fierce, overwhelming, awesome |
| लोकत्रयम् | loka-trayam | the three worlds (heaven, earth, and the lower realms) |
| प्रव्यथितम् | pravyathitam | trembling, shaking, agitated (pra = intensely + vyathita = disturbed) |
| द्यावा-पृथिव्योः | dyāvā-pṛthivyoḥ | of heaven and earth |
| इदम् | idam | this |
| हि | hi | indeed |
| व्याप्तम् | vyāptam | pervaded, filled |
| दिशः | diśaḥ | the directions |
| च | ca | and |
| सर्वाः | sarvāḥ | all |
| दृष्ट्वा | dṛṣṭvā | having seen |
| अद्भुतम् | adbhutam | wonderful, marvelous |
| रूपम् | rūpam | form |
| तव | tava | Your |
| इदम् | idam | this |
| महात्मन् | mahātman | O great soul |