Bhagavad Gita BG 11.5
Chapter 11, Verse 5 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
श्रीभगवानुवाच पश्य मे पार्थ रूपाणि शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः । नानाविधानि दिव्यानि नानावर्णाकृतीनि च ॥
shri bhagavan uvaca pashya me partha rupani shathasho 'tha sahasrashah nana-vidhani divyani nana-varna-krtini ca
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: See My forms (rupani), O Partha — by the hundreds (shatashah) and thousands (sahasrashah) — divine (divyani), of various kinds (nana-vidhani), of various colors (varna) and shapes (akrti).
Understanding
Krishna's gracious, immediate agreement: pashya — SEE. Not 'I will show you later' but the immediate imperative of grace. Me rupani — My forms. Then the extraordinary scale: shatashah atha sahasrashah — by hundreds, by thousands. Not one form or a few: the universal vision is the vision of the Divine in all Its infinite multiplicities simultaneously. Nana-vidhani — of various kinds, every type imaginable. Divyani — divine, transcendent, not of ordinary material nature. Nana-varna-akrtini — of various colors and shapes. The diversity of the One: not a single form but the inexhaustible variety of the Absolute revealing itself in every conceivable manifestation. The invitation to see begins the most dramatic chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| पश्य | pashya | see! (imperative) — the divine invitation to vision |
| शतशः सहस्रशः | shatashah sahasrashah | by hundreds, by thousands — the vast multiplicity |
| नानाविधानि | nana-vidhani | of various kinds, manifold, every sort |
| दिव्यानि | divyani | divine, transcendent, of heavenly nature |
| नानावर्णाकृतीनि | nana-varna-akrtini | of various colors (varna) and shapes/forms (akrti) |
| श्री भगवान् उवाच | śrī bhagavān uvāca | the blessed Lord said |
| पश्य | paśya | behold, see |
| मे | me | My |
| पार्थ | pārtha | O Arjuna |
| रूपाणि | rūpāṇi | forms |
| शतशः | śataśaḥ | by hundreds |
| अथ | atha | also |
| सहस्रशः | sahasraśaḥ | by thousands |
| नाना-विधानि | nānā-vidhāni | of various kinds |
| दिव्यानि | divyāni | divine |
| नाना-वर्ण-आकृतीनि | nānā-varṇa-ākṛtīni | of various colors and shapes |
| च | ca | and |