Now the scene shifts from the war zone to the palace and we are reminded that Sańjaya is narrating this dialogue to Dhrtarāstra. Sańjaya who also has a pair of special eyes, granted by Veda Vyasa to see the entire war zone, including the conversation between Lord Krsna and Arjuna, he is not only seeing what is happening outside, but also seeing what is in Arjuna's mind. Now he speaks to Dhrtarāstra.
sañjaya uvāca evam uktvā tato rājan mahāyogeśvaro harih | darśayāmāsa pārthāya paramam rūpam aiśvaram ||11.9||
Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus, O King! then, the limitless Lord of all yogin, whose grace destroys all pāpa, showed to Arjuna his wondrous all inclusive form.
anekavaktranayanam anekādbhutadarśanam |
anekadivyābharanam divyānekodyatāyudham ||11.10||
That form consisted of countless mouths and eyes, countless wondrous objects, countless celestial ornaments, and countless extraordinary weapons in a raised state (for use).
divyamālyāmbaradharam divyagandhānulepanam | sarvāścaryamayam devam anantam viśvatomukham ||11.11|| Wearing celestial garlands and garments, anointed with special sandal paste, it was all wonder, was endless, and was one that spanned all the directions.
divi sūryasahasrasya bhaved yugapat utthitā | yadi bhāh sadrśi sā syād bhāsastasya mahātmanah ||11.12||
If one thousand effulgent suns should simultaneously rise in the sky, that (effulgence) would be equal to the effulgence of that great Lord.
tatraikastham jagat krtsnam pravibhaktam anekadhā |
apaśyad devadevasya śarīre pāndavastadā ||11.13||
Then, there in the body of the Lord of all Gods, Pāndava (Arjuna) saw the entire world remaining in a single form (but) distinctly divided in a manifold way.
tatah sa vismayāvisto hrstaromā dhanañjayah |
pranamya śirasā devam krtāñjalirabhāsata ||11.14||
Then, overwhelmed with awe, with his hair standing on end, Arjuna, saluting the Lord with his head, hands folded together, said:
Sańjaya refers Krsna as the Harih (Lord Vishnu) whose grace destroys all pāpa. The form he showed to Arjuna was one that includes all forms (cosmic form). This highly elaborate form which has countless mouths and eyes, where all the living beings originated, is Īśvara himself. Countless wondrous objects represent all non-living beings, countless ornaments to decorate oneself, countless weapons to protect dharma. They are nothing but manifestation of the Lord himself. It doesn't cover only what is in the world, but also covers all others world like deities, manes, rāksasāh, etc. They are all in one form which can't be described, therefore Sańjaya only can compare it with the effulgent of thousand suns appear simultaneously, which itself is out of imagination. Arjuna is overwhelmed with wonder and also fear, bowing his head, with folded hands says the following:
arjuna uvāca paśyāmi devāmstava deva dehe sarvāmstathā bhūtaviśesasanghān | brahmānam īśam kamalāsanastham rsīmśca sarvān uragāmśca divyān ||11.15||
arjuna said: In your body, O Lord! I see all the celestials as well as hosts of different types of beings, the Lord Brahmā (residing in brahma-loka), seated on the lotus, and all the rsis and celestial snakes.
Arjuna sees the various celestial beings as well as the hosts, he sees varieties of being in one Īśvara who is assembled in countless different ways.
In Mundaka Upnanisad: dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma yad brahmavido vadanti parā caivāparā ca (1.1.4): Two kinds of knowledge are to be acquired: the higher and the lower. The story started from Brahmaji taught brahma-vidyā to Atharva. The same knowledge being passed down by the tradition of teaching to Angir, from him to Satyavaha. From Satyavaha to Angiras, and from Angiras to Śonaka. Now Śonaka asked a question to his teacher Angiras: "what is that by knowing which, everything is known". Teacher answered: "two types of knowledge should be acquired (by mumuksu), indeed para-vidyā and apara-vidyā." Apara-vidyā in the context is karma and upāsana, but we can understand here as all knowledge, including all forms of Lord saguna-īśvara (īśvara with attributes). And para-vidyā is the reality of the Lord without attributes nirguna-brahman.
When the answer is supposed to be para-vidyā alone, why teacher said both? Because apara-vidyā (karma and upāsana) is to prepare a qualified student for para-vidyā. In the context of cosmic form here where all names and forms are to be objectified, para-brahman which is having the nature of sat-cit-ānanda is inferred.
This is what we hear from Brahmavids, the great knowers of Brahman. This is the instruction we have received from the Brahmavid in regard to how knowledge can be acquired, or obtained.
What Arjuna sees by physical eyes are all within apara-vidyā, no matter how exalted Brahmaji is, he is still in the certain name and form, within the creation.
anekabāhūdaravaktranetram paśyāmi tvām sarvato'nantrarūpam | nāntam na madhyam na punastavādim paśyāmi viśveśvara viśvarūpa ||11.16|| I see you having countless arm, stomachs, mouths, and eyes; from every quarter (you have) endless forms. I see that you have no end, no middle, and again no beginning, O Lord or creation! Lord of the cosmic form!
Arjuna sees the Lord has no beginning, middle and end, as this cycle of manifestation has no beginning and end. Even these endless forms are everywhere but they really never been created and never really exist, also never really gone. What seems to be created and resolved is only names and forms. The basis for all the names and forms exist all time.
kirītinam gadinam cakrinam ca tejorāśim sarvato dīptimantam | paśyāmi tvām durnirīksyam samantād dīptānalārkadyutim aprameyam ||11.17|| I see you as one who has a crown, a mace, and a disc, as a mass of briliance with light on all sides and (therefore) difficult to see from every angle, as one who is having the brilliance of a conflagration and the blazing sun, and as one who is not knowable as a limited object.
Thing he can see is just endless, he couldn't see the beginning or the end. He also sees the form which we invoke and worship, wearing a crown, wielding a mace in one hand and a disc in another hand.
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