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A
rjuna:
O Highest Lord, I wish I could see you,
your form as Lord,
Just as you yourself say you are,
Supreme Divine Being.
O Lord, if you think it is possible
that I might see you--
Then, Lord of mystic power,
show me your changeless self.
The Lord:
Open your eyes and see
my hundreds, my thousands of forms,
In all their variety, heavenly splendor,
in all their colors and semblances.
Look upon the Gods of Heaven, the Radiant Gods,
the Terrifying Gods, the Kind Celestial Twins.
See, Arjuna, countless marvels
never seen before.
Here is my body, in one place, now
the whole world--
All that moves and does not move--
and whatever else you want to see.
Of course, with the ordinary eye
you cannot see me.
I give you divine vision.
Behold my absolute power!
Samjaya:
With these words, Vishnu,
the great Lord of mystic power,
Gave Arjuna the vision
of his highest, absolute form--
His form with many mouths and eyes,
appearing in many miraculous ways,
With many divine ornaments
and divine, unsheathed weapons.
He wore garlands and robes
and ointments of divine fragrance.
He was a wholly wonderful god,
infinite, facing in every direction.
If the light of a thousand suns
should effulge all at once,
It would resemble the radiance
of that god of overpowering reality.
Then and there, Arjuna saw
the entire world unified,
Yet divided manifold,
embodied in the God of gods.
Bewildered and enraptured,
Arjuna, the Pursuer of Wealth,
Bowed his head to the god,
joined his palms, and said,
Arjuna:
Master! Within you I see the gods,
and all classes of beings,
The Creator
on his lotus seat,
and all seers
and divine serpents.
Far and near, I see you
without limit,
Reaching, containing everything, and
with innumerable mouths and eyes.
I see no end to you, no middle,
and no beginning--
O universal Lord and form of all!
You, Wearer
of Crown, Mace, and Discus,
You are a deluge of brilliant light
all around.
I see you,
who can hardly be seen,
With the splendor of radiant fires and suns,
immeasurable.
You are the one imperishable
paramount necessary core of knowledge,
The world's ultimate foundation;
you never cease to guard the eternal tradition.
You are the everlasting
Divine Being.
There is no telling what is
beginning, middle, or end in you.
Your power is infinite;
your arms reach infinitely far.
Sun and moon are your eyes.
This is how I see you.
Your mouth is a flaming sacrificial fire.
You burn up the world with your radiance.
For you alone fill the quarters of heaven
and the space between heaven and earth.
The world above,
man's world,
and the world in between
Are frightened at the awesome sight of you,
O mighty being!
There I see throngs of gods entering you.
Some are afraid,
they join their palms
and call upon your name.
Throngs of great seers and perfect sages hail you
with magnificent hymns.
The Terrifying Gods, the Gods of Heaven, the Radiant Gods,
also the Celestial Spirits,
the All-Gods, the Celestial Twins,
the Storm Gods, and the Ancestors;
multitudes of heavenly musicians,
good sprites, demons, and perfect sages
All look upon you in wonder.
When the worlds see your form
of many mouths and eyes,
of many arms, legs, feet
many torsos, many terrible tusks,
They tremble,
As do I.
For seeing you
ablaze with all the colors of the rainbow,
Touching the sky,
with gaping mouths and wide, flaming eyes,
My heart in me is shaken.
O God,
I have lost all certainty, all peace.
Your mouths and their terrible tusks
evoke the world in conflagration.
Looking at them
I can no longer orient myself.
There is no refuge.
O Lord of Gods,
dwelling place of the world,
give me Your grace.
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