Krishna Reveals His Cosmic Form

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At Kurukshetra Arjuna had put down his weapons. Krishna was explaining to him the paths of action, knowledge and devotion. This dialogue is the Bhagavad Gita.

As he listened to Krishna, a wish rose in Arjuna's heart. He folded his hands and said, 'Lord, you have told me of your glory. Now, if I am worthy, show me that divine form of yours.'

Krishna said, 'Arjuna, you cannot see me in that form with these ordinary eyes. I give you .' And then Arjuna saw what no one had seen before: a radiance like a thousand suns, countless faces, countless arms, and the whole universe held within one body.

Arjuna saw Bhishma, Drona, Karna and many warriors of both armies rushing into the mouths of that vast form, like rivers flowing into the sea. Trembling, Arjuna asked, 'Who are you?'

The Lord answered, 'I am Time, the destroyer of worlds. Even if you do not fight, none of these warriors will survive. Be only my .' Frightened, Arjuna bowed again and again, and asked forgiveness for every joke and casual word he had spoken to Krishna since they were young.

At Arjuna's request, Krishna took back his gentle human form. At the end of the Gita, Arjuna said, 'My confusion is gone. I will do as you say.' He picked up the Gandiva once again.

कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः। ऋतेऽपि त्वां न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे येऽवस्थिताः प्रत्यनीकेषु योधाः॥

I am mighty Time, the destroyer of worlds, come here to take back all beings. Even without you, the warriors standing on the opposing side will not survive.

— Bhagavad Gita 11.32

A lesson for today

We don't control everything. What is in our hands is to do our own duty honestly and fully.

Next chapter · 4 min readYudhishthira Seeks His Elders' Blessings

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