Thus did the Supreme Lord Krishna who appeared in the Vṛishṇi dynasty as the son of King Vāsudeva, divinely instruct the son of King Pāṇḍu and Queen Kunti who was His father’s sister.

Arjuna's mind had been extremely agitated and anxiety filled by witnessing the terrifying aspect of the Viśvarūpa or divine universal form. Lord Krishna to comfort His devotee displayed His four-armed form which was most familiar to Arjuna.

The word mahātma means great soul, He who is infallible with indomitable will.

The manifestation of the Supreme Lord Krishna who is the Sovereign Lord of all, whose pure spiritual body is Satchidānanda or eternal existence, unlimited cognisance and endless bliss, transcendentally accepts a human looking form to bless all the worlds.

The Vishnu Purāṇa V.III.X beginning with jatosi deva-devasa sankha cakra, gadā, dhāra states:

When Lord Krishna appeared as an infant baby in the jail cell of Kamsa in Mathura as the son of King Vāsudeva and Queen Devakī, He manifested His four armed form with conch, discus, mace and flower.

At that time King Vāsudeva very much afraid of Kamsa who had slain his six previous sons at birth prayed to Him thus:

O' Lord of lords, Thou art God incarnate. Thy form is divine. Be pleased O' Lord to conceal and hide this form!

In order to quickly alleviate the anxiety of His father, Lord Krishna rendered two of the four arms invisible along with the divine weapons.

Later when He grew older He went back to Mathura and slew Kamsa and released Vāsudeva and Devakī from prison. At that time His other two arms became visible and He resumed His four-armed form again.

The Mahabharata states:

The Supreme Lord, the son of Vāsudeva with four- arms, broad, strong and robust bearing the conch, the cakra, the mace, etc.

It was the four-armed form of Lord Krishna that constantly burned in Śiśupāla’s mind after Lord Krishna at her urgent request usurped Princess Rukmiṇī from him and married her.

As Arjuna was an intimate friend of Lord Krishna during all His royal pastimes this is the form Arjuna knew best.

Finally as a boon to fully console him He displayed His original svakam or personal two-armed form of saumya-vapuh or gentle nature being the same as all human beings.

“स्ववत् क्रियत इति स्वकं रूपम् । विश्वरूपमज्ञानां स्वरूपवन्त दर्शयति । एतदज्ञानामपि तथैव दर्शयतीति विशेषः । अन्यथा द्रष्टुमिच्छामि ते रूपम् इति विरुद्धं स्यात् ॥ परावरविभेदस्तु मुग्धदृष्टमपेक्ष्य तु । प्रादुर्भा वस्वरूपाणां विश्वरूपस्य च प्रभोः । अन्यथा न विशेषेऽस्ति व्यक्तिह्यज्ञव्यपेक्षया ॥ इति च ॥” - He Himself creates, therefore, creates His own form (with four-form for those who are aware of His power, glory and divinity). For those who unaware (of His true form with four-form) He does not reveal His universal form. He shows specially this form to those who are unaware of the true form. Otherwise the statement “I desire to see Your Form” would be contradictory. The statement that the forms of the Lord are supreme and lower is only from the view point of those who are deluded. For the realized souls the universal form is accessible; for the rest the manifested forms like that of Sri Krishna as supreme.

50 *Samjaya spake:—“Having said thus unto Arjuna, Vāsudeva once more revealed (before Arjuna) his own proper Form: and that Mighty Spirit gave assurance once again to him who was frightened, by assuming, yet again, a milder Form of manifestation.”* (640)

And as the Lord was uttering these words, he suddenly appeared in human incarnation; and in this there is nothing to be wondered at; wondrous is indeed the manner in which the Lord is enamoured of his devotees. Lord Shri Krishna is in very truth the final Abode of Spirit Absolute and the quintessence of his Absolute Life Divine, he revealed to Arjuna in the Omnipresence-vision. Arjuna was at last wearied of that mighty spectacle. It was like throwing away what he had yearned after, or like being overnice about a gem, or like seeking and finding an excellent match in a girl, and then spurning her. So unbounded was Lord Krishna’s love for Arjuna, on whom he did lavish the choicest spiritual gift in the shape of His Omnipresent Incarnation. As a gold chip is beaten into a sheet and then wrought up as an ornament to taste, and failing this, is again melted,—so did the Lord, for the deep love to his devotee, unfold his (Krishna’s) incarnate figure into that Omnipresent Deity. Arjuna surfeit with this sight turned his back upon it and the Lord became Shri Krishna again.” And in what quarters of the world, asks Sanjaya in wonder, are to be found such spiritual masters ever ready to bear and dance to the tune of the beloved disciple’s fancy? So unfathomable are the ways of Lord Krishna’s love for Arjuna. That divine light which had erstwhile burst in all its glory, flooding the entire universe, withdrew to merge itself in Lord Krishna’s body. As all that is averred by the word “Twam” (त्वं —Thou) is merged in the word ‘Tat’ (तत्), the Brahman Absolute, or as the entire tree is concentrated in the seed, or as the waking soul swallows up the fantasies of dream, in that way, in Lord Krishna’s incarnate divine body, the Omnipresent manifestation entire was suddenly absorbed. It was as though the splendour of the sun sank into the sun himself, or the clouds merged in the sky, or the tide of the sea flew back into the sea. It seems the rolls of the Omnipresent vision of Divinity lay unfolded and were reembodied in the figure of Lord Krishna, and for the pleasure of Arjuna, they were now unrolled. And Arjuna the queer customer, casting his eyes on the colourful pageantry on a vast scale, shrank from the deal: so Lord Krishna wrapped up the rolls again. And what by its infinite grandeur had swallowed up the entire universe, appeared in a shapely and serene human figure of extreme beauty. In brief, the Infinite God was pleased to wear the tiny human figure to sooth and compose the frightened Arjuna; and then Kiriti cast an astonished gaze all round like one waking from a dream of a visit to Heaven; or did the son of Pandu indeed behold the Deity Incarnate, like one from whose soul (at the touch of the master's grace) the flood-tide of world appearance ebbs away, yielding place to the vision of eternal truth. And his heart rejoiced mightily that the curtain of the Lord's Omnipresent Image was drawn back to reveal Krishna, the God incarnate; he was then blessed in that vision as if he had triumphed over Death, or as if he had outstripped a raging stormy wind, or as if paddling with his arms he had swum across the seven seas. He then saw this solid earth peopled with its denizens like stars slowly coming into view at sunset. As he cast his glance around, he found himself on the same former Kurukshetra, with the same kinsmen facing enemies in battle array and the warriors in groups hurling missiles at each other. He likewise saw as before, himself inside own his chariot, under a canopy of arrows, with the Lord of Goddess Lakshmi as charioteer sitting in front.

'Ityarjunaṁ vāsudevastathoktvā svakaṁ rūpaṁ darśayāmāsa bhūyaḥ'—The expression 'Ityarjunaṁ vāsudevastathoktvā', denotes that, when Arjuna prayed to Lord Kṛṣṇa to reveal to him, His four-armed divine form, He asked him not to be terrified of His cosmic form, and behold His divine form, with a complacent mind.

The term 'tathā' means, as the Lord only out of grace revealed to Arjuna His cosmic form, so did He reveal His four-armed divine form, to him, this vision was not due to possession of extraordinary spiritual qualifications by Arjuna but due to divine grace only.

By the term 'Bhūyaḥ' Sañjaya means to say that the Lord revealed to Arjuna the same divine form which he had beheld within the cosmic body of the Lord (11/15,17) and for which he prayed to Him (11/45-46).

'Āśvāsayāmāsa ca bhītamenaṁ bhūtvā punaḥ saumyavapurmaḥbātmā'—Lord Kṛṣṇa revealed to Arjuna his four-armed form and then He assumed two-armed human form in order to console Arjuna who was frightened.

Now a question arises whether the Lord was four-armed or two-armed. The answer is that He remained two-armed for carrying on His human sport, but revealed His four-armed form sometimes, when He thought it proper.

In the tenth chapter, the Lord described his divine glories and in the eleventh chapter He has revealed, His cosmic form. Thus a devotee comes to know His usual power and influence. If a person, knows Him in reality, or has faith in Him, he may

be freed, from the bondage of birth and death, forever.

How gracious the Lord was to Arjuna, that first He revealed His cosmic form, then divine form, and finally assumed His two-armed form! Moreover, He has also showered His grace on all of us, that we should think of the Lord, whenever and wherever, our mind is attracted towards any person, object or glory or merit etc. All of us, have got the same golden opportunity of listening to His divine glories, and thinking of and recollecting His cosmic form, which was available to a few persons, such as Arjuna and Sañjaya. So we should not miss such an opportunity.

*Link:— When the Lord by assuming the human form, consoled Arjuna, the latter said.*

ऐसें वाक्य बोलतखेंवो । मागुता मनुष्य जाहला देवो । हें ना परि नवलावो । आवडीचा तिये ॥ ६४० ॥ श्रीकृष्णचि कैवल्य उघडें । वरि सर्वस्व विश्वरूपायेवढें । हातीं दिधलें कीं नावडे । अर्जुनासि ॥ ६४१ ॥ वस्तु घेऊनि वाळिजे । जैसें रत्नासि दूषण ठेविजे । नातरी कन्या पाहूनियां म्हणिजे । मना न ये हे ॥ ६४२ ॥ तया विश्वरूपायेवढी दशा । करितां प्रीतीचा वाढू कैसा । सेल दीधलीसे उपदेशा । किरीटीसिं देवें ॥ ६४३ ॥ मोडोनि भांगाराचा रवा । लेणें घडिलें आपलिया सवा । मग नावडे जरी जीवा । तरी आटिजे पुढती ॥ ६४४ ॥ तैसें शिष्याचिये प्रीती जाहलें । कृष्णत्व होतें तें विश्वरूप केलें । तें मना नयेचि मग आणिलें । कृष्णपण मागुतें ॥ ६४५ ॥ हा ठाववरी शिष्याची निकसी । सहातें गुरु आहाती कवणे देशीं ? । परि नेणिजे आवडी कैशी । संजयो म्हणे ॥ ६४६ ॥ मग विश्वरूप व्यापुनि भोंवतें । जें दिव्य तेज प्रगटलें होतें । तेंचि सामावलें मागुतें । कृष्णरूपीं तये ॥ ६४७ ॥ जैसें त्वंपद हें आघवें । तत्पदीं सामावे । अथवा द्रुमाकारु सांठवे । बीजकणिके जेवीं ॥ ६४८ ॥ नातरी स्वप्नसंभ्रमु जैसा । गिळी चेइली जीवदशा । श्रीकृष्णें योगु हा तैसा । संहारिला तो ॥ ६४९ ॥ जैसी प्रभा हारपली बिंबीं । कीं जळदसंपत्ती नभीं । नाना भरतें सिंधुगर्भीं । रिगालें राया ॥ ६५० ॥ हो कां जे कृष्णाकृतीचिये मोडी । होती विश्वरूपपटाची घडी । ते अर्जुनाचिये आवडी । उकलूनि दाविली ॥ ६५१ ॥ तंव परिमाणा रंगु । तेणें देखिलें साविया चांगु । तेथ ग्राहकीये नव्हेचि लागु । म्हणौनि घडी केली पुढती ॥ ६५२ ॥ तैसें वाढीचेनि बहुवसपणें । रूपें विश्व जिंतिलें जेणें । तें सौम्य कोडिसवाणें । साकार जाहलें ॥ ६५३ ॥ किंबहुना अनंतें । धरिलें धाकुटपण मागुतें । परि आश्वासिलें पार्थातें । बिहालियासी ॥ ६५४ ॥ जो स्वप्नीं स्वर्गा गेला । तो अवसांत जैसा चेइला । तैसा विस्मयो जाहला । किरीटीसी ॥ ६५५ ॥ नातरी गुरुकृपेसवें । वोसरलेया प्रपंचज्ञान आघवें । स्फुरे तत्त्व तेवीं पांडवें । श्रीमूर्ति देखिली ॥ ६५६ ॥ तया पांडवा ऐसें चित्तीं । आड विश्वरूपाची जवनिका होती । ते फिटोनि गेली परौती । हें भलें जाहलें ॥ ६५७ ॥ काय काळातें जिणोनि आला । कीं महावातु मागां सांडिला । आपुलिया बाही उतरला । सातही सिंधु ॥ ६५८ ॥ ऐसा संतोष बहु चित्तें । घेइजत असे पंडुसुतें । विश्वरूपापाठीं कृष्णातें । देखोनियां ॥ ६५९ ॥ मग सूर्याचिया अस्तमानीं । मागुती तारा उगवती गगनीं । तैसी देखों लागला अवनीं । लोकांसहित ॥ ६६० ॥ पाहे तंव तेंचि कुरुक्षेत्र । तैसेंचि देखे दोहीं भागीं गोत्र । वीर वर्षताती शस्त्रास्त्र । संघाटवरी ॥ ६६१ ॥ तया बाणांचिया मांडवाआंतु । तैसाचि रथु देखे निवांतु । धुरे बैसला लक्ष्मीकांतु । आपण तळीं ॥ ६६२ ॥

(11.640) ऐसा करते ही देव फिर मनुष्यरूप हो गये। इसमें कुछ आश्चर्य नहीं। परन्तु उनके प्रेम का आश्चर्य है। (11.641) श्रीकृष्ण ही केवल परब्रह्म हैं और उन्होंने अपना विश्वरूप सरीखा सर्वस्व अर्जुन के हाथ दे दिया, परन्तु वह अर्जुन को न भाया।

(11.642) जैसे कोई दान का स्वीकार कर फेंक दे, या जैसे कोई रत्न का नाम धरे या कन्या का निरीक्षण करने पर कह दे कि हमको नहीं भाती, वैसा ही हाल यहाँ हुआ।

(11.643) विश्वरूप जैसा रूप दिखाते हुए उनका प्रेम कैसा बढ़ा हुआ था! देव ने अर्जुन को सर्वोत्तम उपदेश किया।

(11.644) परन्तु सोने का टुकड़ा तोड़ कर उसके अलंकार बनाये जाय और फिर वे मन में न भावें तो जैसे फिर से गलाये जाते हैं,

(11.645) वैसे ही जो शिष्य के प्रेम के लिए कृष्ण हुआ था वह विश्वरूप हो गया और वह उसे न भाया इसलिए फिर पलट कर कृष्णरूप हो गया।

(11.646) यहाँ तक शिष्य का हठ सहनेवाले गुरु कहाँ हैं? परन्तु संजय कहते हैं कि श्रीकृष्ण का प्रेम न जाने कितना है!

(11.647) तदनन्तर भगवान ने विश्व को व्याप्त कर जो दिव्य तेज प्रकट किया था उसे फिर उस कृष्णरूप में समा लिया। (11.648) जैसे सम्पूर्ण जीवदशा (त्वंपद) ब्रह्मरूप (तत्पद) में समाती है अथवा वृक्षाकार जैसे बीजकणिका में समा जाता है,

(11.649) अथवा जैसे जागृतदशा स्वप्न के विस्तार का लील लेती है, वैसे ही श्रीकृष्ण ने अपना योग समेट लिया।

(11.650) प्रभा जैसे बिम्ब में विलीन हो जाती है अथवा मेघसम्पत्ति आकाश में या समुद्र की बाढ़ समुद्र के गर्भ में विलीन हो जाती है,

(11.651) वैसे ही कृष्णस्वरूप के आकार की जो, विश्वरूपी वस्त्र की, तह थी वह अर्जुन के इच्छानुसार मानों खोल कर बताई गई,

(11.652) परन्तु उस ग्राहक ने जो रंग, सूत और पोत देखा तो उसके मन में न भाई, इसलिए उसकी मानों फिर से तह कर ली गई।

(11.653) इस प्रकार जिस स्वरूप ने अपनी विशालता के आधिक्य से विश्व को भी जीत लिया था वह फिर सुन्दर और सौम्य आकार का हो गया।

(11.654) बहुत क्या कहूँ, श्रीकृष्ण ने फिर अपना छोटा स्वरूप कर लिया, और उस डरे हुए अर्जुन को आश्वासन दिया। (11.655) तब जैसे कोई स्वप्न में स्वर्ग का जाय और अकस्मात् जाग पड़े तो उसे जैसा विस्मय होता है, वैसा ही विस्मय अर्जुन का हुआ

(11.656) अथवा गुरुकृपा से सम्पूर्ण प्रपंचज्ञान का लय होते ही जैसा ब्रह्मतत्त्व प्रकाशित होता है, वैसी ही वह श्रीमूर्ति अर्जुन को दिखाई दी।

(11.657) अर्जुन ने मन में कहा कि भला हुआ कि इस मूर्ति की ओट में जे विश्वरूप-जवनिका पड़ी थी वह हट गई।

(11.658) उसे ऐसा मालूम हुआ मानों वह काल का जीत कर आया हो, अथवा उसने महावायु को दौड़ में हराया हो, अथवा वह अपने हाथों से सातों समुद्र पार उतर गया हो।

(11.659) इस प्रकार अर्जुन के चित्त को विश्वरूप के पश्चात् श्रीकृष्ण-स्वरूप का देखने से अत्यन्त सन्तोष हुआ।

(11.660) फिर जैसे सूर्यास्त के पश्चात् आकाश में नक्षत्र उगते हैं वैसे पृथ्वी उसे प्राणियों से भरी हुई दिखाई दी।

(11.661) अब जो दृष्टि फेंकता है तो वही कुरुक्षेत्र है; दोनों तरफ वही गोत्रवीर शस्त्र या अस्त्रों के समुदाय की पूर्ववत् वर्षा कर रहे हैं; (11.662) ऐसे बाणों के मण्डप के बीच रथ पूर्ववत् ही खड़ा हुआ है; जूए पर श्रीकृष्ण बैठे हैं और आप नीचे खड़ा है।

‘इत्यर्जुनं वासुदेवस्तथोक्त्वा स्वकं रूपं दर्शयामास भूयः’—अर्जुनने जब भगवानसे चतुर्भुजरूप विश्वरूपको देखकर तू व्यथित और भयभीत मत हो।

१-जथा अनेक बेष धरि नृत्य करइ नट कोइ। सोइ सोइ भाव देखावइ आपुन होइ न सोइ॥

(मानस, उत्तर० ७२ ख)

२-देखें, चौथे अध्यायके नवें श्लोकका परिशिष्ट भाव।

तू प्रसन्न मनवाला होकर मेरे इस रूपको देख (उनचासवाँ श्लोक)। भगवान्के इसी कथनको संजयने यहाँ 'इत्यर्जुनं वासुदेवस्तथोक्त्वा' पदोंसे कहा है।

'तथा' कहनेका तात्पर्य है कि जिस प्रकार कृपाके परवश होकर भगवान्ने अपना विश्वरूप दिखाया था, उसी प्रकार कृपाके परवश होकर भगवान्ने अर्जुनको चतुर्भुजरूप दिखाया। इस चतुर्भुजरूपको देखनेमें अर्जुनको कोई साधना हो, योग्यता हो—यह बात नहीं है, प्रत्युत भगवान्की कृपा-ही-कृपा है।

'भूयः' कहनेका तात्पर्य है, जिस देवरूप-(चतुर्भुज-रूप-) को अर्जुनने विश्वरूपके अन्तर्गत देखा था (पन्द्रहवाँ और सत्रहवाँ श्लोक) और जिसे दिखानेके लिये अर्जुनने प्रार्थना की थी (पैतालीसवाँ-छियालीसवाँ श्लोक), वही रूप भगवान्ने फिर दिखाया।

'आश्वासयामास च भीतमेनं भूत्वा पुनः सौम्य-वपुर्महात्मा'—भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने अर्जुनको पहले चतुर्भुजरूप दिखाया। फिर अर्जुनकी प्रसन्नताके लिये महात्मा भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण पुनः द्विभुजरूप-(मनुष्यरूप-) से प्रकट हो गये और उन्होंने विश्वरूपको देखनेसे भयभीत हुए अर्जुनको आश्वासन दिया।

भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण द्विभुज थे या चतुर्भुज? इसका उत्तर है कि भगवान् हरदम द्विभुजरूपसे ही रहते थे, पर समय-समयपर जहाँ उचित समझते थे, वहाँ चतुर्भुजरूप हो जाते थे।

दसवें और ग्यारहवें अध्यायमें भगवान्ने अपनी विभूतियोंका वर्णन करनेमें भी अपनी महत्ता, प्रभाव सामर्थ्यको बताया है और अपने अत्यन्त विलक्षण विश्वरूपको दिखानेमें भी अपने प्रभावको बताया है। अगर मनुष्य भगवान्के ऐसे महान् प्रभावको जान ले अथवा मान ले, तो उसका संसारमें आकर्षण नहीं रहे। वह सदाके लिये संसार-बन्धनसे छूट जाय।

अर्जुनपर भगवान्की कितनी अद्भुत कृपा है कि भगवान्ने पहले विश्वरूप दिखाया, फिर देवरूप (चतुर्भुज-रूप) दिखाया और फिर मानुषरूप (द्विभुजरूप) हो गये। इसके साथ-साथ भगवान्ने हमलोगोंपर भी कितनी अलौकिक विलक्षण कृपा की है कि जहाँ-कहीं जिस किसी विशेषताको लेकर हमारा मन चला जाय, वहीं हम भगवान्का चिन्तन कर सकते हैं और भगवान्के विश्वरूपका पठन-पाठन, चिन्तन कर सकते हैं। इस भयंकर समयमें हमें भगवान्की विभूतियों तथा विश्वरूपके चिन्तन आदिका जो मौका मिला है, इसमें हमारा उद्योग, योग्यता कारण नहीं है, प्रत्युत भगवान्की कृपा ही कारण है। भगवान्की इस कृपाको देखकर हमें प्रसन्न हो जाना चाहिये। इन विभूतियोंको सुनने और विश्वरूपके चिन्तन-स्मरणका मौका तो उस समय भी संजय आदि बहुत थोड़े लोगोंको ही मिला था। वही मौका आज हमें प्राप्त हुआ है। अतः ऐसे मौकेको व्यर्थ नहीं जाने देना चाहिये।

सम्बन्ध—भगवान्ने मनुष्यरूप होकर जब अर्जुनको आश्वासन दिया, तब अर्जुन बोले—

अर्जुन उवाच

दृष्ट्वेदं मानुषं रूपं तव सौम्यं जनार्दन।