Becoming Krishna

This generous moment, Krishna is like that tremendous cloud waiting to rain and Arjuna, the approaching rainy season—giving the perfect opportunity for the cloud to rain.

--forms of the formless--

पश्य मे पार्थ रूपाणि शतशोऽथ सहस्रश: |

नानाविधानि दिव्यानि नानावर्णाकृतीनि च || 5||

manyase yadi tach chhakyaṁ mayā draṣhṭum iti prabho

yogeśhvara tato me tvaṁ darśhayātmānam avyayam

 

Shows Krishna- various forms occupied by the creation, some subtle/micro, some vast and huge; some ordinary, some exclusive, some quiet, some noisy…Although the form is one, it has unlimited features, and contains innumerable personalities of multitude shapes and colors.

 

पश्यादित्यान्वसून् रुद्रानश्विनौ मरुतस्तथा |
बहून्यदृष्टपूर्वाणि पश्याश्चर्याणि भारत || 6||

paśhyādityān vasūn rudrān aśhvinau marutas tathā
bahūny adṛiṣhṭa-pūrvāṇi paśhyāśhcharyāṇi bhārata

Krishna explains the marvels existing in his universal form—too eager to show it all to Arjuna, he soon realizes that Arjuna is not really able to behold the vision when Arjuna reminds Krishna to allow him the capability to see it all (patrata). And so, out of his generous love for Arjuna, Krishna gives Arjuna the divine vision to behold his complete universal cosmic form.

अनेकवक्त्रनयनमनेकाद्भुतदर्शनम् |
अनेकदिव्याभरणं दिव्यानेकोद्यतायुधम् || 10||
दिव्यमाल्याम्बरधरं दिव्यगन्धानुलेपनम् |
सर्वाश्चर्यमयं देवमनन्तं विश्वतोमुखम् || 11||

aneka-vaktra-nayanam anekādbhuta-darśhanam
aneka-divyābharaṇaṁ divyānekodyatāyudham
divya-mālyāmbara-dharaṁ divya-gandhānulepanam
sarvāśhcharya-mayaṁ devam anantaṁ viśhvato-mukham

The vision that Arjuna encounter exudes pure joy and awe—uncountable faces, some pleasant, some horrible…decorated with cosmic ornaments- Arjuna stops trying to find where they end and start to look for the eyes of this tremendous universal form of Krishna. Various rays of colors radiating from lotus-like eyes which seems like a thousand suns shining together- feels Arjuna. Blessed with extreme fortune, Arjuna saw the beginning and the end of the whole cosmic form- the one who himself is the body, the ornaments, and the tremendous weapons…so tremendous that Arjuna could not look towards them for long and so turns his vision to explore the crown of the cosmic form which looked like the Kalpataru (wish-fulfilling tree of heavens) radiating tremendous solace. Anointed with various sweet-smelling heavenly fragrances the whole cosmic form of Krishna appeared like a tremendous water body that filled each and every space in and around Arjuna in which he alone was floating. Every worldly vision that surrounded him was no more there and all he could see was the cosmic form of Shri Krishna. Too much to behold for his vision, for a moment Arjuna closes his eyes and see the same tremendous cosmic form inside; he opens his eyes and see towards the right and see the same cosmic form, then again, he turns towards the left and there also he sees the same cosmic form of Krishna.

Thus, Arjuna attains singularity while the awareness could still recognize him and the personification of divinity (Krishna) as he bows down to the universal form of his deity.