Krishna, standing before Arjuna on the battlefield, spoke with gentle authority: “O Gudakesha, behold here, in this very place, the entire universe—everything that moves and does not move—gathered together within my body. See whatever else you wish to see, all present within me.” He continued, “But you cannot perceive this with your ordinary eyes. Therefore, I grant you divine sight. Behold now the majesty of my supreme yoga.” Sanjaya, the narrator, then described what happened to King Dhritarashtra: After Krishna spoke these words, the great Lord of Yoga, Hari himself, revealed to Arjuna his supreme, divine form. Arjuna beheld a vision of awe and wonder: countless faces and eyes, offering many marvelous sights, adorned with celestial ornaments, and holding aloft many divine weapons. He saw Krishna dressed in heavenly garlands and garments, anointed with divine fragrances, resplendent and wondrous, infinite in form, facing in every direction. The radiance of this form was like the brilliance of a thousand suns rising at once into the sky. Within that body of the God of gods, Arjuna saw the entire universe, divided into many parts, yet all gathered together as one. Overwhelmed by wonder, his hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head to this divine being and, with palms joined in reverence, began to speak: “O Lord, in your divine body I see all the gods, all the various groups of beings, Brahma seated upon his lotus, the ancient sages, and the celestial serpents. I see you with countless arms, bellies, faces, and eyes—everywhere, in infinite forms. I see no beginning, no middle, no end, O Lord of the Universe, O Cosmic Form. I see you crowned, holding the mace and discus, a mass of dazzling radiance shining everywhere, difficult to behold from any side, blazing like fire and the sun, immeasurable in every way. You are the imperishable, the supreme being to be known; you are the ultimate refuge of this universe, the unchanging guardian of eternal dharma, the eternal person—I am convinced. By your own radiance, you scorch the entire universe. All space between heaven and earth, and every direction, is pervaded by you alone. Seeing this wondrous and terrible form, O Great Soul, the three worlds are greatly disturbed. Hosts of gods enter into you; some, trembling in fear, praise you with joined palms. Bands of great sages and perfected beings extol you with abundant hymns, crying ‘Peace!’ Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vishvedevas, Ashvins, Maruts, the ancestors, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas—all gaze upon you in amazement. Seeing your vast form with many faces and eyes, with many arms, thighs, feet, bellies, and fearsome fangs, the worlds are terrified, and so am I. O Vishnu, seeing you touching the sky, blazing in many colors, with gaping mouths and fiery wide eyes, my inner self trembles; I find no steadiness or peace. Seeing your mouths, terrible with fangs and resembling the fire of destruction, I am lost and find no comfort. Have mercy, O Lord of gods, O refuge of the universe! All these sons of Dhritarashtra, together with the bands of kings, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, and the foremost of our warriors, are rushing into your dreadful mouths with terrible fangs; some are caught between your teeth, their heads crushed. As swift rivers flow toward the ocean, so these heroes of the human world rush into your flaming mouths. As moths speed into a blazing fire to their destruction, so do the worlds rush into your mouths for their end. You devour all the worlds on every side with your flaming mouths; filling the universe with your radiance, your fierce rays scorch everything, O Vishnu. Tell me, who are you in this terrifying form? Salutations to you, O supreme God! Have mercy. I wish to know you—the original being—for I do not understand your purpose.” Krishna replied, “I am Time, the great destroyer of worlds, arisen to annihilate these people. Even without you, all the warriors arrayed in the opposing ranks will not survive. Therefore, arise, win glory, conquer your enemies, and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. By me alone, these warriors are already slain; you are but the instrument, O left-handed archer. Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other heroic warriors have already been killed by me. You must only act—do not hesitate. Fight, and you shall conquer your foes in battle.” Sanjaya continued: Hearing these words from Krishna, Arjuna, trembling, bowed repeatedly with joined palms, and, his voice choked with fear, addressed Krishna again: “O Hrishikesha, rightly does the world rejoice and delight in your praise; the demons, in terror, flee in all directions, and the hosts of perfected beings bow to you. Why should they not bow, O Great Soul, greater even than the Creator, the original source? O Infinite One, Lord of gods, abode of the universe, you are the imperishable, the existent and the non-existent, and beyond both. You are the original God, the ancient Person, the supreme refuge of the universe. You are the knower, the knowable, and the highest abode; by you, O One of infinite forms, all this universe is pervaded. You are Vāyu, Yama, Agni, Varuṇa, the Moon, Prajāpati, and the great-grandfather as well. Salutations to you a thousand times, again and again, from every direction! You are of infinite power, immeasurable valor; you encompass all, and therefore you are all. Thinking of you as a friend, whatever I rashly said—‘O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend’—not knowing your greatness, through carelessness or affection, and in whatever way I have treated you disrespectfully, in jest, in play, while resting, sitting, eating, alone or in the presence of others—O Infallible One, for all that, I beg your forgiveness, O Immeasurable One. You are the father of the world, of all that moves and does not move; you are its worthy object of worship and the greatest teacher. There is none equal to you—how then could there be anyone greater in all the three worlds, O One of incomparable power? Therefore, bowing down and prostrating my body, I seek your grace, O Lord, worthy of praise. As a father bears with his son, a friend with his friend, or a beloved with the beloved, so should you, O God, bear with me. I am delighted, having seen what was never seen before, yet my mind is troubled with fear. Show me that very form, O God; be gracious, O Lord of gods, O abode of the universe. I wish to see you as before—crowned, bearing the mace and discus, in that very four-armed form. O Thousand-armed, O Universal Form, appear in that shape once again.