tasmāt praṇamya praṇidhāya kāyaḿ
prasādaye tvām aham īśam īḍyam
piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuḥ
priyaḥ priyāyārhasi deva soḍhum

Translation

You are the Supreme Lord, to be worshiped by every living being. Thus I fall down to offer You my respectful obeisances and ask Your mercy. As a father tolerates the impudence of his son, or a friend tolerates the impertinence of a friend, or a wife tolerates the familiarity of her partner, please tolerate the wrongs I may have done You.

adṛṣṭa-pūrvaḿ hṛṣito ’smi dṛṣṭvā
bhayena ca pravyathitaḿ mano me
tad eva me darśaya deva rūpaḿ
prasīda deveśa jagan-nivāsa

Translation

After seeing this universal form, which I have never seen before, I am gladdened, but at the same time my mind is disturbed with fear. Therefore please bestow Your grace upon me and reveal again Your form as the Personality of Godhead, O Lord of lords, O abode of the universe.

kirīṭinaḿ gadinaḿ cakra-hastam
icchāmi tvāḿ draṣṭum ahaḿ tathaiva
tenaiva rūpeṇa catur-bhujena
sahasra-bāho bhava viśva-mūrte

Translation

O universal form, O thousand-armed Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your hands. I long to see You in that form.

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayā prasannena tavārjunedaḿ
rūpaḿ paraḿ darśitam ātma-yogāt
tejo-mayaḿ viśvam anantam ādyaḿ
yan me tvad anyena na dṛṣṭa-pūrvam

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, happily have I shown you, by My internal potency, this supreme universal form within the material world. No one before you has ever seen this primal form, unlimited and full of glaring effulgence.

na veda-yajñādhyayanair na dānair
na ca kriyābhir na tapobhir ugraiḥ
evaḿ-rūpaḥ śakya ahaḿ nṛ-loke
draṣṭuḿ tvad anyena kuru-pravīra

Translation

O best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever seen this universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by performing sacrifices, nor by charity, nor by pious activities, nor by severe penances can I be seen in this form in the material world.

mā te vyathā mā ca vimūḍha-bhāvo
dṛṣṭvā rūpaṁ ghoram īdṛṅ mamedam
vyapeta-bhīḥ prīta-manāḥ punas tvaṁ
tad eva me rūpam idaṁ prapaśya

Translation

You have been perturbed and bewildered by seeing this horrible feature of Mine. Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free again from all disturbances. With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you desire.

sañjaya uvāca
ity arjunaḿ vāsudevas tathoktvā
svakaḿ rūpaḿ darśayām āsa bhūyaḥ
āśvāsayām āsa ca bhītam enaḿ
bhūtvā punaḥ saumya-vapur mahātmā

Translation

Sanjaya said to Dhritarashtra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, having spoken thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed form and at last showed His two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful Arjuna.

arjuna uvāca
dṛṣṭvedaḿ mānuṣaḿ rūpaḿ
tava saumyaḿ janārdana
idānīm asmi saḿvṛttaḥ
sa-cetāḥ prakṛtiḿ gataḥ

Translation

When Arjuna thus saw Krishna in His original form, he said: O Janardana, seeing this humanlike form, so very beautiful, I am now composed in mind, and I am restored to my original nature.

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
su-durdarśam idaḿ rūpaḿ
dṛṣṭavān asi yan mama
devā apy asya rūpasya
nityaḿ darśana-kāńkṣiṇaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, this form of Mine you are nowseeing is very difficult to behold. Even the demigods are ever seeking the opportunity to see this form, which is so dear.

nāhaḿ vedair na tapasā
na dānena na cejyayā
śakya evaḿ-vidho draṣṭuḿ
dṛṣṭavān asi māḿ yathā

Translation

The form you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means that one can see Me as I am.