Bhagavad Gita 11.17
Spoken by Arjuna · Verse 17 of 55 · Arjuna's Journey
किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रिणं च तेजोराशिं सर्वतो दीप्तिमन्तम् | पश्यामि त्वां दुर्निरीक्ष्यं समन्ताद् दीप्तानलार्कद्युतिमप्रमेयम् ||१७||
kirīṭinaṃ gadinaṃ cakriṇaṃ ca tejo-rāśiṃ sarvato dīptimantam | paśyāmi tvāṃ durnirīkṣyaṃ samantād dīptānalārka-dyutim aprameyam || 17 ||
Diadem, mace, discus — blazing radiance impossible to behold, like fire and sun, shining in every direction!
Word by word (3)
- kirīṭinam gadinam cakriṇam ca tejo-rāśim sarvataḥ dīptimantam
- — Wearing the crown (kirīṭa), bearing the mace (gadā), the discus (cakra) — a mass of radiance, blazing in every direction · kirīṭinam = wearing the crown/diadem (kirīṭa = the distinctive crown-ornament of the divine warrior/king; kirīṭinam = 'the crowned one, the diadem-wearer' — Viṣṇu/Krishna's iconographic crown; also a name for Arjuna himself: Kirīṭin = 'the crowned one' is one of Arjuna's epithets, since Indra gave him a divine crown; V11.17 shows Krishna wearing the kirīṭa that Arjuna himself was given by Indra — the crown that is one of Arjuna's own epithets). gadinam = bearing the mace (gadā = the mace, the club; a primary Viṣṇu attribute; gadā = 'the weapon of Viṣṇu, the mace'; gadinam = 'the mace-bearer'). cakriṇam = bearing the discus (cakra = the discus, the wheel-weapon of Viṣṇu = the Sudarśana Cakra = 'the beautiful discus'; cakriṇam = 'the discus-bearer' — one of Viṣṇu's four primary attributes alongside śaṃkha/conch, gadā/mace, padma/lotus). ca = and. tejo-rāśim = mass of radiance (tejas = fiery brilliance, radiance; rāśi = mass, heap, multitude; tejo-rāśi = 'a mass/heap of radiance, an aggregate of fiery brilliance'). sarvataḥ = in every direction. dīptimantam = blazing, shining intensely (dīpti = light, brightness; dīptimant = 'possessing intense brilliance, blazing').
- paśyāmi tvām durnirīkṣyam samantāt dīpta-anala-arka-dyutim aprameyam
- — I see You — impossible to look upon, blazing like fire and sun, immeasurable, from all sides · paśyāmi = I see (present tense). tvām = You. durnirīkṣyam = very hard to look at, difficult to behold (dur = hard, difficult; nirīkṣya = to be gazed at, visible — from ni + √īkṣ = to look; durnirīkṣya = 'very hard to look at, scarcely able to be seen' — the form is so brilliant that it strains the divine eye to look at directly; even the divya-cakṣuḥ [divine eye] barely sustains the vision). samantāt = from all sides, completely (samanta = 'complete, from all directions'; samantāt = 'from all directions, completely'). dīpta-anala-arka-dyutim = blazing like fire and sun (dīpta = blazing, flaming; anala = fire [an = breath + la = consuming = 'the life-consumer' = fire]; arka = sun [ark = to be worthy of worship = the worshipful one = sun]; dyuti = brilliance, radiance; dīpta-anala-arka-dyutim = 'with the blazing brilliance of flaming fire and sun' — combining both sources of terrestrial light/heat in one compound). aprameyam = immeasurable (a = not + prameya = measurable — from pra + √mā = to measure; aprameya = 'not able to be measured, immeasurable, beyond all standard'). V11.17's kirīṭa-gadā-cakra = the three iconic Viṣṇu attributes that mark the cosmic form as specifically Vaiṣṇava — the form Arjuna requested (V11.3's Aiśvara-rūpa) is recognizably the divine in sovereignty-form. The cosmic-terror form (tejo-rāśi blazing like fire and sun, durnirīkṣya = impossible to look at) is simultaneously the recognizable divine (kirīṭa = the familiar crown).
- [kirīṭa connection — Arjuna as Kirīṭin]
- — V11.17's kirīṭa bridges Arjuna's own epithet to the cosmic form · Arjuna is called Kirīṭin (the crown-wearer) because Indra gave him a divine crown. V11.17's kirīṭinam (the form wearing the kirīṭa) thus shows: the divine wears the same crown-quality that Arjuna himself wears — a subtle identity-link between the devotee and the divine. This is the Gita's consistent teaching: what the divine IS (the cosmic form) and what the devotee aspires to (divine qualities) are not separate. The kirīṭa worn by the divine is the same kind of kirīṭa associated with Arjuna. V11.17's imagery contains this quiet identity-resonance within the overwhelming terror of the form.
I see You crowned, bearing mace and discus, a mass of radiance blazing all around — hard to gaze upon, glowing like blazing fire and sun, immeasurable.
A modern analogy
This verse's crown, mace, and discus (kirīṭa-gadā-cakra = the recognizable divine attributes) seen within the overwhelming mass of radiance (tejo-rāśi) parallels the experience of seeing a great leader or an extremely charismatic person: they are simultaneously recognizable (familiar human form, familiar attributes) AND overwhelming in their presence. The 'impossible to look at directly' quality of extreme presence — not because it's terrifying but because it's too intensely real. This verse shows maximum presence that simultaneously invites and overwhelms.
What it does NOT mean
This verse's 'very hard to look at' (durnirīkṣyam) does not mean the cosmic form is ugly or repulsive. The difficulty is purely one of overwhelming intensity — like looking directly at the sun. The form is simultaneously beautiful (divine crown, divine weapons = the marks of cosmic sovereignty) and impossible to sustain direct gaze on because of its overwhelming radiance. The difficulty of looking is the sign of maximum brilliance, not of horror.
Take with you
- This verse's 'barely able to be looked at' (durnirīkṣya) teaches the limits of direct confrontation with the overwhelmingly real: sometimes the most real, the most true, or the most important thing cannot be confronted head-on without protective framing (like the sun requires glasses or oblique viewing). It teaches: indirection and oblique approach can be necessary with the most overwhelming truth.
- This verse's crown, mace, and discus (kirīṭa-gadā-cakra) suggest a 'familiar in the overwhelming' practice: even in the most overwhelming experience (the blazing mass of radiance, tejo-rāśi), Arjuna notices the familiar divine attributes (crown, mace, discus). The practice: in any overwhelming situation, actively look for the familiar, recognizable element. The overwhelming is not entirely alien — it contains the familiar within it.
- This verse's mass of radiance (tejo-rāśi) and its immeasurability (aprameya) are a reminder: the categories of ordinary measurement (prameya = measurable) do not apply to the greatest realities. When facing a genuinely great person, a great work, a great crisis, or a great love — release the measuring habit. It teaches: some things are beyond measurement (a-prameya). Let them be.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
I see Thee with diadem, club, and discus; a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very hard to look at, all around blazing like burning fire and sun, and immeasurable. [4]
I see thee crowned with a diadem and armed with mace and chakkra, a mass of splendor, darting light on all sides; difficult to behold, shining in every direction with light immeasurable, like the burning fire or glow- [6]
With disc and forehead-gem, / With mace and anadem, / Thou that sustainest all things! [7]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Whatever being has excellence, prosperity, or power — know it as born from a fragment of My splendor.
If a thousand suns blazed simultaneously — that splendor might resemble the glory of that Great Being!
Whoever does not turn the cosmic wheel of giving — living only for sense-pleasure — lives in vain.
I taught this imperishable yoga to the sun-god at the dawn of time — it has been passed down through kings ever since.
Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises — I project Myself forth. The divine responds to every crisis.
For the protection of the good, destruction of wickedness, establishment of dharma — I come, age after age.
Verse 17 of 55 · back to Chapter 11