Verse 11.12
Speaker: Sanjaya
Sanskrit
दिवि सूर्यसहस्रस्य भवेद्युगपदुत्थिता | यदि भाः सदृशी सा स्याद्भासस्तस्य महात्मनः ||१२||
Transliteration (IAST)
divi sūrya-sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthitā | yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ ||12||
Word-by-Word Meanings
divi-in the sky
sūrya-sahasrasya-of a thousand suns
yugapat-simultaneously
utthitā-risen
bhāḥ-splendor
sadṛśī-similar
mahātmanaḥ-of the great Soul
Translation
If the splendor of a thousand suns were to rise simultaneously in the sky, that might resemble the radiance of that great Soul.
Commentary
This is among the most celebrated verses in world literature. The simile of a thousand suns attempts to convey the inconceivable brilliance of the cosmic form. Shankaracharya notes that even this comparison falls short - 'sadṛśī syāt' (might be similar) acknowledges the inadequacy of any analogy. Robert Oppenheimer famously recalled this verse upon witnessing the first nuclear test.
Themes
bhaktijnana