← Chapter 11: The Yoga of the Vision of the Universal Form

Verse 11.25

Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit

दंष्ट्राकरालानि च ते मुखानि दृष्ट्वैव कालानलसन्निभानि | दिशो न जाने न लभे च शर्म प्रसीद देवेश जगन्निवास ||२५||

Transliteration (IAST)

daṁṣṭrā-karālāni ca te mukhāni dṛṣṭvaiva kālānala-sannibhāni | diśo na jāne na labhe ca śarma prasīda deveśa jagan-nivāsa ||25||

Word-by-Word Meanings

daṁṣṭrā-karālāni-terrible with fangs

mukhāni-mouths

kāla-anala-sannibhāni-resembling the fire of time/death

diśaḥ-directions

na jāne-I do not know

śarma-comfort/shelter

prasīda-be gracious

deveśa-O Lord of gods

jagat-nivāsa-O refuge of the universe

Translation

Seeing Your mouths terrible with fangs, resembling the fire of cosmic dissolution - I lose my sense of direction and find no shelter. Be gracious, O Lord of gods, O refuge of the universe.

Commentary

The mouths blazing like the fire of time (kālānala) foreshadow verse 32 where Krishna identifies Himself as Time. Arjuna's plea 'prasīda' (be gracious) marks his first explicit request for mercy. Ramanuja notes the paradox: the one who terrifies is also 'jagannivāsa' - the only possible refuge.

Themes

bhaktisurrendertime