Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 11

Arjuna:
The words, expounding the secret knowledge concerning the Self, which you have out of love for me spoken, has dispelled my confusion.

The origin and end of creation, I have heard in detail from you,and the inexhaustible greatness of YOURS.

I would like to see YOUR lordly form just as YOU have described it to me, Krishna. If YOU, master of yoga, think that it is possible for me to see it, please show me YOUR immortal Self.

Krishna :
Look, Arjuna, see MY manifold forms, supernatural and of many colours and shapes, in hundreds and thousands.

You may see the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Aswins, and the Maruts. See the many never-before-seen wonders, Arjuna.

Here in MY body, see now all the whole world of animate and inanimate beings, together in one place, and whatever else you want to see.

You will not be able to see ME with these eyes of yours; I will give you divine eyes so that you can see MY extraordinary powers.

[The narrator Sanjaya continues:
And so saying, Krishna, the greatest of all yogis, revealed to Arjuna His supernatural incomparable form; of innumerable faces, innumerable eyes, full of innumerable wonders, decked in innumerable heavenly ornaments, carrying innumerable godly weapons, wearing heavenly garlands and clothes, exuding heavenly scents, wonderful beyond anything, angelic, limitless, filling the whole universe.
If a thousand suns rose up in the sky at the same time, that might equal the brightness of the supreme Lord!

There in one place, Arjuna saw the whole world with its many various parts in the body of the God of all gods. Then stunned by wonder, and hairs on end, Arjuna bowed low his head and said with folded hands]

Arjuna:
Lord, I see in your body all the gods, multitudes of all sorts of beings, the lotus-seated lordly Creator, all the prophets, and heavenly Serpents.

Countless arms, stomachs, faces, eyes, and all-pervading form, I see you everywhere. Lord of all worlds, revealed in the form of the universe, I see no beginning, middle or end to you.

Crowned, wielding mace and the toothed disc, massed energy glowing all round, dazzling to the eyes, bright as flaming fire and sun, I see you and am not able to make out.

You are the eternal supreme of all things to be known, you are the foundation of the universe, you are the eternal protector of righteousness, you are, I think, the most ancient Person.

I see before me, your form without beginning, middle or end, with innumerable arms, with the sun and moon for eyes, of unlimited majesty, mouth emitting glowing flames of fire, heating up the universe with the energy emitted by you.

All the space between space and earth, and all around in all directions, is filled by your one form. Seeing this terrible and wonderful form of yours, the three worlds look troubled, oh great Soul!

There, multitudes of gods enter into you; terrified, some of them with folded hands pray to you; sages and the realized souls hail you and praise you with copious hymns.
And stunned, rudras adityas, vasus sadhyas, vishwedevas aswins maruts heat-guzzling spirits gandharvas rakshasas asuras sidhas, all of them stare at you.

The whole world, as well as I, is very much disturbed by the sight of this terrible form of yours, with so many faces and eyes, so many hands thighs feet, so many stomachs, so many projecting teeth.

Seeing you, towering up to the sky, glowing multicoloured, with glowing big eyes, my innermost heart shaken, I am not able to stand steady, or to compose myself.

And seeing also so many faces of yours, with their projecting teeth, like to the fires at the world,s dissolution, I lose sense of direction, and find no peace. Lord of all gods, residing inside the whole world, have mercy on me!

And all the sons of Dhritharashtra, along with hordes of kings, and so Bhishma, Drona, this charioteer's son Karna, and also our great commanders of the army, rush hurrying into your fearsome mouths with projecting teeth. Some are seen caught in between the teeth and ground to powder,

Like to many water currents of rivers rushing into the sea, these valiant princes enter your flaming mouths.

Like to insects flying to perish in the glowing fire, even so these people hurry to perish with growing speed into your mouth.

You continuously sway your flaming tongues to catch all the people around you. The terrible glows from you spread their heat around and burn up the whole world,
Please tell me who you are of this terrible form.

I bow before you, have mercy on me, God of gods, I want to fully know you, the First of all existence. I don't at all understand what you are doing, all pervading Lord.

And Krishna said:
I am TIME, ready to consume the worlds, and am beginning now to destroy all here. Except for you, none assembled in these several armies will survive .

Therefore rise up, earn fame by defeating your enemies, and enjoy the rich kingdom. They have been effectively killed by Me already.

Arjuna, be you only the accidental cause of it, You kill Bhishma, Drona, Jayadrathha, and Karna, and all other valiant warriors, already killed by ME. Do not worry. Fight and you will definitely defeat your enemies.

{Sanjaya contiues:
Arjuna, hearing these words of Krishna, quivering with folded hands, again and again bowed before him and overwhelmed by fear spoke falteringly.}

Arjuna :
Krishna, it is indeed fit that the world takes pleasure in praising you and is attracted to you. Demons flee afraid in all directions, and all realized souls bow before you.

Why should they not bow before you, Great Soul. You are greater than the Creator and created the creator himself! You are the Eternal Truth, perceived and unperceived, and what is beyond, Limitless lord of gods, pervading all the worlds!

You are the first of gods, the most ancient Person, you are the ultimate resting-place of the universe, you are the only knower of all that is to be known, and the highest abode.

The universe is wrapped around by you, oh One of endless form! You are vayu, yama, varuna, moon, prajapathi, and the parent of all ancestors. Thousand times I bow to you, and still again and again I continue to bow before you.

From the front, from the rear, from all directions, bow I to you, All-encompassing One! Your power is limitless, and prowess is immeasurable, and that is why you are All-encompassing!

Taking you as a friend, I, without knowing your greatness, have often called you by name, Krishna, yadava, friend and so on, due to carelessness or out of love. And I have sometimes teased you for fun during meal, play and rest, alone or in front of others. I seek forgiveness of you for all that, Oh Unfathomable One!

You are the progenitor of all created things, animate or inanimate, you are the greatest teacher, and the most worshipful. Your powers are unequalled, there is no equal to you, what to say about anybody greater, in the three worlds!

Therefore I bow and prostrate before you, and propitiate you, praise-worthy Lord! Please forgive me, like a father his son, a friend his friend or a lover his beloved.
Looking at this hitherto-unseen figure, I feel great happiness, but my mind is also highly disturbed. Show me again your other form, all-pervading God of gods. I want to see you, in that four- armed form of yours, with the crown, mace and toothed wheel, oh thousand-armed omnipresent One.

Krishna:
Arjuna, I, by My magical powers, have happily shown you this great form of mine, which nobody other than you has ever seen, the universal limitless blazing primordial.

Not by study of vedas, not by practice of sacrifices, not by alms-giving, not by great penances, or any other rites, is it possible for any mortal to see this form of MINE.

Do not be perturbed, do not be perplexed, by having seen such a terrible form of MINE. Without fear, and with relieved mind, see again that form you wanted to see.

[ And saying this, Vasudeva again showed Arjuna that other mild form of his, and consoled him out of his fear.]

Arjuna spoke then:
I am relieved seeing this mild human form of yours, my mind is clear and I am myself again.

Krishna:
The inscrutable form of MINE you have seen is one which even the gods always yearn to see. I say again, not by vedas,penances, sacrifices or offerings,is it possible to see Me as you have seen ME.

Only by intense devotion it is possible to see ME, to know Me truly and to be one with ME.

He who, loving Me with all his heart, devotes all his actions to Me without other attachments, he who has no enmity to any being, comes to ME, Arjuna.