11.23 - Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 11, Verse 23

Verse 11.23 of the Bhagavad Gita captures a pivotal moment in Arjuna's experience of witnessing Krishna's Universal Form (Vishwarupa). In this verse, Arjuna expresses his overwhelming reaction to the terrifying aspects of this cosmic vision: "O mighty-armed one, all the planets with their demigods are disturbed at seeing Your great form, with its many faces, eyes, arms, thighs, legs and bellies and Your many terrible teeth; and as they are disturbed, so am I."

The verse marks a significant transition in Arjuna's experience. What began as wonder and amazement has now transformed into fear and trepidation. Arjuna, who had requested to see Krishna's divine form, now finds himself confronting a vision that transcends his capacity to comprehend fully. The Universal Form with its countless faces, eyes, arms, thighs, and legs, along with its many bellies and terrible teeth, creates a sense of cosmic horror rather than just divine splendor.

This moment represents Arjuna's dawning realization that Krishna is not merely his charioteer and friend but the supreme cosmic power that encompasses all aspects of existence - creation, preservation, and destruction. The reference to "many terrible teeth" particularly emphasizes the destructive aspect of divinity, suggesting that Krishna as the Universal Form consumes and devours all of creation in the cosmic cycle.

What makes this verse particularly poignant is Arjuna's honest admission of fear. He acknowledges that not only are all the worlds and their demigods disturbed by this vision, but he too shares in this disturbance. This represents a profound moment of humility where Arjuna, despite being a mighty warrior himself (as Krishna addresses him as "mighty-armed one"), recognizes his own smallness in the face of cosmic reality.

The verse also subtly indicates that what disturbs Arjuna is not just the physical appearance of the Universal Form but the metaphysical realization it brings - that all existence, including himself, is subject to the laws of time and ultimately to dissolution. Krishna as time (Kāla) represents the inevitable truth that all created things must eventually end, a reality that naturally inspires awe and fear.

This verse serves as a turning point in Chapter 11, where Arjuna's reaction shifts from wonder to dread. It illustrates the human response when confronted with the full, unfiltered truth of divine reality. The vision is too vast, too powerful, and too overwhelming for the human mind to process comfortably. Even the demigods, who possess far greater cosmic awareness than humans, are described as being disturbed by this manifestation.

In the larger context of the Bhagavad Gita, this verse reveals an important spiritual truth - that the divine encompasses both the beautiful and the terrible, the nurturing and the destructive. True spiritual understanding requires acknowledging both aspects of reality rather than clinging only to the comfortable or pleasant dimensions of existence. Arjuna's journey through fear represents the necessary passage that all seekers must navigate when confronting the complete truth of existence, which includes not just creation but also dissolution, not just life but also death.