kireeteenam gadinam chakrinam cha tejoraashim sarvato deeptimantam |
pashyaami tvaam durnireekshyam samantaadyeeptaanalaarkadyutimaprameyam || 17 ||
I see you with a crown, mace and discus, glowing with an abundance of brilliance everywhere. The blazing fire of sunlight from all sides makes you incomprehensible, difficult to perceive.
kireeteenam : with crown
gadinam : with mace
chakrinam : with discus
cha : and
tejoraashim : abundance of brilliance
sarvataha : everywhere
deeptimantam : glowing
pashyaami : I see
tvaam : you
durnireekshyam : difficult to perceive with eye
samantaat : from all sides
deeptaanala : blazing fire
arkadyutim : sunlight
aprameyam : incomprehensible
As he saw more aspects of the cosmic form, Arjuna realized that he could also see divinity in that form, not just the material world. The mace and discus that he saw are weapons of Lord Vishnu. They symbolize spiritual discipline and the destructive power of time, respectively. Another symbol of Lord Vishnu is the conch, which symbolizes a call to action and a rebuke against lethargy. Arjuna also sees a crown because Ishvara is the ultimate commander and does not move under the control of any selfish desires.
“The blazing fire of sunlight”, “abundance of brilliance everywhere” - these poetic phrases convey the light of the eternal essence that Arjuna saw in the cosmic form. It is the same eternal essence that resides within all of us, but is covered with a layer of avidya or ignorance. As we have seen earlier, the eternal essence inside us enables our mind, intellect, senses and body to function. Ishvara, the purest embodiment of the eternal essence, shines like an infinite number of suns, without anything to obstruct its brilliance.
Now, no matter how hard he tried, Arjuna was not able to accurately capture his experience in words. This is because the eternal experience is not an object that can be perceived with the senses and described by our mind and intellect. He admits this limitation of his mind by declaring that the cosmic form is “aprameyam”, it is incomprehensible.
Gita Journey is a straightforward, modern, contemporary, basic explanation and commentary of the Bhagawat Gita, with Sanskrit to English word meanings. Each shloka or sloka (verse) is explained in detail. An introduction to the Bhagavad Gita along with study resources can also be found here. A summary of each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is also included. No prior background is needed for this interpretation.
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