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Chapter 11 · The Universal Form · 55 verses

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Questions & crisisChapter 11 · The Universal Form

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 11.31

Awe and terror at the universal form

आख्याहि मे को भवानुग्ररूपो

नमोऽस्तु ते देववर प्रसीद ।

विज्ञातुमिच्छामि भवन्तमाद्यं

न हि प्रजानामि तव प्रवृत्तिम् ॥ ३१ ॥

ākhyāhi me ko bhavān ugra-rūpo

namo ’stu te deva-vara prasīda

vijñātum icchāmi bhavantam ādyaṁ

na hi prajānāmi tava pravṛttim

Translation

O Lord of lords, so fierce of form, please tell me who You are. I offer my obeisances unto You; please be gracious to me. You are the primal Lord. I want to know about You, for I do not know what Your mission is.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

A Humble Prayer for Understanding

  1. 1The speaker asks the Lord, whose form is fierce, who He is and what His mission is.
  2. 2He offers respects, recognizes Him as the primal Lord, and asks for His grace.
  3. 3Approach the Lord with respect and a sincere desire to understand Him.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 11, The Universal Form: awe and terror at the universal form.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Honest questions open the way to wisdom.

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Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: saṁśaya, viṣāda.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 11.31 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to questions & crisis?

Practice

Write down the real question behind your current dilemma.

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The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 11 ›
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Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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