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Chapter 11 · The Universal Form · 55 verses

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Krishna’s natureChapter 11 · The Universal Form
11.711.9

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 11.8

A vision requiring divine eyes

न तु मां शक्यसे द्रष्टुमनेनैव स्वचक्षुषा ।

दिव्यं ददामि ते चक्षु: पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् ॥ ८ ॥

na tu māṁ śakyase draṣṭum

anenaiva sva-cakṣuṣā

divyaṁ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ

paśya me yogam aiśvaram

Translation

But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give you divine eyes. Behold My mystic opulence!

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.

Divine Eyes to See Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that his present eyes cannot see Him, so He gives him divine eyes to behold His mystic power.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that seeing Kṛṣṇa’s universal form requires His grace and spiritual eyes, not a change of mind.
  3. 3Follow Arjuna’s example and understand that Kṛṣṇa did not merely claim to be Supreme—He revealed Himself as Supreme.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 11, The Universal Form: krishna grants divine sight and reveals his form.

What it teaches

Study note

Divine empowerment precedes revelation.

How it feels

Interpretive

Expectant awe

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Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Universal form

Krishna grants the divine vision needed to see His universal form.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I recognize the limits of ordinary perception in spiritual matters?

Practice

Approach extraordinary spiritual claims with humility and scriptural grounding.

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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.

BG 11.32Krishna reveals Himself as timeBG 11.51Composure returns in Krishna’s personal presenceBG 11.5Krishna grants divine sight and reveals His formBG 11.6Krishna grants divine sight and reveals His formBG 18.78Sañjaya’s concluding certainty

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

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Ask about BG 11.8 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.