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Shloka 11.23
रूपं महत्ते बहुवक्त्रनेत्रं महाबाहो बहुबाहूरुपादम् | बहूदरं बहुदंष्ट्राकरालं दृष्ट्वा लोकाः प्रव्यथितास्तथाहम् ||११-२३||
rūpaṃ mahatte bahuvaktranetraṃ mahābāho bahubāhūrupādam . bahūdaraṃ bahudaṃṣṭrākarālaṃ dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitāstathāham ||11-23||
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The Translation

“Seeing Your mighty form, with its infinite mouths, eyes, arms, thighs, feet, bellies, and formidable teeth, O mighty-armed one, all the worlds are trembling with terror, and so am I.”

Commentary & Insights

Confronted by the fierce, fanged aspect of the Cosmic Form, Arjuna admits that he, along with the rest of the worlds, is trembling with terror.

Practical Application
1

Acknowledge one genuine fear or vulnerability you have been hiding from yourself today. Write it down and accept it as a natural part of being human.

Reflections & Notes
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Self-Reflection Prompts
  • Why does Arjuna admit his fear (*tathāham* - 'and so am I')? How does admitting our vulnerability and fear in front of the infinite cosmos help us drop our false masks of bravado?
  • The 'formidable teeth' (*daṃṣṭrā-karālam*) represent the devouring mouth of time. How does this describe our physical mortality?

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11.23
रूपं महत्ते बहुवक्त्रनेत्रं महाबाहो बहुबाहूरुपादम्