Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 11, Verse 2
भवाप्ययौ हि भूतानां श्रुतौ विस्तरशो मया।
त्वत्तः कमलपत्राक्ष माहात्म्यमपि चाव्ययम्।।
त्वत्तः कमलपत्राक्ष माहात्म्यमपि चाव्ययम्।।
bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṁ śrutau vistaraśo mayā
tvattaḥ kamala-patrākṣa māhātmyam api cāvyayam
also searched as "bhavapyayau hi bhutanam shrutau vistarasho maya"
Translation
O Krsna, I have heard in detail about the origin and dissolution of all beings, which come from You, as well as Your immutable greatness.
Vāṇi's rendering
From you I have heard in full the coming and going of beings — and your greatness, which never fades.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भवाप्ययौbhava-apyayau | the coming into being and the passing away (of beings); bhava and apyayau joined in sandhi |
| हिhi | indeed |
| भूतानाम्bhūtānāṁ | of all beings |
| श्रुतौśrutau | both have been heard |
| विस्तरशःvistaraśo | in full detail; vistaraśaḥ becomes vistaraśo before the next word |
| मयाmayā | by me |
| त्वत्तःtvattaḥ | from you |
| कमलपत्राक्षkamala-patrākṣa | O you whose eyes are lotus petals |
| माहात्म्यम्māhātmyam | greatness |
| अपिapi | also |
| चca | and; joined with avyayam as cāvyayam |
| अव्ययम्avyayam | unfading, that never wears thin |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 2 mean?
Arjuna tells Krishna he has heard it all — how beings come into being and dissolve, and the greatness behind both that never fades. It is an honest acknowledgement, not a doubt. He has the teaching whole. And in the very next breath he will ask for something hearing cannot give him.
What does bhavapyayau hi bhutanam shrutau vistarasho maya mean?
Bhava is arising, apyayau its passing; bhūtānāṁ, of beings. Arjuna says both have been heard by him, vistaraśo — in detail, at length. The line is a receipt. He is confirming delivery of everything Krishna has said about how existence enters and leaves form.
Why does Arjuna call Krishna lotus-eyed here?
Kamala-patrākṣa — eyes like lotus petals. It is affection, not formality. Arjuna is about to ask for the vast, terrifying form, and he begins by naming the face he knows and loves. The one he asks is still his friend, whatever that friend is about to reveal.
If Arjuna already understood, why does the vision follow?
Because understanding and seeing are not the same organ. Arjuna can state the teaching correctly and still stand outside it. Krishna does not correct his words; he changes his eyes. When you can explain something perfectly and it has not moved you, that is exactly where you are.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna is not asking a question yet. He is doing something quieter — reporting what he has received. Ten chapters of teaching, and he can say it back: beings arise, beings dissolve, and behind both is a greatness that does not wear thin. He has heard it in full. Notice the address he chooses — lotus-petal-eyed — the tenderness of a friend, not the awe of a student. And notice what comes next in his mouth: hearing has not finished him. What you can repeat accurately is not yet what you have seen. That gap is where the eleventh chapter begins, and it is where you are standing.