Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 11, Verse 24
नभःस्पृशं दीप्तमनेकवर्णं
व्यात्ताननं दीप्तविशालनेत्रम्।
दृष्ट्वा हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा
धृतिं न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो।।
व्यात्ताननं दीप्तविशालनेत्रम्।
दृष्ट्वा हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा
धृतिं न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो।।
nabhaḥ-spṛśaṁ dīptam aneka-varṇaṁ
vyāttānanaṁ dīpta-viśāla-netram
dṛṣṭvā hi tvāṁ pravyathitāntar-ātmā
dhṛtiṁ na vindāmi śamaṁ ca viṣṇo
also searched as "nabhah-sprsham diptam aneka-varnam"
Translation
When I behold You touching the Supreme Heaven, shining, multicolored, with yawning mouths and large, resplendent eyes, my inner being trembles in fear. I am unable to find support or peace, O Vishnu.
Vāṇi's rendering
Sky-touching, blazing, many-coloured, mouths agape, vast eyes on fire — my heart quakes. Steadiness and peace desert me.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नभःस्पृशम्nabhaḥ-spṛśaṁ | touching the sky |
| दीप्तम्dīptam | blazing, ablaze with light |
| अनेकवर्णम्aneka-varṇaṁ | of many colours |
| व्यात्तvyātta- | gaping, torn open |
| आननम्-ānanaṁ | mouths (sandhi: vyātta + ānanaṁ — with mouths agape) |
| दीप्तविशालनेत्रम्dīpta-viśāla-netram | with blazing, enormous eyes |
| दृष्ट्वाdṛṣṭvā | having seen |
| हिhi | indeed |
| त्वाम्tvāṁ | you |
| प्रव्यथितpravyathita- | shaken, trembling in terror |
| अन्तरात्मा-antar-ātmā | the inmost self, the heart within (sandhi: pravyathita + antarātmā) |
| धृतिम्dhṛtiṁ | steadiness, the firm grip that holds one upright |
| नna | not |
| विन्दामिvindāmi | I find |
| शमम्śamaṁ | peace, quiet |
| चca | and |
| विष्णोviṣṇo | O Viṣṇu |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 24 mean?
Arjuna describes the form he begged to see: sky-touching, blazing, many-coloured, mouths open, eyes on fire. Then he admits its effect. His inmost self trembles, and both dhṛti — steadiness — and śama — peace — abandon him. He is not doubting Krishna. He is discovering that he was too small for his own request.
What does nabhah-sprsham diptam aneka-varnam mean?
Sky-touching, blazing, of many colours. Arjuna is reaching for words that will not hold. He piles image on image — vast eyes, gaping mouths, light without limit — because nothing single can carry what stands before him. The stacked adjectives are themselves the confession: language is failing while he speaks.
Why is Arjuna afraid when he sees Krishna's universal form?
Because it is not a friend's face any more. Arjuna had a chariot companion he could argue with; now he faces the one in whom all worlds move. Fear here is accuracy, not weakness. When something genuinely larger than you appears, trembling is the honest response. Krishna will steady him — after, not instead.
What is the difference between dhriti and shama in this verse?
Dhṛti is the grip — the inner hold that keeps you standing and acting. Śama is the quiet beneath it, the mind at rest. Arjuna loses both, in that order. The doing collapses first, then the stillness. Any moment of real awe will take them from you too, and give them back changed.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Arjuna asked to see. Now he has seen, and the seeing is unbearable. Notice what he loses first — dhṛti, the grip, the steadiness that had held him upright through nine chapters of instruction. Then śama, peace. He does not lose faith; he loses composure. The vision has not turned cruel, only vast, and vastness does the same work as cruelty on a small heart. This is what happens when the answer is larger than the question you asked. You wanted to know what holds the world. When it shows you, your hands will shake — and shaking, keep looking. Krishna is not done speaking.