Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 11, Verse 4
मन्यसे यदि तच्छक्यं मया द्रष्टुमिति प्रभो।
योगेश्वर ततो मे त्वं दर्शयाऽत्मानमव्ययम्।।
योगेश्वर ततो मे त्वं दर्शयाऽत्मानमव्ययम्।।
manyase yadi tac cchakyaṁ mayā draṣṭum iti prabho
yogeśvara tato me tvaṁ darśayātmānam avyayam
also searched as "manyase yadi tac cchakyam maya drashtum iti prabho"
Translation
If you think, O Lord, that it can be seen by me, then, O Lord of Yoga, reveal Yourself fully to me.
Vāṇi's rendering
If you judge me able to bear the sight, lord of yoga — then show me your imperishable self.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मन्यसेmanyase | you think, you judge |
| यदिyadi | if |
| तत्tac | that (the form just asked for); before the next word the final t softens by sandhi |
| शक्यम्cchakyaṁ | possible, able to be borne or seen |
| मयाmayā | by me |
| द्रष्टुम्draṣṭum | to see |
| इतिiti | thus, so — closing the condition |
| प्रभोprabho | O master |
| योगेश्वरyogeśvara | O lord of yoga |
| ततःtato | then, in that case |
| मेme | to me |
| त्वम्tvaṁ | you |
| दर्शयdarśaya | show, reveal |
| आत्मानम्ātmānam | your own self |
| अव्ययम्avyayam | unspending, imperishable |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 4 mean?
Arjuna asks to see Krishna's imperishable form, but only if Krishna considers him capable of seeing it. He makes the request and surrenders the decision in the same breath. The asking is his; the judgment of his readiness is not. This is what a mature request for truth sounds like.
What is the meaning of 'manyase yadi tat shakyam maya drashtum iti prabho'?
"If you think it can be seen by me, O master." Arjuna does not assert his fitness. He offers the possibility and leaves it with Krishna. The whole weight of the verse sits on that yadi — if. Everything he receives afterward comes through that opening, not through his own claim.
Why does Arjuna call Krishna yogeshvara here?
Because he is asking for something only the lord of yoga can grant — the showing of a form beyond the reach of ordinary sight. Arjuna names the capacity he is appealing to. When you ask, you reveal what you believe the one you ask is able to do.
Is it wrong to ask for a direct vision of the divine?
The Gītā does not say so. Arjuna asks, and is answered. What matters is the shape of the asking. He does not demand, does not certify himself ready, does not set terms. He asks, and lets Krishna measure him. Ask that way and something can actually be given.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Notice the condition Arjuna puts first. Not show me, but if you judge me able — he hands the assessing to Krishna and keeps none of it. He has just asked for the vision; now he admits he cannot know whether he can survive it. That is not weakness. It is the last honest thing a student can say before the roof comes off. You have asked for things you were not ready for, and been given them, and been broken by them. Arjuna asks differently. He says: you decide what I can bear. Then he stands there and waits, hands empty.