Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 11, Verse 49
मा ते व्यथा मा च विमूढभावो
दृष्ट्वा रूपं घोरमीदृङ्ममेदम्।
व्यपेतभीः प्रीतमनाः पुनस्त्वं
तदेव मे रूपमिदं प्रपश्य।।
दृष्ट्वा रूपं घोरमीदृङ्ममेदम्।
व्यपेतभीः प्रीतमनाः पुनस्त्वं
तदेव मे रूपमिदं प्रपश्य।।
mā te vyathā mā ca vimūḍha-bhāvo
dṛṣṭvā rūpaṁ ghoram īdṛṅ mamedam
vyapeta-bhīḥ prīta-manāḥ punas tvaṁ
tad eva me rūpam idaṁ prapaśya
also searched as "ma te vyatha ma cha vimudhabhavo"
Translation
You need not fear any longer, nor be perplexed, looking upon this awe-inspiring form of Mine. Free from fear and with a gladdened heart, behold once again that other form of Mine.
Vāṇi's rendering
Do not tremble, do not be bewildered by this terrible sight. Fear gone, heart glad — look: here is my familiar form.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| माmā | let there not be |
| तेte | for you |
| व्यथाvyathā | trembling, distress |
| माmā | let there not be |
| चca | and |
| विमूढभावःvimūḍha-bhāvaḥ | a bewildered state of mind (appears as vimūḍhabhāvo by sandhi before dṛṣṭvā) |
| दृष्ट्वाdṛṣṭvā | having seen |
| रूपम्rūpaṁ | form |
| घोरम्ghoram | terrible, dreadful |
| ईदृक्īdṛk | such as this (appears as īdṛṅ before mama) |
| ममmama | of mine |
| इदम्idam | this (mama + idam joins as mamedam) |
| व्यपेतभीःvyapeta-bhīḥ | with fear departed |
| प्रीतमनाःprīta-manāḥ | with a gladdened heart |
| पुनःpunaḥ | again (appears as punas before tvaṁ) |
| त्वम्tvaṁ | you |
| तत्tat | that |
| एवeva | the very same |
| मेme | my |
| रूपम्rūpam | form |
| इदम्idaṁ | this one here |
| प्रपश्यprapaśya | behold, look fully |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 49 mean?
Krishna is calming Arjuna after the cosmic vision. He does not defend the terror of what was shown; he simply lifts it. Fear gone, heart glad — then look again, and the vast form has become the familiar one. The verse is Krishna choosing tenderness over grandeur the moment grandeur has done its work.
What does the verse beginning 'ma te vyatha ma cha vimudhabhavo' teach?
It teaches that vyathā — the body's trembling — and vimūḍha-bhāva — the mind's confusion — are not sins to be scolded out of you. Krishna names both, then dismisses both. Whatever has shaken you is not the last word about you. What remains after the shaking is a face you know.
Why does Krishna withdraw the universal form so soon?
Because seeing was never the goal; relationship was. The viśvarūpa answered Arjuna's question about who Krishna is. It could not answer Arjuna's need for someone to stand beside him in a chariot. Krishna gives back the smaller form not as a lesser truth but as the usable one.
How can this verse help me when I am afraid?
Notice the order Krishna gives: fear leaves first, gladness comes second, seeing comes last. He does not ask Arjuna to look harder through his fear. He asks him to set it down and then look. Much of what terrifies you is waiting to be recognised as something you already know.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna asked to see everything, and everything nearly broke him. Krishna does not scold him for that. The first words after the vision are not doctrine but comfort: do not tremble. The terrible form was true, and it was granted because Arjuna asked; the familiar form is given back because Arjuna needs it. Krishna knows the difference between what a man can want and what a man can hold. So he asks for two things before the looking — fear gone, heart glad — and only then, look. You are not measured by how much vastness you can stare at. You are met in the form you can love.