Chapter 11, Verse 37
Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga — Sanskrit shloka, transliteration, word meanings, English translation, and commentary.
Original Sanskrit verse
Transliteration
Word meanings
kasmāt—why; cha—and; te—you; na nameran—should they not bow down; mahā-ātman—The Great one; garīyase—who are greater; brahmaṇaḥ—than Brahma; api—even; ādi-kartre—to the original creator; ananta—The limitless One; deva-īśha—Lord of the devatās; jagat-nivāsa—Refuge of the universe; tvam—you; akṣharam—the imperishable; sat-asat—manifest and non-manifest; tat—that; param—beyond; yat—which
English translation
And why should they not, O great Soul, bow to Thee Who art greater than all else, the primal cause even of the Creator (Brahma), O Infinite Being, O Lord of the gods, O Abode of the universe; Thou art the imperishable, the Being, the non-being, and That which is supreme—that which is beyond the Being and the non-being.
— Swami Sivananda
Listen to Shloka 11.37
Commentary
The Lord is Mahatma. He is greater than all else. He is the imperishable. So He is the proper object of worship; love and delight. That which exists in the three periods of time is Sat. Brahman is Sat. That which does not exist in the three periods of time is Asat. This world is Asat. This body is Asat. The words Sat and Asat mean here the manifested and the unmanifested which form the adjuncts of the Akshara (imperishable). In reality the Akshara transcends both these. The word Akshara is applied in the Gita sometimes to the Unmanifest (Nature) and sometimes to the Supreme Being. Ananta is He Who is free from the three kinds of limitations (of time; space and thing) which have already been explained. Arjuna again praises the Lord thus
Commentary by Swami Sivananda
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