If this can be, if I may bear the sight, Make Thyself visible, Lord of all prayers!
Show me Thy very self, the Eternal G.o.d!
Krishna.
Gaze, then, thou Son of Pritha! I manifest for thee Those hundred thousand thousand shapes that clothe my Mystery: I show thee all my semblances, infinite, rich, divine, My changeful hues, my countless forms. See! in this face of mine, Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Aswins, and Maruts; see Wonders unnumbered, Indian Prince! revealed to none save thee.
Behold! this is the Universe!--Look! what is live and dead I gather all in one--in Me! Gaze, as thy lips have said, On G.o.d ETERNAL, VERY G.o.d! See Me! see what thou prayest!
Thou canst not!--nor, with human eyes, Arjuna! ever mayest!
Therefore I give thee sense divine. Have other eyes, new light!
And, look! This is My glory, unveiled to mortal sight!
Sanjaya.
Then, O King! the G.o.d, so saying, Stood, to Pritha"s Son displaying All the splendour, wonder, dread Of His vast Almighty-head.
Out of countless eyes beholding, Out of countless mouths commanding, Countless mystic forms enfolding In one Form: supremely standing Countless radiant glories wearing, Countless heavenly weapons bearing, Crowned with garlands of star-cl.u.s.ters, Robed in garb of woven l.u.s.tres, Breathing from His perfect Presence Breaths of every subtle essence Of all heavenly odours; shedding Blinding brilliance; overspreading-- Boundless, beautiful--all s.p.a.ces With His all-regarding faces; So He showed! If there should rise Suddenly within the skies Sunburst of a thousand suns Flooding earth with beams undeemed-of, Then might be that Holy One"s Majesty and radiance dreamed of!
So did Pandu"s Son behold All this universe enfold All its huge diversity Into one vast shape, and be Visible, and viewed, and blended In one Body--subtle, splendid, Nameless--th" All-comprehending G.o.d of G.o.ds, the Never-Ending Deity!
But, sore amazed, Thrilled, o"erfilled, dazzled, and dazed, Arjuna knelt; and bowed his head, And clasped his palms; and cried, and said:
Arjuna.
Yea! I have seen! I see!
Lord! all is wrapped in Thee!
The G.o.ds are in Thy glorious frame! the creatures Of earth, and heaven, and h.e.l.l In Thy Divine form dwell, And in Thy countenance shine all the features
Of Brahma, sitting lone Upon His lotus-throne; Of saints and sages, and the serpent races Ananta, Vasuki; Yea! mightiest Lord! I see Thy thousand thousand arms, and b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and faces, And eyes,--on every side Perfect, diversified; And nowhere end of Thee, nowhere beginning, Nowhere a centre! Shifts-- Wherever soul"s gaze lifts-- Thy central Self, all-wielding, and all-winning!
Infinite King! I see The anadem on Thee, The club, the sh.e.l.l, the discus; see Thee burning In beams insufferable, Lighting earth, heaven, and h.e.l.l With brilliance blazing, glowing, flashing; turning
Darkness to dazzling day, Look I whichever way; Ah, Lord! I worship Thee, the Undivided, The Uttermost of thought, The Treasure-Palace wrought To hold the wealth of the worlds; the Shield provided
To shelter Virtue"s laws; The Fount whence Life"s stream draws All waters of all rivers of all being: The One Unborn, Unending: Unchanging and Unblending!
With might and majesty, past thought, past seeing!
Silver of moon and gold Of sun are glories rolled From Thy great eyes; Thy visage, beaming tender Throughout the stars and skies, Doth to warm life surprise Thy Universe. The worlds are filled with wonder
Of Thy perfections! s.p.a.ce Star-sprinkled, and void place From pole to pole of the Blue, from bound to bound, Hath Thee in every spot, Thee, Thee!--Where Thou art not, O Holy, Marvellous Form! is nowhere found!
O Mystic, Awful One!
At sight of Thee, made known, The Three Worlds quake; the lower G.o.ds draw nigh Thee; They fold their palms, and bow Body, and breast, and brow, And, whispering worship, laud and magnify Thee!
Rishis and Siddhas cry "Hail! Highest Majesty!"
From sage and singer breaks the hymn of glory In dulcet harmony, Sounding the praise of Thee; While countless companies take up the story,
Rudras, who ride the storms, Th" Adityas" shining forms, Vasus and Sadhyas, Viswas, Ushmapas; Maruts, and those great Twins The heavenly, fair, Aswins, Gandharvas, Rakshasas, Siddhas, and Asuras,[FN#22]--
These see Thee, and revere In sudden-stricken fear; Yea! the Worlds,--seeing Thee with form stupendous, With faces manifold, With eyes which all behold, Unnumbered eyes, vast arms, members tremendous,
Flanks, lit with sun and star, Feet planted near and far, Tushes of terror, mouths wrathful and tender;-- The Three wide Worlds before Thee Adore, as I adore Thee, Quake, as I quake, to witness so much splendour!
I mark Thee strike the skies With front, in wondrous wise Huge, rainbow-painted, glittering; and thy mouth Opened, and orbs which see All things, whatever be In all Thy worlds, east, west, and north and south.
O Eyes of G.o.d! O Head!
My strength of soul is fled, Gone is heart"s force, rebuked is mind"s desire!
When I behold Thee so, With awful brows a-glow, With burning glance, and lips lighted by fire
Fierce as those flames which shall Consume, at close of all, Earth, Heaven! Ah me! I see no Earth and Heaven!
Thee, Lord of Lords! I see, Thee only-only Thee!
Now let Thy mercy unto me be given,
Thou Refuge of the World!
Lo! to the cavern hurled Of Thy wide-opened throat, and lips white-tushed, I see our n.o.blest ones, Great Dhritarashtra"s sons, Bhishma, Drona, and Karna, caught and crushed!
The Kings and Chiefs drawn in, That gaping gorge within; The best of both these armies torn and riven!
Between Thy jaws they lie Mangled full bloodily, Ground into dust and death! Like streams down-driven
With helpless haste, which go In headlong furious flow Straight to the gulfing deeps of th" unfilled ocean, So to that flaming cave Those heroes great and brave Pour, in unending streams, with helpless motion!
Like moths which in the night Flutter towards a light, Drawn to their fiery doom, flying and dying, So to their death still throng, Blind, dazzled, borne along Ceaselessly, all those mult.i.tudes, wild flying!
Thou, that hast fashioned men, Devourest them again, One with another, great and small, alike!
The creatures whom Thou mak"st, With flaming jaws Thou tak"st, Lapping them up! Lord G.o.d! Thy terrors strike
From end to end of earth, Filling life full, from birth To death, with deadly, burning, lurid dread!
Ah, Vishnu! make me know Why is Thy visage so?
Who art Thou, feasting thus upon Thy dead?
Who? awful Deity!
I bow myself to Thee, Namostu Te, Devavara! Prasid![FN#23]
O Mightiest Lord! rehea.r.s.e Why hast Thou face so fierce?
Whence doth this aspect horrible proceed?
Krishna.
Thou seest Me as Time who kills, Time who brings all to doom, The Slayer Time, Ancient of Days, come hither to consume; Excepting thee, of all these hosts of hostile chiefs arrayed, There stands not one shall leave alive the battlefield! Dismayed No longer be! Arise! obtain renown! destroy thy foes!
Fight for the kingdom waiting thee when thou hast vanquished those.
By Me they fall--not thee! the stroke of death is dealt them now, Even as they show thus gallantly; My instrument art thou!
Strike, strong-armed Prince, at Drona! at Bhishma strike! deal death On Karna, Jyadratha; stay all their warlike breath!
"Tis I who bid them perish! Thou wilt but slay the slain; Fight! they must fall, and thou must live, victor upon this plain!
Sanjaya.
Hearing mighty Keshav"s word, Tremblingly that helmed Lord Clasped his lifted palms, and--praying Grace of Krishna--stood there, saying, With bowed brow and accents broken, These words, timorously spoken:
Arjuna.
Worthily, Lord of Might!
The whole world hath delight In Thy surpa.s.sing power, obeying Thee; The Rakshasas, in dread At sight of Thee, are sped To all four quarters; and the company
Of Siddhas sound Thy name.
How should they not proclaim Thy Majesties, Divinest, Mightiest?
Thou Brahm, than Brahma greater!
Thou Infinite Creator!
Thou G.o.d of G.o.ds, Life"s Dwelling-place and Rest!