Gita 11.25
Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga
दंष्ट्राकरालानि च ते मुखानि दृष्ट्वैव कालानलसन्निभानि । दिशो न जाने न लभे च शर्म प्रसीद देवेश जगन्निवास ॥
daṁṣṭrā-karālāni ca te mukhāni dṛṣṭvaiva kālānala-sannibhāni | diśo na jāne na labhe ca śarma prasīda deveśa jagan-nivāsa ||
In essence: Before mouths blazing like the fire of cosmic dissolution, Arjuna loses all orientation - not knowing directions, finding no shelter, he cries for mercy.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "He says he doesn't know the directions anymore. Is this literal disorientation?"
Guru: "Have you ever been in complete darkness, or underwater, or in a vast featureless space?"
Sadhak: "Yes - you lose sense of up and down, which way you came from."
Guru: "Now imagine that multiplied infinitely. The cosmic form is everywhere. Wherever Arjuna looks - that direction - he sees the same overwhelming presence. How can there be directions when every direction is the same?"
Sadhak: "So all landmarks, all reference points have dissolved?"
Guru: "All relative positions require a ground, a stable reference. When the reference itself becomes infinite, position becomes meaningless. This is both terrifying and, ultimately, liberating."
Sadhak: "And 'prasīda' - why does he beg for grace?"
Guru: "What are his other options?"
Sadhak: "He can't fight it. He can't flee from it. He can't understand it with his mind."
Guru: "Correct. All capacities have failed. Only one response remains: appeal to the mercy of the overwhelming presence itself. This is the beginning of true surrender - not philosophical surrender but visceral, terror-born surrender."
Sadhak: "He calls Krishna 'Jagannivāsa' - abode of the universe. If the universe lives in Krishna, where can Arjuna go?"
Guru: "Precisely. The shelter must come from the source of the terror. There is no external refuge. Only grace."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Disorientation contemplation: Before fully waking, while still drowsy, notice that liminal state where you're not sure where you are, what time it is, what day it is. Stay in that disorientation briefly. Recognize it as a small taste of what Arjuna experienced. Then, from that disorientation, offer a simple 'prasīda' - be gracious - before beginning orientation.
Direction-loss recognition: When you feel lost today - in a decision, a situation, a relationship where you don't know which way to go - recognize this as 'diśo na jāne.' Instead of fighting for control, pause and acknowledge: I don't know which way. Let that not-knowing be a prayer rather than a problem.
Jagannivāsa refuge: Before sleep, contemplate that the entire universe dwells within divine presence. This includes your room, your bed, your sleeping body. There is no need to 'go' anywhere for refuge - refuge is the very space you inhabit. Rest in the abode of the universe.