Gita 11.27
Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga
वक्त्राणि ते त्वरमाणा विशन्ति दंष्ट्राकरालानि भयानकानि । केचिद्विलग्ना दशनान्तरेषु सन्दृश्यन्ते चूर्णितैरुत्तमाङ्गैः ॥
vaktrāṇi te tvaramāṇā viśanti daṁṣṭrā-karālāni bhayānakāni | kecid vilagnā daśanāntareṣu sandṛśyante cūrṇitair uttamāṅgaiḥ ||
In essence: Warriors rush headlong into terrible fanged mouths - some caught between the teeth, heads crushed to powder.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "This is horrifying. Why would Krishna show Arjuna such graphic violence?"
Guru: "Is it violence, or is it truth?"
Sadhak: "What's the difference?"
Guru: "Violence is willful harm. What Arjuna sees is simply what happens. Time devours all forms. The horror is not in the showing but in the fact itself."
Sadhak: "But why do they rush? Why aren't they fleeing?"
Guru: "Can you flee from time?"
Sadhak: "No... time is everywhere, in everything."
Guru: "So the rushing is not choice but nature. Every moment, every being moves toward dissolution. The cosmic vision just makes visible what is always happening invisibly."
Sadhak: "And some get stuck between the teeth - crushed slowly while others pass through quickly?"
Guru: "Yes. Not all deaths are swift. Some beings struggle, resist, cling - and are ground down. Others enter smoothly. The image reflects the difference between dying with acceptance and dying with resistance."
Sadhak: "The heads crushed to powder - 'uttamāṅgaiḥ' - that's targeting the ego specifically?"
Guru: "The head contains the brain - seat of identity, strategy, pride. Time particularly grinds down human pretension. All the clever plans, the sense of 'I will survive, I will triumph' - powdered."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Tvaramāṇā awareness: Notice how you rush through morning routines - rushing toward the day, toward goals, toward future. Recognize this rushing as the same movement Arjuna describes. Everything rushes toward its end. Let this awareness slow you slightly, making each rushed moment more conscious.
Stuck-between-teeth recognition: Notice when you feel ground down today - by circumstances, pressures, demands. Recognize this as being 'stuck between teeth.' Ask: am I resisting something that is dissolving me anyway? Can I stop clinging and let myself pass through more smoothly?
Uttamāṅga surrender: Before sleep, consciously relax your head - jaw, temples, forehead, the thinking brain. Release the day's mental efforts, strategies, worries. Let your 'highest limb' rest. Acknowledge that all today's mental activity, important as it seemed, will be eventually powdered. Let go into sleep.