GitaChapter 11Verse 3

Gita 11.3

Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga

एवमेतद्यथात्थ त्वमात्मानं परमेश्वर | द्रष्टुमिच्छामि ते रूपमैश्वरं पुरुषोत्तम ||३||

evam etad yathāttha tvam ātmānaṁ parameśvara | draṣṭum icchāmi te rūpam aiśvaraṁ puruṣottama ||3||

In essence: You are as You describe Yourself - now let me SEE what I believe.

A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "Arjuna says 'you are as you describe' - but how can he know that without seeing? Isn't this blind faith?"

Guru: "What's the alternative? How would you verify Krishna's words before accepting them?"

Sadhak: "I suppose I couldn't... unless I saw for myself. Which is exactly what he's asking for."

Guru: "So is he being blindly faithful or strategically faithful?"

Sadhak: "Both? He accepts the teaching first, then asks for confirmation. But wait - if he needs to see to really believe, how is his acceptance genuine?"

Guru: "Have you ever trusted a doctor's diagnosis before seeing the test results?"

Sadhak: "Yes, if I trust the doctor."

Guru: "The trust lets you proceed. The results confirm or refine. Arjuna's faith in Krishna's character allows him to accept the teaching; the vision will transform acceptance into unshakeable knowing. Both are needed."

Sadhak: "Why does he use such elevated terms - Parameshvara, Purushottama? He's been Krishna's friend for years."

Guru: "When asking to see the Supreme, how should one address the Supreme?"

Sadhak: "With appropriate reverence, I suppose."

Guru: "Arjuna is shifting from friendly intimacy to devotional surrender. The request he's making requires recognizing WHO he's asking. You don't ask a friend to show you the cosmos - you ask God. The shift in address signals his readiness to receive."

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🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Faith-to-experience intention: Begin with whatever spiritual truths you intellectually accept but haven't fully experienced. Name them: 'I believe I am not this body. I believe consciousness underlies all. I believe in ultimate goodness.' Then make Arjuna's request your own: 'May I SEE what I believe. May understanding become realization.'

☀️ Daytime

Parameshvara recognition: Throughout the day, practice seeing 'Parameshvara' - the Supreme Lord - in authority figures, in natural law, in the consequences of actions. Every system that governs reality points to the ultimate Governor. Let this recognition soften your resistance to life's circumstances.

🌙 Evening

Aishvaram glimpses: Before sleep, recall any moments today when you glimpsed something 'divine' - a sunset, a kindness, a moment of peace, an uncanny synchronicity. These are tiny windows into the aishvaram rupam - the form of divine glory. Acknowledge them as previews of what Arjuna is about to see in full.

Common Questions

Is Arjuna doubting Krishna's words by asking to see? Doesn't that show lack of faith?
Not at all. Arjuna explicitly affirms 'evam etat' - it is exactly so. His desire to see comes not from doubt but from devotion. Just as someone who has heard about a beautiful garden wants to walk through it, Arjuna wants to experience what he has understood. This is spiritual maturity: accepting teaching while remaining hungry for direct realization.
What is the 'aishvaram rupam' - the divine form? Is it different from Krishna's normal form?
Krishna's human form is what Arjuna has always seen. The 'aishvaram rupam' is the cosmic form - Vishvarupa - that contains all beings, all times, all phenomena. It's not a 'different' Krishna but the complete Krishna, of which the human form is a tiny, accessible expression. Like seeing the ocean after knowing only a drop.
Why does Arjuna call Krishna 'Purushottama'? What does this term mean philosophically?
Purushottama means 'the Supreme Person' - higher than both the perishable (kshara) and imperishable (akshara) aspects of existence. It indicates that the Ultimate is not an impersonal absolute but a personal being who transcends all categories while remaining relatable. By using this term, Arjuna acknowledges that Krishna is THE supreme consciousness, not just an exalted being.