GitaChapter 11Verse 4

Gita 11.4

Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga

मन्यसे यदि तच्छक्यं मया द्रष्टुमिति प्रभो | योगेश्वर ततो मे त्वं दर्शयात्मानमव्ययम् ||४||

manyase yadi tac chakyaṁ mayā draṣṭum iti prabho | yogeśvara tato me tvaṁ darśayātmānam avyayam ||4||

In essence: If You think I am capable - not my assessment, but Yours - then show me the imperishable You.

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

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "Why does Arjuna add 'if you think I can see it'? He's a great warrior, a devoted student - why doubt himself?"

Guru: "Have you ever received information you weren't ready for?"

Sadhak: "Yes... sometimes it was overwhelming. I couldn't process it or even remember it properly."

Guru: "And who would know best whether you're ready - you or your teacher?"

Sadhak: "The teacher, usually. I often think I'm ready when I'm not."

Guru: "Arjuna has learned this. He's requesting, not demanding. He trusts Krishna's assessment over his own eagerness. This is mature discipleship."

Sadhak: "But doesn't this put unnecessary limitation? What if Krishna says no?"

Guru: "Then that 'no' would be a teaching. But notice - the request itself shows readiness. Someone who demands is not ready; someone who asks with openness usually is. The humility IS the qualification."

Sadhak: "Why 'Yogeshvara'? Krishna has been called so many things - why this name here?"

Guru: "What would you need to see the imperishable?"

Sadhak: "Yoga? Union? Some kind of expanded consciousness?"

Guru: "Exactly. Arjuna is essentially saying: 'You are the master of union, the Lord of expanded consciousness - use that mastery to expand MY consciousness so I can see what I'm asking to see.' He's addressing the power he needs Krishna to use."

Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.

🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Yogeshvara invocation: Begin with acknowledging that you cannot expand your own consciousness by mere willpower. Address the inner teacher, the higher Self, the Divine by whatever name resonates: 'If You know I am ready, reveal to me what I need to see today. I trust Your timing over my eagerness.'

☀️ Daytime

Readiness assessment: When opportunities arise - for learning, for challenge, for growth - ask not 'do I want this?' but 'am I ready for this?' If unsure, proceed with humility rather than confidence. Often our wanting outpaces our readiness. Let wisdom, not desire, guide your pace.

🌙 Evening

Avyayam contemplation: Before sleep, contemplate what remains unchanged through all your days. Your body has changed, your thoughts have changed, your circumstances have changed - yet YOU remain to witness all changes. This unchanging witness-presence is the 'avyayam' - touch it briefly, rest in it.

Common Questions

Is Arjuna being too passive by saying 'if you think'? Shouldn't a seeker be assertive about spiritual growth?
There's a difference between assertiveness and presumption. Arjuna is extremely assertive - he makes a clear, bold request. But he doesn't presume his own readiness. This balance of strong desire with humble openness is ideal. Demanding experiences we're not ready for can be harmful. Arjuna trusts that Krishna, as his teacher and the Supreme Lord, knows better.
What does 'Yogeshvara' mean practically? How is Krishna the 'Lord of Yoga'?
Krishna embodies all yogas - Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, Raja. He is not merely an expert practitioner but the source and goal of all yoga. As Yogeshvara, He can bestow yogic states directly through grace, without requiring the usual sadhana. He can literally 'give' the experience of union because He IS the union being sought. Arjuna invokes this power for his request.
Why 'avyayam' (imperishable) again? Isn't any form perishable?
Yes, and Arjuna knows this. The vishvarupa he's about to see will appear and then withdraw. But he wants to perceive, through that form, the imperishable reality that all forms express. It's like wanting to see not just the wave but the ocean. Forms reveal the formless when seen with the right vision. Arjuna wants THAT seeing.