Gita 11.44
Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga
तस्मात्प्रणम्य प्रणिधाय कायं प्रसादये त्वामहमीशमीड्यम् । पितेव पुत्रस्य सखेव सख्युः प्रियः प्रियायार्हसि देव सोढुम् ॥
tasmāt praṇamya praṇidhāya kāyaṁ prasādaye tvām aham īśam īḍyam | piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuḥ priyaḥ priyāyārhasi deva soḍhum ||
In essence: Prostrating fully, I beg Your grace - please bear with my offenses as a father with a son, a friend with a friend, a lover with the beloved.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "I've said and thought such casual, even irreverent things about God over the years. Now I'm afraid to approach. How can I face the Divine knowing my past?"
Guru: "Did your parents never forgive your childhood rudeness?"
Sadhak: "Of course they did. I was a child. I didn't know better."
Guru: "And from the Divine's perspective, you were - and still are - a child. Even Arjuna, the great warrior, the companion of God himself, approached with this very fear. Yet notice: he didn't run away from Krishna after seeing the terrible form. He ran toward Him, prostrating."
Sadhak: "But I've consciously doubted, consciously mocked. That's different from childish ignorance."
Guru: "Is it? A teenager's rebellion seems conscious to the teenager, but a parent sees it as a phase of growth. Your doubts and mockery - were they really from a place of full knowledge, or from pain, confusion, unmet expectations? Even your worst irreverence was the cry of a child who felt abandoned by a Parent they secretly longed for."
Sadhak: "So I just... prostrate and ask forgiveness?"
Guru: "Not 'just.' You prostrate with your whole being - body, mind, heart. You acknowledge without excuses. And then you trust. The verse says 'arhasi soḍhum' - You are worthy of bearing this. Arjuna appeals to Krishna's capacity to forgive, not his own worthiness to be forgiven. That's the shift: from my unworthiness to Your worthiness."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Full prostration: If possible, perform one full-body prostration (ashtanga pranam or sajda) in the morning. Not as mere ritual, but as Arjuna did - acknowledging past offenses, seeking grace for the day ahead. If physical prostration isn't possible, mentally imagine your entire being touching the Divine's feet.
Three-relationship awareness: Through the day, notice which relationship with the Divine feels most natural in different moments. In confusion, perhaps the parent-child relationship (seeking guidance). In joy, perhaps the friend relationship (sharing happiness). In beauty or love, perhaps the beloved relationship (feeling drawn toward the beautiful). Let yourself flow between these without judgment.
Forgiveness request: Before sleep, mentally review any moment you spoke or thought irreverently about the Divine, life, or existence itself. Without guilt, simply offer: 'Bear with me. I am still learning who You are.' Feel the tolerance of an infinite Parent, Friend, and Beloved who has witnessed all your lifetimes and still awaits your recognition.