偈颂 11.1611.111.211.311.411.511.611.711.811.911.1011.1111.1211.1311.1411.1511.1611.1711.1811.1911.2011.2111.2211.2311.2411.2511.2611.2711.2811.2911.3011.3111.3211.3311.3411.3511.3611.3711.3811.3911.4011.4111.4211.4311.4411.4511.4611.4711.4811.4911.5011.5111.5211.5311.5411.55

I see Thee of boundless form on every side with many arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes: neither the end nor the middle nor also the beginning do I see, O Lord of the universe, O Cosmic Form.

I see you everywhere, endless in form, with many arms, bellies, mouths and eyes. I see no end, no middle and no beginning of you, lord of all, whose form is the universe.

Arjuna sees Krishna on every side, with countless arms, bellies, mouths and eyes, a form without limit. He looks for an edge, a centre or a starting point and finds none. The words echo the previous chapter, where Krishna declared himself the beginning, middle and end of beings; now Arjuna discovers that in the cosmic form these cannot even be located. He addresses Krishna as viśvarūpa, the one whose form is the universe, the term that gives this vision its usual name. The verse captures the vertigo of seeing something that has no outline.