偈颂 11.1811.111.211.311.411.511.611.711.811.911.1011.1111.1211.1311.1411.1511.1611.1711.1811.1911.2011.2111.2211.2311.2411.2511.2611.2711.2811.2911.3011.3111.3211.3311.3411.3511.3611.3711.3811.3911.4011.4111.4211.4311.4411.4511.4611.4711.4811.4911.5011.5111.5211.5311.5411.55

Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being, worthy to be known. Thou art the great treasure-house of this universe; Thou art the imperishable protector of the eternal Dhrama; Thou art the Primal Person, I deem.

You are the imperishable, the supreme to be known; you are the final resting place of this universe. You are the undying guardian of eternal dharma; you are, I believe, the primeval person.

Arjuna pauses from describing to declare what the form means. Krishna is the akṣara, the imperishable, the highest object of knowledge; the ultimate support or treasury of the universe; the undying protector of eternal dharma; the primordial person (puruṣa). The phrase guardian of eternal dharma links the vision to the battlefield: Arjuna's struggle concerns dharma, and here he recognises its ultimate protector. The words I believe show that this is Arjuna's own conviction, arrived at through what he sees. Vision is turning into understanding.