偈颂 11.511.111.211.311.411.511.611.711.811.911.1011.1111.1211.1311.1411.1511.1611.1711.1811.1911.2011.2111.2211.2311.2411.2511.2611.2711.2811.2911.3011.3111.3211.3311.3411.3511.3611.3711.3811.3911.4011.4111.4211.4311.4411.4511.4611.4711.4811.4911.5011.5111.5211.5311.5411.55

The Blessed Lord said Behold, O Arjuna, forms of Mine, by the hundreds and thousands, of different sorts, divine, and of various colours and shapes.

The Lord said: Behold, son of Pritha, my forms by the hundreds and thousands, divine, of many kinds, of many colours and shapes.

Krishna grants the request at once. His first word is paśya, behold, and he will repeat it several times in the next verses, as if guiding Arjuna's gaze. He speaks not of one form but of hundreds and thousands, varied in kind, colour and shape. The cosmic form (viśvarūpa) is not a single image but a teeming multiplicity. The verse marks a shift in the Gita from listening to looking. Until now Arjuna has received teaching; from here, for a while, he will be a witness, and the dialogue will take on the character of a vision.