The eleventh chapter of the Bhagavadgita, of which “Vision of Visions” is a lyrical rendition interwoven with an interpretation of its spiritual significance, is the consummation of the teachings of the Book. It describes how the Lord Krishna, the Warrior-Prophet, blessed Arjuna, his devotee, with the great yogic vision of the cosmic drama of life and death, enacted on the Infinite Body of the Lord by Himself. Arjuna, still human, was perplexed, being unable to reconcile the benign aspect of the Lord with His destructive aspect: doing good to men and the world as a whole on the one hand, and bringing death and destruction to countless creatures and worlds on the other. It has been shown here that life and death are both momentary scenes in the cosmic drama, meant not to hurt or please anybody, but designed to afford infinite opportunities to the Lord’s children for the attainment of higher and higher states of evolution through apparently unpleasant disturbances caused by great changes. The relative value of life and death in this Drama, which is a dream in comparison with the Reality of the Lord, is the same. This vision represents the great Cosmic Law, as seen not from the point of view of finite creatures, but from that of the Lord Himself. Hence this allows no room for the finite questioning of Arjuna as to whether the Lord is benign or destructive. To him, to destroy life is not an absence of benignity, nor to give life a presence of it, as is the case with us. The Lord views life and death as forms of change only, according to His Cosmic Law. A law is law. It has been His nature, and always will be. There is no question about benignity or otherwise.
Nevertheless, it describes the Lord as leading this Cosmos with all its individuals to higher and higher stages of unfoldment. Every individual is expected to do his duty unattached,with the consciousness of an intelligent agent merely, that he can reach those higher stages easily, and finally be in tune with that Great Being.
Beloved Lord,Adored of gods,Behold, beholdThy body holdsAll fleshly tenants, seers fine,The diverse saints divine.Indwelling mystery cave,The Serpent Nature’s forceful crave,Though fierce and subtle, now is tame,Forgetful of her deadly game;And Sovran Brahma, God of gods,On lotus seat is snug secured.O Cosmic-Bodied Lord of worlds,Oh, I behold, again beholdThee all and everywhereThy countless arms and trunks and eyes!Yet, drooping dark my knowledge liesAbout Thy birth and reign and presence here.
This day,O Blazing, Furious Flame,O Blinding Ray,Thy focussed power’s aglow: Thy NameSpreads everywhereTo dark’st abysmal lair.Thou, gilded with a crown of stars,And wielding mace of sovereign power,Thou whirlest forth, O Burning Phoebus,Thy evolution’s circling discus.Immortal Brahma, all Supreme,Thou Cosmic Shelter, Wisdom’s Theme,Eternal [1]Dharma’s guardian true,Thou diest not I ever knew!
O Birthless, Fleshless, Deathless One,Unseen, thy endless, working arms,Thy Ever-Watching Eyes!The suns and moons and staring skies,Thy Selfborn Lustre shields from harm,And the distant creation warms,O Sovereign Soul, this earth and gods’
All high-abode and all encircling spheres,Directions all, and earthly sods,By Thee pervaded, far and near,The worldly beings, struck by fear,Thy wondrous form adore.In Thee the gods their entry makeWith folded hands, afraid, some pray to shelter takeIn Thee. The seers great, on Heaven’s path successful ones,With superb hymns of peace do worship Thee and Thee alone.The eleven lamps of Heaven,The twelve bright suns,The grizzly Eight,The starry lustres great,Aspiring hermits, gods,The agents of the Cosmic Lord,The twin-born princes strong,Of valor known so long,Two-score and nine noil breezes’ force,
That binds the atoms close,The long-passed guardian spirits all,The demi-goblins, gods, and demons tall,Mighty ones in Spirit’s path,In wonder all behold Thy blazoned worth.Colossal arms, Thy countless cheeks,Thy starry eyes, Thy endless hands, and legs adornedWith lotus feet, Thy chasmed mouth, with doomsday’s teethDoth yawn to swallow swooning worlds around,And leaves a distilled joyous awe in me.Thy grandeur I and all are wonder-struck to see;The bowels of the void deep are filled with Thee Thy diverse hues and gaping mouths and lustre- smeared body,O [2]Vishnu of the flaming sight,Directions lost, Thou now awest me, my peace dost fright.Ferocious teeth and deadly fire do howlIn mouths of Thine which at me scowl.
Directions lost and gone,I find no peace alone.Cosmic Guardian, Lord of gods,Be pleased t’ accept my pleading words.The Ego, Karma, Senses great abideAnd wait to leap upon our Wisdom’s chiefs.And yet they both do rideThe race of death, to fall and hideFor e’er in Thy devouring mouth,Adorned with crushing cruel teeth uncouth.The victor and the vanquished must,Thy offsprings both, the righteous and ungodly ones,Thy love still claim, yet all some day shall kiss the dust,And sleep on common floor of earth.The shattered skulls of some are seen,As caught Thy greedy teeth between.
As diverse, restless, watery wavesOf river branches all do craveTo force through crowded wavelets’ way,
And meet where Neptune’s home long lay,So the heroic streams of lifeDo plunge to meet in maddest strifeAt Thy foaming mouth of sea,Where sparkling lives do dance so free:As insects lost in beauty’s gameAll swiftly, thoughtless rush to flame,So fog-born passion’s fires pretendTo glow like Heav’nly light of Thine,And draw on mortals to attendThe trumpet call to deathly line.Thy mouth ablazeDoth bring to gazeIts leaping tongues to lickThe angry blood of strong and weak,Thou Gourmand God dost eatWith hunger Infinite;O Vishnu, Thou dost scorchThe worlds with All-pervading fiery torch.
Be pleased, O Prime of gods;I ache to know Thee, Primeval Lord.
O tell, Thou, O Fiery Mood,Who art yet so good,—Thy Royal Will,I know not still.
The Lord sang:"Am Endless Doom,All bent to roomIn burning mawOf mine the weaklings’ aweAnd all the mortal meatOf weary worlds of deathly change, and treatThem with my nectar lifeTo new and fearless, better strife.E’en if thou dost not slayThese wicked warriors all in war array,They surely certain have to fall,Ah, in my teeth-of-law, withal.Arise, awake! Arise, awake!Oh, dash to war thy foe, the flesh a captive make,And seize the victor’s fame,With battle-hunted game,
Wealth of the KingOf Peace, and Heaven’s Kingdom bring.I know right now the happenings allWhich mystic future forth doth call,And thus thy foes and warriors true,Long, long ago I slewEre thy agent-hand,That I would wield to landThy foes on death’s dim shore, could understand.My agent thou,Oh, this is howI work my plans in universehrough instruments diverse;’Tis I who slew and yet will slay the senses’ trainThrough thee, as through both past and future ones, my soldiers sane.”