kirīṭinaḿ gadinaḿ cakra-hastam
icchāmi tvāḿ draṣṭum ahaḿ tathaiva
tenaiva rūpeṇa catur-bhujena
sahasra-bāho bhava viśva-mūrte
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 11.46
O universal form, O thousand-armed Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your hands. I long to see You in that form.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
In the Brahma-samhita (5.39) it is stated, ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan: the Lord is eternally situated in hundreds and thousands of forms, and the main forms are those like Rama, Nrisimha, Narayana, etc. There are innumerable forms. But Arjuna knew that Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead assuming His temporary universal form. He is now asking to see the form of Narayana, a spiritual form. This verse establishes without any doubt the statement of the Srimad-Bhagavatam that Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead and all other features originate from Him. He is not different from His plenary expansions, and He is God in any of His innumerable forms. In all of these forms He is fresh like a young man. That is the constant feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who knows Krishna becomes free at once from all contamination of the material world.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Moreover, when you show your glory, show that glory filled with the highest rasa, which gives joy to the mind and eyes of people like us, which we saw before, in the form of the son of Vasudeva for performing human like pastimes, and not the majestic form which is distasteful to our mind and eye, revealed as the universal form, related to pastimes with the devatas, which was never seen before. With this intention Arjuna speaks.
I desire to see that same form with a crown of valuable jewels (tatha eva) which we saw previously sometimes, and which your parents saw when you were born. O form of the universe, now having thousands of hands, withdraw that form and appear (bhava) in that form with four hands.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
11.46 I wish to see You thus, as before, with a crown, and with a mace and discus in hand. Hence assume again that four-armed shape, shown to me before, O thousand-armed one of Universal Form! Assume that shape in place of what You have now revealed with thousand arms and a cosmic body. Such is the meaning.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
The very form of the Supreme Lord Krishna desired to be seen as before is now being described. Arjuna was accustomed to seeing Lord Krishna in His catur-bhujena or four armed form with gadinam or mace and cakra-hastam or holding discus while bedecked with kiritinam or jewel ornamented golden crown diadem. Now he is requesting Lord Krishna to withdraw the wondrous but terrifying visvarupa or divine universal form of 1000 arms and unlimited faces and revert back to His human looking four armed form with which he was familiar with. In verse 17 of this chapter Arjuna also refers to kiritinam in describing the visvarupa or divine universal form but then he is seeing unlimited crown diadems upon unlimited heads which was never seen before; so there is no contradiction in Arjuna requesting to see Lord Krishna’s more peaceful four-armed form with kiritinam that he was regularly use to seeing before.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
Lord Krishna is implored to conceal His visvarupa or divine universal form and show His four armed form with kiritinam or golden crown, gadinam or mace and cakra or discus which Arjuna was accustomed to seeing. The Vaihaya Samhita states: Concealing His inconceivable visvarupa Lord Krishna revealed His human looking form which is to be meditated on. The sense is that the original form of the Supreme Lord is superior and should be meditated upon as all other expansions and forms emanate from Him.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Lord Krishna is being requested to withdraw His 1000 armed visvarupa or divine universal form and show His four-armed form with gadinam or mace and cakra or discus.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
11.46 Aham, I; icchami, want; drastum, to see; tvam, You; kiritinam, wearing a crown; as also gadinam, wielding a mace; and cakra-hastam, holding a disc in hand; i.e., tatha eva, just as before. Since this is so, therefore, sahasra-baho, O You with a thousand arms-in Your present Cosmic form; visva-murte, O you of Cosmic form; bhava, apeear; tena eva rupena, with that very form-with the form of the son of Vasudeva; caturbhujena, with four hands. The idea is: withdrawing the Cosmic form, appear in that very form as the son of Vasudeva. Noticing Arjuna to have become afraid, and withdrawing the Cosmic form, reassuring him with sweet words-
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
11.46 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
kiritinam gadinam cakra-hastam
icchami tvam drastum aham tathaiva
tenaiva rupena catur-bhujena
sahasra-baho bhava visva-murte
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
kirīṭinam — with helmet; gadinam — with club; cakra-hastam — disc in hand; icchāmi — I wish; tvām — You; draṣṭum — to see; aham — I; tathā eva — in that position; tena eva — in that; rūpeṇa — form; catuḥ-bhujena — four-handed; sahasra-bāho — O thousand-handed one; bhava — just become; viśva-mūrte — O universal form.
