lelihyase grasamānaḥ samantāl
lokān samagrān vadanair jvaladbhiḥ
tejobhir āpūrya jagat samagraḿ
bhāsas tavogrāḥ pratapanti viṣṇo
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 11.30
O Vishnu, I see You devouring all people from all sides with Your flaming mouths. Covering all the universe with Your effulgence, You are manifest with terrible, scorching rays.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
No commentary by Srila Prabhupada.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
No commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
11.30 Devouring all these kings with Your flaming mouths, You lick them up, namely, lick up again and again in great anger. Your lips etc., are wet with their blood. Your fiery rays scorch the universe by the brilliant flow of radiance filling the whole universe. You have manifested Yourself in this terrible form for revealing Your limitless sovereignty as requested by me thus: ‘Reveal Yourself to me completely'(11.4), so that I may realise Your limitless sovereignty.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
Lord Krishna is being addressed as Vishnu the one who pervades all creation. As His visvarupa or divine universal form is voraciously devouring the mighty warriors of both armies with its flaming mouths. Furthermore the blazing effulgence radiating from the visvarupa is so bright that it is scorching the universe with its brilliance.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
As other transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord Krishna such as the pralaya or the waters of dissolution during universal destruction, unlimited people were entering His mouth due to the process of the creative cycle. Established in the middle of the battlefield between the Kaurava and Pandava armies the visvarupa or divine universal form with innumerable faces and mouths turned towards both armies could be seen devouring multitudes of warriors continuously entering those mouths in an endless stream. Those who were to die at the commencement of the battle could already be seen pulverised by the fierce, gnashing teeth other perishing later could be seen just entering these mouths. The sight of this was supra- subtle and could only be seen by those who were atma-tatva or soul realised and could not be seen by others. Like a pot which is broken cannot be seen by ordinary people until it breaks into pieces; the sight of the visvarupa was not visible to those of normal eyes. It can also be compared to the case of King Puru who received the youth and form of his youngest son. Only the demigods of medicine being the twin Aswins were able to perceive his true old age and not others.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Lord Krishna’s visvarupa or divine universal form was very agreeable to devour all the warriors lapping them up completely like a lion laps up water and swallowing these warriors with His innumerable fiery mouths. Kings like Duryodhana were rushing into these mouths from all directions and the visvarupa’s fierce and terrible splendour is torture to the entire creation who is being seared and scorched by its blazing effulgence.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
11.30 O Visnu, Your fierce rays are acorching. [M.S., S., and S.S. construe ‘completely…heat’ to qualify ‘fierce rays’ in the second sentence. However, the use of kim ca (moreover) in the Comm. suggests the translation as above.-Tr.] Lelihyase, You lick Your lips, You taste; grasamanah, while devouring, while taking in; samagran, all; lokan, the creatures; samantat, from all sides; jvaladbhih, with flaming; vadanaih, mouths; which are apurya, completely filling; samagram, the whole- together (saha) with the foremost (agrena); jagat, world; tejobhih, with heat. Moreover, O Visnu, the all-pervading One, tava, Your; ugrah, fierce; bhasah, rays; are pratapanti, scorching. Since You are of such a terrible nature, therefore-
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment on this sloka.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
lelihyase grasamanah samantal
lokan samagran vadanair jvaladbhih
tejobhir apurya jagat samagram
bhasas tavograh pratapanti visno
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
lelihyase — You are licking; grasamānaḥ — devouring; samantāt — from all directions; lokān — people; samagrān — all; vadanaiḥ — by the mouths; jvaladbhiḥ — blazing; tejobhiḥ — by effulgence; āpūrya — covering; jagat — the universe; samagram — all; bhāsaḥ — rays; tava — Your; ugrāḥ — terrible; pratapanti — are scorching; viṣṇo — O all-pervading Lord.
