The Gita in 18 days · Lesson 11 of 18
Brighter than a thousand suns
In chapter 11, Arjuna asks to see Krishna's true form. Krishna gives him a special kind of sight, and shows him.
Sanjaya, who is telling the story, tries to describe it. He says: imagine a thousand suns rising in the sky at once. Even that would only begin to match it.
Arjuna sees the whole universe inside Krishna: every world, every god, every living being, all beginnings and all endings. He is amazed and terrified at the same time. He begs Krishna to return to his gentle, familiar form, and Krishna does.
This chapter teaches a feeling called awe. Awe is what you feel looking up at the stars on a clear night, or standing at the edge of the ocean. You feel very small, but in a good way.
Awe helps us see our problems in the right size. A bad grade or an argument can feel huge. Under a sky full of stars, it becomes smaller and easier to carry.
And notice the ending: after showing his huge form, Krishna comes back as Arjuna's friend. The greatest power in the universe is also close, kind and personal.
दिवि सूर्यसहस्रस्य भवेद्युगपदुत्थिता। यदि भाः सदृशी सा स्याद्भासस्तस्य महात्मनः ॥
divi sūrya-sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthitā yadi bhāḥ sadṛiśhī sā syād bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ
If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blaze out together in the sky, that might resemble the glory of that Mahâtman.
In plain words: Sanjaya says that if a thousand suns all blazed in the sky at once, their light might come close to the glory of that great being.
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