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BG 11.52 — 11.52 The Blessed Lord said Very hard indeed it is to see this form of Mine which thou hast seen. Even the gods are ever longing to behold it.
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श्रीभगवानुवाच |
सुदुर्दर्शमिदं रूपं दृष्टवानसि यन्मम |
देवा अप्यस्य रूपस्य नित्यं दर्शनकाङ्क्षिणः ||११-५२||

śrībhagavānuvāca . sudurdarśamidaṃ rūpaṃ dṛṣṭavānasi yanmama . devā apyasya rūpasya nityaṃ darśanakāṅkṣiṇaḥ ||11-52||


11.52 The Blessed Lord said Very hard indeed it is to see this form of Mine which thou hast seen. Even the gods are ever longing to behold it.

Word-by-word meanings

11.52 सुदुर्दर्शम् very hard to see? इदम् this? रूपम् form? दृष्टवानसि thou hast seen? यत् which? मम My? देवाः gods? अपि also? अस्य (of) this? रूपस्य of form? नित्यम् ever? दर्शनकाङ्क्षिणः (are) desrious to behold.Commentary Lord Krishna says to Arjuna Though the gods long to behold the Cosmic Form yet they have not seen it as you have done. THey can never behold it.Just as the Chataka (a bird) longs for a drop of rain? eagerly turning its eyes towards the clouds? so also do gods yearn to behold

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

11.52 Idam, this; rupam, form; mama, of Mine; yat, which; drstavan, asi, you have seen is; sudur-darsam, very difficult to see. Api, even; the devah, gods; are nityam, ever; darsana-kanksinah, desirous of a vision; asya, of this; rupasya, form of Mine. The idea is that though they want to see, they have not seen in the way you have, nor will they see! Why so?

Swami Gambirananda

11.52 The Blessed Lord said This form of Mine which you have seen is very difficult to see; even the gods are ever desirous of a vision of this form.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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