sanjaya uvaacha
    ityarjunam vaasudevastathoktwaa
    swakam roopam darshayaamaasa bhooyah
    aashwaasayaamaasa cha bheetamenam
    bhootwaa punah saumyavapurmahaatmaa // 11.50  //

Sanjaya  said
    Having  thus spoken to Arjuna, Vaasudeva again revealed to him His own form. The  Exalted One (Sri Krishna) having assumed again the form of grace, comforted the  terrified Arjuna.

Sanjaya  confirms to Dhritarashtra that Sri Krishna came back to is usual form i.e. the  very form in which He was born in the house of Vasudeva.

arjuna uvaacha
    drishtwedam maanusham roopam tava  saumyam janaardana
    idaaneemasmi samvrittah sachetaah  prakritim gatah // 11.51 //

Arjuna  said
    Having  seen this Your gentle human form, O Sri Krishna, now I am composed and restored  to my normal nature.

Arjuna  admits that when he sees the normal and gentle form of Sri Krishna he feels relieved  from his inner tensions and agitations.

sri bhagavan uvaacha
    sudurdarshamidam roopam drishtwaanasi  yanmama
    devaaapyasya roopasya nityam  darshanakaangkshinah // 11.52 //

Sri  Bhagavan said
    Very  hard indeed it is to see this form of Mine which you have seen. Even the Gods  are ever eager to see this form.

Sri  Krishna says that even the Gods are eager to see the Universal Form but their  wishes do not materialize even in their dreams. Such is the marvelous vision  seen by Arjuna so easily.

naa ham vedairna tapasaa na daanena na  chejyayaa
    shakya evamvidho drashtum drishtavaanasi  maam yathaa // 11.53 //

Neither  by the Vedas nor by austerity nor by charity nor by sacrifice can I be seen in  this form as you have now seen Me.

This  is a repetition of Verse-48.

bhaktyaa twananyayaa shakyamaham  evamvidho'rjuna
    jnaatum drashtum cha tattwena praveshtum  cha parantapa // 11.54 //

But  by the single-minded devotion, can I, of this form (Cosmic Form) be known and  seen in reality and also entered into, O Arjuna.

The  reason why The Lord has shown the Cosmic Form to Arjuna only and to none else  is given here. Devotion is the sole means to the realization of the Cosmic  Form. In unbroken devotion which seeks none but The Lord alone, nothing other  than The Lord is experienced by the sense organs wherein egoism and dualism  totally vanish. Such experience by means of direct and immediate perception is  what is called seeing in reality. ‘Entered into’ means that the devotee attains  final liberation in the Lord after giving up the body. Thus the fulfilled  seeker becomes the very essence of the sought.

matkarmakrinmatparamo madbhaktah  sangavarjitah
    nirvairah sarvabhooteshu yah sa maameti  paandava // 11.55 //

He  who does all actions for Me, who looks upon Me as the Supreme Goal, who is  devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears enmity towards none, he  comes to Me, O Pandava.

This  verse is the substance of the whole teaching of the Gita. He who practices this  teaching will attain supreme bliss and immortality.

He  who dedicates all works to the Lord, seeking no rewards to himself, who serves  Him with all his heart and soul, who regards Him as his supreme goal, who lives  for Him alone, who works for Him alone, who sees Him in everything, who sees  the whole world as His Cosmic Form, cherishing no feeling of hatred or enmity  towards anyone, who has no attachment to worldly objects, who seeks nothing but  The Lord - such a one realizes Him and becomes completely one with Him. He  enjoys eternal Bliss, peace and immortality. Thus the art of right living  consists of the following five ingredients viz.

•Dedication of  work to The Lord
•Keeping The Lord  as the goal
•Devotion to The  Lord
•Freedom from all  worldly attachments and
•Absence of enmity  towards anyone.

Whatever  be our vacation and character, whether we are creative thinkers or contemplative  poets or humble men and women with no special gifts, if we possess the one  great gift of the love of God, we become God's tools, the channels of His love  and purpose. When this vast world of living spirits becomes attuned to God and  exists only to do His will, the purpose of life is achieved.

“The  Gita does not end after the tremendous experience of the celestial vision. The  great secret of the Transcendental Atman, the source of all that is and yet  itself unmoved for ever is seen. The Supreme is the background for the never  ending procession of finite things. Arjuna has seen this truth but he has to  live in it by transmuting his whole nature into the willing acceptance of the  Divine. A fleeting vision however vivid and permanent its effects may be,  is not complete attainment. The search for abiding reality, the quest of final  truth cannot end, in emotional satisfaction or experience”. Dr.S.Radhakrishnan.

Hence  the Lord continues his advice to Arjuna in the following chapters of the Gita  till Arjuna exclaims that all his delusions and confusions are cleared.

Omtatsatiti  srimadbhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre sri krishnaarjuna  samvaade vishwaroopa darshanayogo naama ekaadasho'dhyaayah

Thus  in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,  the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the  eleventh discourse entitled: The Yoga of the  Vision of the Universal Form

Concepts and Issues
  Arjuna  once again prays to The Lord praising Him and asking for forgiveness for having  treated Him lightly during the moments of their intimate friendship. He then  requests Him to withdraw His Cosmic Form and reappear in His usual four-armed  form with the crown, mace and discus. After doing so, Sri Krishna tells him  that His Cosmic Form cannot be seen by the study of the scriptures or  performance of sacrifices or even austerity, but only by single-minded  devotion. The Lord adds that those who are free from attachment and hatred and  who dedicate all their actions to Him with unswerving faith, knowing Him to be  the supreme goal surely reach Him.

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live
  This  Chapter reveals that the Cosmic Form of The Lord is not perceivable by study of  scriptures, performing penance, giving gifts etc. It can be known only by  single-minded devotion. For this one should be free from attachment, have deep  faith and engage in constant meditation.

The principles of right living laid down  in this Chapter are:
•Dedication of work to The Lord
•Keeping The Lord as the goal
•Devotion to The Lord
•Freedom from all worldly attachments and
•Absence of enmity towards anyone.

Points to Ponder
•What are the ingredients       for right living and attaining the Supreme?
•Why The Lord continues       His discourses to Arjuna even after granting the Cosmic Vision?

Next time we will proceed from Chapter 12

Harih Om