Arjuna’s Hymn
Ah, my God, I see all gods within your body;
Each in his degree, the multitude of creatures;
See Lord Brahma enthroned upon his lotus;
See all the sages, and the holy serpents.Universal Form, I see you without limit,
Infinite of arms, eyes, mouths, and bellies
See, and find no end, midst, or beginning.
Crowned with diadems, you wield the mace and discus,
Shining every way the eyes shrink from your splendor
Brilliant like the sun; like fire, blazing, boundless.
You are all we know, supreme, beyond man’s measure,
This world’s sure-set plinth and refuge never shaken,
Guardian of eternal law, life’s Soul undying.
Birthless, deathless; yours the strength titanic,
Million-armed, the sun and moon your eyeballs,
Fiery-faced, you blast the world to ashes.
From The World's Wisdom, edited by Philip Novak (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995). Used by arrangement with HarperSanFrancisco, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
