Bhagavad Gita 11.7

ihaika-sthaṁ jagat kṛtsnaṁ

paśyādya sa-carācaram

mama dehe guḍākeśa

yac cānyad draṣṭum icchasi

 

See in my form the universe whole,

For all that’s existing—I am the soul;

Whatever more you want to see,

All now revealed here, within me.

 

My dear Lord, Arjuna’s desire to see your universal form arose from his devotional curiosity—his desire to know how everything exists within you. You responded by showing him not only what he desired, but also something he had not desired—your kāla-rūpa, your form as all-powerful time. Through that revelation, you showed him what was going to unfold on the battlefield and how he could play a constructive role within it, as an instrument of the divine will.

O Lord of all desires, as I strive to progress on my spiritual journey, many kinds of desires arise within me. Some arise from my sensuality—grant me the purity to turn away from them toward you. Some arise from my mundane curiosity—grant me the clarity to stop pursuing paths that may be intellectually interesting but not spiritually illuminating. But some arise from my devotional curiosity—grant me the malleability to mold that desire to know into my life’s supreme desire to be with you.

O supremely expert Lord, guide such devotional curiosity so that what I come to know about your glory inspires me to act in service of that glory. Prompt me so that, as my attention follows the lead of my curiosity, my aspiration and action may lead me toward a deeper harmony with you. May what I seek to know draw me ever closer to you, whom I seek to love and serve.

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11.07 O Arjuna, whatever you wish to see, behold at once in this body of Mine! This universal form can show you whatever you now desire to see and whatever you may want to see in the future. Everything – moving and nonmoving – is here completely, in one place.