Bhagavad Gita 11.3: meaning and translation
Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. Arjuna says
Arjuna accepts that Krishna is just as he has described himself, and calls him the highest Lord (Parameśvara) and the highest person (Puruṣottama).
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Bhagavad Gita 11.3
एवमेतद्यथाऽऽत्थ त्वमात्मानं परमेश्वर ।द्रष्टुमिच्छामि ते रूपमैश्वरं पुरुषोत्तम ॥
Evametadyathattha tvamatmanam parameshvaraDrashtumichchhami te rupamaishvaram purushottama
evametadyathā’’ttha tvamātmānaṃ parameśvara |draṣṭumicchāmi te rūpamaiśvaraṃ puruṣottama ||
Our explanation Arjuna accepts that Krishna is just as he has described himself, and calls him the highest Lord (Parameśvara) and the highest person (Puruṣottama). Now, he says, he wishes to see Krishna's form as the Lord (aiśvara rūpa). Telang translates 'your divine form'; Besant, 'Thy Form as Îshvara'.
हिंदी अर्थ अर्जुन मानते हैं कि कृष्ण ने अपने बारे में जैसा कहा है, वैसा ही है। वे उन्हें परमेश्वर और पुरुषोत्तम कहकर पुकारते हैं। वे कहते हैं कि अब वे कृष्ण का ऐश्वर रूप, यानी ईश्वर वाला रूप, देखना चाहते हैं।
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Word by word
- एवम् evam · so, thus (indeclinable) Dictionary: evam, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 2 “thus, in this way, in such a manner”
- एतत् etat · this (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: etad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 231, col. 2 “this, this here”
- यथा yathā · as (indeclinable) Dictionary: yathā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 841, col. 2 “in which manner or way, according as, as, like”
- आत्थ āttha · you say (perfect form with present sense, 2nd person singular) Dictionary: 1. ah, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 124, col. 1 “to say, speak”
- त्वम् tvam · you (pronoun, nominative singular) Dictionary: yuṣmad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 855, col. 3 “the base of the 2nd pers. pron. as used in comp.”
- आत्मानम् ātmānam · yourself (noun (masculine), accusative singular) Dictionary: ātman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 135, col. 1 “is used as reflexive pronoun for all three persons and all three genders”
- परमेश्वर parameśvara · O supreme Lord (compound (masculine), vocative singular) Dictionary: parameśvara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 588, col. 3 “the supreme lord, Supreme Being, God; N. of Śiva; of Vishṇu; of Indra”
- द्रष्टुम् draṣṭum · to see (infinitive (to do)) Dictionary: 1. dṛś, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 491, col. 2 “to see, behold, look at, regard, consider”
- इच्छामि icchāmi · wish, want (present, 1st person singular) Dictionary: 3. iṣ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 169, col. 1 “to endeavour to obtain, strive, seek for”
- ते te · your (pronoun, genitive singular) Dictionary: yuṣmad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 855, col. 3 “the base of the 2nd pers. pron. as used in comp.”
- रूपम् rūpam · form (noun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: rūpa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 885, col. 3 “form, shape, figure”
- ऐश्वरम् aiśvaram · divine, of the Lord (adjective (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: aiśvara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 234, col. 3 “relating to or coming from a mighty lord or king”
- पुरुषोत्तम puruṣottama · O highest Person (compound (masculine), vocative singular) Dictionary: puruṣottama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 637, col. 3 “the highest being, Supreme Spirit, N. of Vishṇu or Kṛishṇa”
1 printing differs
Edition differences. Another printing or text reads this place differently.
- Spelling A digital text reads Same words. The 1922 edition marks the merged vowels with a double avagraha (यथाऽऽत्थ); this e-text does not.
Old translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 92.
O highest lord! what you have said about yourself is so. I wish, O best of beings! to see your divine form.
Compare 3 translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 92.
O highest lord! what you have said about yourself is so. I wish, O best of beings! to see your divine form.
You are reading this one
Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 103.
According as Thou Thyself declarest, O Supreme Îshvara1, I desire to see Thy Form as Îshvara, O best of beings.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - The Supreme Lord as Creator and Ruler of a Universe. ↩
You are reading this one
Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 213.
So it is, O God Supreme! as Thou hast declared Thyself. (Still) I desire to see Thy Ishvara-Form, O Purusha Supreme.
You are reading this one
Cite this verse
The translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 92. Bhagavad Gita 11.3.
The translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 103. Bhagavad Gita 11.3.
The translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 213. Bhagavad Gita 11.3.
Our explanation: “Bhagavad Gita 11.3: meaning and translation.” Pujadeep. Updated October 27, 2026. https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/11/3/
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Bhagavad Gita 11.3
एवमेतद्यथाऽऽत्थ त्वमात्मानं परमेश्वर ।
द्रष्टुमिच्छामि ते रूपमैश्वरं पुरुषोत्तम ॥
“O highest lord! what you have said about yourself is so. I wish, O best of beings! to see your divine form.”
(K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 92, public domain)
“According as Thou Thyself declarest, O Supreme Îshvara, I desire to see Thy Form as Îshvara, O best of beings.”
(Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 103, public domain)
“So it is, O God Supreme! as Thou hast declared Thyself. (Still) I desire to see Thy Ishvara-Form, O Purusha Supreme.”
(Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 213, public domain)
Sanskrit: G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922.
https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/11/3/ Nothing is sent from this site. Your own app sends it, to the chat you choose. The picture quotes the translation you chose on this page, with its name and year.
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. Source and changes
Questions families ask
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 11.3?
Arjuna speaks this verse, in chapter 11 (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
Where does the Sanskrit text come from?
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. See the source
Is the meaning on this page a translation?
Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Source and licence
- Sanskrit text
- The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation (Annie Besant, G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
- Translation
- The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Kashinath Trimbak Telang, F. Max Müller, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1882). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song, translated by Annie Besant (Annie Besant, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1895). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, with Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-by-word Literal Translation; English Rendering and Comments, Index, &c., by the Swami Swarupananda (Himalayan Series, No. XX) (Swami Swarupananda, The Editors and Publishers, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Prabuddha Bharata Press, Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas, 1909). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Common wording
- In this text, 32 words follow today's common wording, checked against sanskritdocuments.org; Sanskrit Wikisource; Gita Press, Gorakhpur; GRETIL, Göttingen and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- Our explanation
- Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the cited edition, October 27, 2026.