ॐ

नाहं वेदैर्न तपसा न दानेन न चेज्यया। शक्य एवंविधो द्रष्टुं दृष्टवानसि मां यथा।।11.53।।

nāhaṁ vedair na tapasā na dānena na chejyayā śhakya evaṁ-vidho draṣhṭuṁ dṛiṣhṭavān asi māṁ yathā

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 11, Verse 53
0:000:00

Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
Neither by the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gift, nor by sacrifice can I be seen in this form as thou hast seen Me so easily.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: not by the Vedas, austerity, charity, or sacrifice can I be seen in the form you have seen me, again reinforcing the vision's rarity, this time by explicitly ruling out the standard, expected methods of religious effort as sufficient causes for it.

In life: some of your most significant experiences didn't arrive through the methods you'd normally expect to produce significant experience, and that's worth noticing rather than assuming there's always a direct, reliable method for every meaningful thing that happens to you.

Teaching: notice when a significant experience of yours didn't arrive through any of the methods you'd normally expect, and let that observation loosen any assumption that meaningful experience always follows a predictable, controllable formula.

nanever
ahamI
vedaiḥby study of the Vedas
nanever
tapasāby serious penances
nanever
dānenaby charity
nanever
chaalso
ijyayāby worship
śhakyaḥit is possible
evam-vidhaḥlike this
draṣhṭumto see
dṛiṣhṭavānseeing
asiyou are
māmme
yathāas

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
11.53 न not? अहम् I? वेदैः by the Vedas? न not? तपसा by austerity? न not? दानेन by gift? न not? च and? इज्यया by sacrifice? शक्यः (am) possible? एवंविधः like this? द्रष्टुम् to be seen? दृष्टवानसि (thou) hast seen? माम् Me? यथा as.Commentary This Cosmic Form which thou hast seen so easily cannot be obtained either by the study of the Vedas and the six modes of philosophy? nor by the practice of manifold austerities (penances)? nor by charity? nor by sacrifices of various kinds.Arjuna was indeed very fortunate in seeing the Cosmic Form.How can the Lord be seen Listen The heart must be overflowing with true devotion to Him. (Cf.XI.48)