Obeisance be to thee a thousand times, and again and yet again obeisance to thee.  Obeisance to thee in front, and also from behind.  Let obeisance be to thee from every side, O thou that art all.  Thou art all, of energy that is infinite, and prowess that is immeasurable.  Thou embracest the All.  Regarding (thee) a friend whatever hath been said by me carelessly, such as—­O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend,—­not knowing this thy greatness from want of judgement or from love either, whatever disrespect hath been shown thee for purpose of mirth, on occasions of play, lying, sitting, (or) at meals, while alone or in the presence of others, O undeteriorating one, I beg thy pardon for it, that art immeasurable.  Thou art the father of this universe of mobiles and immobiles.  Thou art the great master deserving of worship.  There is none equal to thee, how can there be one greater?  O thou whose power is unparalleled in even three worlds?[256] Therefore bowing (to thee) prostrating (my) body, I ask thy grace, O Lord, O adorable one.  It behoveth thee.  O God, to bear (my faults) as a father (his) son’s, a friend (his) friend’s, a lover (his) loved one’s.  Beholding (thy) form (unseen) before, I have been joyful, (yet) my mind hath been troubled, with fear.  Show me that (other ordinary) form, O God.  Be gracious, O Lord of the gods, O thou that art the refuge of the universe. (Decked) in diadem, and (armed) with mace, discus in hand, as before, I desire to behold thee.  Be of that same four-armed form, O thou of a thousand arms, thou of universal form.”

“The Holy One said, ’Pleased with thee, O Arjuna, I have, by my (own) mystic power, shown thee this supreme form, full of glory, Universal, Infinite, Primeval, which hath been seen before by none save thee.  Except by thee alone, hero of Kuru’s race, I cannot be seen in this form in the world of men by any one else, (aided) even by the study of the Vedas and of sacrifices, by gifts, by actions, (or) by the severest austerities.[257] Let no fear be thine, nor perplexity of mind at seeing this awful form of mine.  Freed from fear with a joyful heart, thou again see Me assuming that other form.’”

Sanjaya continued,—­“Vasudeva, having said all this to Arjuna, once more showed (him) his own (ordinary) form, and that High-Souled one, assuming once more (his) gentle form, comforted him who had been afflicted.”

“Arjuna said, ’Beholding this gentle human form of thine, O Janardana, I have now become of right mind and have come to my normal state.’

“The Holy One said, ’This form of mine which thou hast seen is difficult of being seen.  Even the gods are always desirous of becoming spectators of this (my) form.  Not by the Vedas, nor by austerities, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifices, can I be seen in this form of mine which thou hast seen.  By reverence, however, that is exclusive (in its objects), O Arjuna, I can in this form be known, seen truly, and attained to, O chastiser of foes.  He who doth everything for me, who hath me for his supreme object, who is freed from attachment, who is without enmity towards all beings, even he, O Arjuna, cometh to me.’