bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāḿ
śrutau vistaraśo mayā
tvattaḥ kamala-patrākṣa
māhātmyam api cāvyayam
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 11.2
O lotus-eyed one, I have heard from You in detail about the appearance and disappearance of every living entity and have realized Your inexhaustible glories.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Arjuna addresses Lord Krishna as “lotus-eyed” (Krishna’s eyes appear just like the petals of a lotus flower) out of his joy, for Krishna has assured him, in the previous chapter, aham krtsnasya jagatah prabhavah pralayas tatha: “I am the source of the appearance and disappearance of this entire material manifestation.” Arjuna has heard of this from the Lord in detail. Arjuna further knows that in spite of His being the source of all appearances and disappearances, He is aloof from them. As the Lord has said in the Ninth Chapter, He is all-pervading, yet He is not personally present everywhere. That is the inconceivable opulence of Krishna which Arjuna admits that he has thoroughly understood.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
I have heard plenty about the creation and destruction of the living entities coming from you (tvattah) in the middle six chapters, in such statements as aham krtsnasya jagatah prabhavah pralayas tatha: I am the creation and destruction of the universe. And I have also heard how you remain aloof and unaffected in spite of being the creator and destroyer (mahatmyam avyayam), in such verses as maya tatam idam sarvam: I am pervading all this universe in my unmanifest form; and na ca mam tani karmani nibadhnanti: these actions do not bind me.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
11.2 Likewise, beginning from the seventh, and ending with the tenth discourse, the origination and dissolution of all beings other than You, as issuing from You, the Supreme Self, have been heard at length by me. Your unlimited greatness, immutable and eternal, Your principalship (Sesitva) over all sentient and non-sentient things, Your supreme greatness consisting of the host of auspicious attributes like knowledge, strength etc., Your being the supporter of all things and actuator of all activities like thinking, blinking etc., have also been heard. Here the term, ‘hi’ (verily) expresses the desire to have the vision which is going to be revealed.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
Arjuna continues further confirming that all Lord Krishna has stated is verily the absolute truth and that he has no doubt about it; yet still out of curiosity he desires to see Lord Krishna’s resplendent visvarupa or divine universal form endowed with all knowledge, all power, all majesty, all dominion and all splendor.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
Sri Madhvacharya did not comment on this sloka.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
The reality about the Supreme Lord Krishna is being confirmed to be precisely what He has declared it to be, the total repository of extraordinary, phenomenal power and majesty. The word evam means it is a certainty and denotes that it should not be construed that Arjuna has no faith in Lord Krishna because he desires to see His visvarupa or divine universal form possessed of full power, energy, glory, dominion and effulgence.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
11.2 Kamala-partraksa, O You with eyes like lotus leaves; bhava-apyayau, the origin and dissolution- these two; bhutanam, of beings; srutau, have been heard; maya, by me; vistarasah, in detail-not in brief; tvattah, from You. Ca, and; (Your) avyayam, undecaying; mahatmyam, glory, too;-has been heard-(these last words) remain understood.
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
11.2 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
bhavapyayau hi bhutanam
srutau vistaraso maya
tvattah kamala-patraksa
mahatmyam api cavyayam
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
bhava — appearance; apyayau — disappearance; hi — certainly; bhūtānām — of all living entities; śrutau — have been heard; vistaraśaḥ — in detail; mayā — by me; tvattaḥ — from You; kamala-patra-akṣa — O lotus-eyed one; māhātmyam — glories; api — also; ca — and; avyayam — inexhaustible.
