Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 11.50

sañjaya uvāca

ity arjunam vāsudevas tathoktvā

svakam rūpam darśayām āsa bhūyah

āśvāsayām āsa ca bhītam enam

bhūtvā punah saumya-vapur mahātmā

SYNONYMS

sañjayah uvāca — Sañjaya said; iti — thus; arjunam — unto Arjuna; vāsudevah — Krishna; tathā — in that way; uktvā — speaking; svakam — His own; rūpam — form; darśayām āsa — showed; bhūyah — again; āśvāsayām āsa — encouraged; ca — also; bhītam — fearful; enam — him; bhūtvā — becoming; punah — again; saumya-vapuh — the beautiful form; mahā-ātmā — the great one.

TRANSLATION

Sañjaya said to Dhritarāshtra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, having spoken thus to Arjuna, displayed His real four-armed form and at last showed His two-armed form, thus encouraging the fearful Arjuna.

PURPORT

When Krishna appeared as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, He first of all appeared as four-armed Nārāyana, but when He was requested by His parents, He transformed Himself into an ordinary child in appearance. Similarly, Krishna knew that Arjuna was not interested in seeing a four-handed form, but since Arjuna asked to see this four-handed form, Krishna also showed him this form again and then showed Himself in His two-handed form. The word saumya-vapuh is very significant. Saumya-vapuh is a very beautiful form; it is known as the most beautiful form. When He was present, everyone was attracted simply by Krishna's form, and because Krishna is the director of the universe, He just banished the fear of Arjuna, His devotee, and showed him again His beautiful form of Krishna. In the Brahma-samhitā (5.38) it is stated, premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: only a person whose eyes are smeared with the ointment of love can see the beautiful form of Śrī Krishna.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness