TEXT 20
dyāv ā-pṛthivyor idam antaraṁ hi
vyāptaṁ tvayaikena diśaś ca sarvāḥ
dṛṣṭvādbhutaṁ rūpam ugraṁ tavedaṁ
loka-trayaṁ pravyathitaṁ mahātman
dyau – from outer space; ā-pṛthivyoḥ – to the earth; idam – this; antaram – between; hi – certainly; vyāptam – pervaded; tvayā – by You; ekena – alone; diśaḥ – directions; ca – and; sarvāḥ – all; dṛṣṭvā – by seeing; adbhutam – wonderful; rūpam – form; ugram – terrible; tava – Your; idam – this; loka – the planetary systems; trayam – three; pravyathitam – perturbed; mahā-ātman – O great one.
Although You are one, You spread throughout the sky and the planets and all space between. O great one, seeing this wondrous and terrible form, all the planetary systems are perturbed.
Dyāv ā-pṛthivyoḥ (“the space between heaven and earth”) and loka-trayam (“the three worlds”) are significant words in this verse because it appears that not only did Arjuna see this universal form of the Lord, but others in other planetary systems saw it also. Arjuna’s seeing of the universal form was not a dream. All whom the Lord endowed with divine vision saw that universal form on the battlefield.