Bhagavad Gita · Vishvarupa Darshana YogaChapter 11, Shloka 12 (11.12)
Original Sanskrit · सञ्जयः
दिवि सूर्यसहस्रस्य भवेद् युगपदुत्थिता
यदि भाः सदृशी सा स्याद् भासस्तस्य महात्मनः
॥ 11.12 ॥
divi sūryasahasrasya bhaved yugapadutthitā
yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād bhāsastasya mahātmanaḥ
Translation
"If the light of a thousand suns were to rise at once in the sky, it might perhaps resemble the radiance of that great being."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. divi antarikṣe tṛtīyasyāṃ vā divi — in the sky, or in the third (heavenly) world; sā yadi sadṛśī syāt tasya mahātmanaḥ viśvarūpasyaiva bhāsaḥ; yadi vā na syāt, tataḥ viśvarūpasyaiva bhāḥ atiricyate ity abhiprāyaḥ — and if it were not equal, the radiance of the cosmic form surpasses even that.
Acharya Ramanuja. tejasaḥ aparimitatvadarśanārtham idam; akṣayatejaḥsvarūpam ity arthaḥ — this comparison is to show the boundlessness of the radiance; his nature is imperishable radiance.
Shridhar Swami. viśvarūpadīpter nirupamatvam āha — the brilliance of the cosmic form has no comparison at all; a thousand suns would only kathaṃcit — barely, perhaps, match it.
Madhusudana Saraswati. aparimitasūryasamūhasya — "thousand" means a host of countless suns.
Madhvacharya. sahasraśabdo 'nantavācī — the word "thousand" denotes the infinite; it is not meant as a count.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.