Sanskrit
अमी हि त्वां सुरसङ्घा विशन्ति केचिद्भीताः प्राञ्जलयो गृणन्ति । स्वस्तीत्युक्त्वा महर्षिसिद्धसङ्घाः स्तुवन्ति त्वां स्तुतिभिः पुष्कलाभिः ॥
amī hi tvāṃ surasaṅghā viśanti kecid bhītāḥ prāñjalayo gṛṇanti svastīty uktvā maharṣisiddhasaṅghāḥ stuvanti tvāṃ stutibhiḥ puṣkalābhiḥ
Translation
To Thee the troops of Suras enter in, some with joined palms in awe invoking Thee; banded Maharshis, Siddhas, cry: "All hail"! Chanting Thy praises with resounding songs.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Worth noticing: this verse describes gods and sages entering and praising the form, some of them explicitly “bhītāḥ,” frightened, even as they worship. Reverence and terror aren’t sequential reactions in this chapter, first one then the other — they’re depicted as simultaneous, the same crowd doing both at once. That’s the emotional register the whole vision operates in, and it’s about to be made literal: verses 26-29 will show warriors entering these same mouths not to praise, but to be devoured. Gods worship while frightened — bhītāḥ, afraid, in the same clause as praise. Reverence and terror are simultaneous here, not sequential, and BG 11.26–BG 11.29 makes the devouring literal.
Study deeper
Word by word
- amī hi tvāṃ surasaṅghā viśantiअमी हि त्वां सुरसङ्घा विशन्ति
- these hosts of gods enter you (amī + hi + tvām + sura-saṅghāḥ + viśanti)
- kecid bhītāḥ prāñjalayo gṛṇantiकेचिद् भीताः प्राञ्जलयो गृणन्ति
- some, afraid, with joined palms, praise [you] (kecit + bhītāḥ + prāñjalayaḥ + gṛṇanti)
- svastīty uktvā maharṣisiddhasaṅghāḥस्वस्तीत्य् उक्त्वा महर्षिसिद्धसङ्घाः
- saying 'may it be well,' the hosts of great sages and perfected ones (svasti + iti + uktvā + mahā-ṛṣi-siddha-saṅghāḥ)
- stuvanti tvāṃ stutibhiḥ puṣkalābhiḥस्तुवन्ति त्वां स्तुतिभिः पुष्कलाभिः
- extol you with abundant hymns (stuvanti + tvām + stutibhiḥ + puṣkalābhiḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The verse is careful not to flatten the crowd into one uniform reaction: it specifies “kecid,” some, as frightened, leaving room for others in the same assembly whose praise isn’t marked by fear at all. Even in a scene built around collective overwhelm, the text preserves the fact that not everyone in a crowd experiences the same event identically — a small grammatical honesty easy to miss inside such a densely packed verse.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you're part of a group going through the same overwhelming event, don't assume everyone else is experiencing it the same way you are — some will be more frightened, others less, and your particular reaction doesn't have to match the room to be valid.
Professional
- When a major change lands on your team, expect a real range of reactions rather than treating the group as a single emotional unit — some will be anxious, others energized by the same announcement, and managing the rollout means addressing both, not assuming uniformity.
Family & Social
- When a big family event affects everyone at once, remember that not everyone in the room is having the same emotional experience of it — resist assuming your reaction, or the loudest reaction, speaks for the whole family.
Ask yourself
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