Verse 11.36

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 11.36:

अर्जुन उवाच–
स्थाने हृषीकेश तव प्रकीर्त्या जगत् प्रहृष्यत्य् अनुरज्यते च ।
रक्षांसि भीतानि दिशो द्रवन्ति सर्वे नमस्यन्ति च सिद्ध-सङ्घाः ॥ ३६ ॥

arjuna uvāca–
sthāne hṛṣīkeśa tava prakīrtyā jagat prahṛṣyaty anurajyate ca |
rakṣāṃsi bhītāni diśo dravanti sarve namasyanti ca siddha-saṅghāḥ || 36 ||

arjuna uvāca–Arjuna said; sthāne–rightly; hṛṣīka-īśa–O Lord of the senses; tava prakīrtyāḥ–by Your glories; jagat–the world; prahṛṣyati–rejoices; anurajyate–becomes attached; ca–and; rakṣāṃsi–fiends; bhītāni–the fearful; diśaḥ–all directions; dravanti–flee; sarve–all; namasyanti–bow down; ca–and; siddha-saṅghāḥ–the assembly of perfected beings.

Arjuna said: O Hṛṣīkeśa, by glorifying Your name, form and qualities, the entire universe becomes joyful and attains attachment to You. The demons scatter out of fear, while the hosts of perfected beings offer their obeisances to You. Indeed, all this is most appropriate.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Arjuna has knowledge of the following truth: the divine form of Bhagavān is pleasing to those who are devoted to Him, whereas Bhagavān displays His dreadful feature to those who are averse to Him. Arjuna explains this while offering prayers to Śrī Bhagavān. The word sthāne is not declinable and it means ‘appropriate’. It is used in all components of this verse. Arjuna has addressed Kṛṣṇa as Hṛṣīkeśa, meaning ‘one who turns the senses of His devotees toward Himself and repels the senses of His non-devotees’. “This entire world is being attracted to You by performing saṅkīrtana (chanting) of Your glories. This is appropriate, because this world is devoted to You. Rākṣasas, Asuras, Dānavas, Piśācas and so forth are running in all directions out of fear. This is also appropriate because they are averse to You. Hosts of beings who have become perfect by practising bhakti to You are paying obeisances to You. This is also appropriate because they are Your devotees.”

This verse is famous in the scriptures pertaining to the chanting of mantras, as the rākṣoghṇa-mantra, a mantra for destroying demoniac elements (Rākṣasas).

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

The transcendental form of Śrī Bhagavān has an extraordinary influence. Upon seeing it, devotees become greatly pleased. But this form appears like Yamarāja, the lord of death, to those who are demoniac by nature and who are not devoted to Him. In the wrestling arena of Mathurā, worshipful elders like Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa’s friends and the Yādavas were very pleased to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is beautiful and eternally youthful, but that same Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared as death personified to Kaṃsa, as hard as a thunderbolt to the wrestlers, as the enforcer of chastisement to the wicked kings, and as para-tattva (Paramātmā) to the yogīs. Therefore, upon hearing the glories of Kṛṣṇa, devoted souls feel joy and become attached to Him. The perfected beings (siddhas) surrender to Him, while the demons, who are averse to Him, run in fear. These reactions are appropriate for each of them.