Bg. 11.40

Out of loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa, his friend, Arjuna is offering his respects from all sides. He is accepting that He is the master of all potencies and all prowess and far superior to all the great warriors assembled on the battlefield. It is said in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa: yo 'yaṁ tavāgato deva-samīpaṁ devatā-gaṇaḥ sa tvam eva jagat-sraṣṭā yataḥ sarva-gato bhavān. "Whoever comes before You, even if he be a demigod, is created by You, O Supreme Personality of Godhead."

TEXTS 41-42

sakheti matvā prasabhaṁ yad uktaṁ

he kṛṣṇa he yādava he sakheti

ajānatā mahimānaṁ tavedaṁ

mayā pramādāt praṇayena vāpi

yac cāvahāsārtham asat-kṛto 'si

vihāra-śayyāsana-bhojaneṣu

eko 'tha vāpy acyuta tat-samakṣaṁ

tat kṣāmaye tvām aham aprameyam

SYNONYMS

sakhā-friend; iti-thus; matvā-thinking; prasabham-temporary; yat-whatever; uktam-said; he krṣṇa-O Kṛṣṇa; he yādava-O Yādava; he sakhā iti-O my dear friend, ajānatā-without knowing; mahimānam-glories; tava-Your; idam-this; mayā-by me; pramādāt-out of foolishness; pranayena-out of love; vā api-either; yat-whatever; ca-also; avahāsārtham-for joking; asatkṛtaḥ-dishonor; asi-have been done; vihāra-in relaxation; śayyā-in joking; āsana-in a resting place; bhojaneṣu-or while eating together; ekaḥ-alone; athavā-or; api-others; acyuta-O infallible one; tat-samakṣam-as Your competitor; tat-all those; kṣāmaye-excuse; tvām-You; aham-I; aprameyam-immeasurable.

TRANSLATION

I have in the past addressed You as "O Kṛṣṇa," "O Yādava," "O my friend," without knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have dishonored You many times while relaxing or while lying on the same bed or eating together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of many friends. Please excuse me for all my offenses.

PURPORT

Although Kṛṣṇa is manifested before Arjuna in His universal form, Arjuna remembers his friendly relationship with Kṛṣṇa and is therefore asking pardon and requesting Him to excuse him for the many informal gestures which arise out of friendship. He is admitting that formerly he did not know that Kṛṣṇa could assume such a universal form, although He explained it as his intimate friend. Arjuna did not know how many times he may have dishonored Him by addressing Him as "O my friend, O Kṛṣṇa, O Yādava," etc., without acknowledging His opulence. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind and merciful that in spite of such opulence He played with Arjuna as a friend. Such is the transcendental loving reciprocation between the devotee and the Lord. The relationship between the living entity and Kṛṣṇa is fixed eternally; it cannot be forgotten, as we can see from the behavior of Arjuna. Although Arjuna has seen the opulence in the universal form, he could not forget his friendly relationship with Kṛṣṇa.