evam etad yathattha tvam
atmanam paramesvara
drastum icchami te rupam
aishvaram purushottama

"O greatest of all personalities, O supreme form, though I see You here before me in Your actual position, as You have described Yourself, I wish to see how You have entered into this cosmic manifestation. I want to see that form of Yours."

He addresses the Lord as Parameswara and Purushottama and desires to see the Lord with His wealth. It is not wrong to pray to see the Lord. We may like to see Him with these ordinary eyes we have. That is why the Lord is standing on the Hasthigiri so that millions of devotees could see Him. Te rupam = Your [Sri Krishna's] enchanting beautiful image, drastum = to see, icchami = [I, Arjuna, am] desiring. But a precondition is to be satisfied. We should believe what all He told. If we believe all things He told in Chapters 1 to 10, then we should realize that He is the One and Only God. That He is the Prime Cause for everything in this Universe. If we believe in this, then the Lord also would agree to be visible. This is Sri Krishna's opinion. Yata = whatever, tvam = You [Sri Krishna], atmanam = about Yourself [Sri Krishna], atta = explained, etad = let that be [as truth]. Here, Arjuna is not saying that he is permitting the Lord to say so; but Arjuna is fully accepting all those told by the Lord. We should accept all things told about the Lord and believe in them. It is not that we are to believe, even if they were false; but, they are all true and so we have to believe. He addresses the Lord as Parameswara. Paramam means Super most or the most Supreme, with none equal or superior. Iswara means Leader, Who commands and controls everyone. Arjuna feels that the Lord would not have cheated him by any of the explanations He made in all the slokas so far because He is his Iswara. The Lord has all the knowledge, as He is Iswara. The Lord possesses all auspicious qualities, as He is Iswara. Being Iswara, He is the repository of all good qualities, He would not misdirect Arjuna and would not utter lies. The Lord is close to Arjuna and so he believed as truth or Satyam whatever the Lord told. Paramaswara indicates all the eminence of the Lord. This feeling we will get when we have darshan of the Lord Sri Varadaraja, standing with broad shoulders. In fact, we may submit a decree proclaiming our eternal slavery to the Lord! Once agreed, Arjuna desires to see the Lord. Aishvaram = wealth, commanding powers, entire property. Earlier the Lord told that lord Brahma, this Universe, all living beings such as birds, snakes, Asuras, etc., were all His property. When we own something, say, a car, we just own it; but we are not the car. But in the case of the Lord, all His property are His body. Everything is a microscopic part of His body. Arjuna wants to see that body. He wants to see Viswaroopam. Viswam, that is this Universe, is His body. Then Arjuna addresses the Lord as Purushottama. Purushas [all atman in all living beings] can be adama = low type, living at the cost of others; or, madyama = middle type, living and letting others also to live; or, utthama, supreme or best, destroying or lowering oneself to let others live. The Lord, to fulfil lord Brahma's desire, immersed Himself in the Holy fire and then came out; so, He is Sri Purushotthama. Purusha also means he who grants whatever is demanded. That is why Arjuna asked Him. Because He is granting, the Lord is called Sri Varada [varam dadadi - granting demands]. He wants all living beings should live happily. He is the embodiment of mercy. So we have to surrender unto Him only, as told by Swami Kooratthalwan. By mentioning Parameswara and Purushotthama, Arjuna is implying Lord Sri Varadaraja.
                                                                                                (continued)