Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 11: The Vision of the Cosmic Form

Bhagavad Gita 11.23

rūpaṃ mahatte bahuvaktranetraṃ mahābāho bahubāhūrupādam | bahūdaraṃ bahudaṃṣṭrākarālaṃ dṛṣṭvā lokāḥ pravyathitāstathāham ||

Seeing your vast form, mighty-armed one, with its many mouths and eyes, its many arms, thighs, and feet, its many bellies and its many terrible tusks, the worlds tremble, and so do I.

Modern context

'The worlds tremble, and so do I.' At last Arjuna admits his own fear. The tusks appear, and the form has become frightening. There is honesty in this confession. Even a great warrior, even one who asked for this vision, is shaken. Courage does not mean feeling no fear; it means being able to say 'I am afraid' and still stand in the presence of what is real.