Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 11: The Vision of the Cosmic Form
Bhagavad Gita 11.46
किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रहस्त-
मिच्छामि त्वां द्रष्टुमहं तथैव ।
तेनैव रूपेण चतुर्भुजेन
सहस्रबाहो भव विश्वमूर्ते ॥
kirīṭinaṃ gadinaṃ cakrahasta- micchāmi tvāṃ draṣṭumahaṃ tathaiva | tenaiva rūpeṇa caturbhujena sahasrabāho bhava viśvamūrte ||
I wish to see you as you were before, with crown and mace, and discus in hand. Take on that four-armed form, O thousand-armed one, whose form is the universe.
Modern context
Arjuna asks for a specific intermediate form: four-armed, with crown, mace and discus. This is the gracious form of Vishnu, divine but approachable. It is a step between the overwhelming universe and the human friend. Many people relate to the divine through just such a form, an image or a name that is clearly sacred and yet gentle enough to love.