This space between heaven and earth, mid-air, is pervaded by You alone, the bearer of the universal form, and all the quarters are pervaded. Having seen this wondrous, astonishing form of Yours, terrible, fierce, the triple world is greatly afflicted, frightened, set trembling, O great Self, O one of no mean nature. Now, to settle the doubt which Arjuna had earlier in 'whether we should conquer, or whether they should conquer us' (Gītā 2.6), the Blessed Lord set out to show the certain victory of the Pāṇḍavas. Seeing Him, Arjuna says. Further.

The words 'heaven' and 'earth' are both meant to indicate the worlds above and below; the space between heaven and earth, in which all the worlds stand, this whole space, and all the quarters, are pervaded by you alone. Having seen your wondrous form, fierce, of endless length and breadth, exceedingly wondrous and exceedingly fierce, the three worlds are utterly distraught. Among the Brahmas and the gods and asuras and hosts of fathers and the perfected and gandharvas and yakshas and rakshasas who had come wishing to see the battle, the three worlds, in their forms favourable, unfavourable, and neutral, are all utterly distraught, exceedingly afraid, great-souled one of unmeasurable mental working. To these too, as to Arjuna, the Blessed One gave the divine eye that is the means of the direct sight of His form which is the support of the universe. Why? To show Arjuna all His lordship. So this is said: 'having seen your wondrous, fierce form, the three worlds are utterly distraught, great-souled one'.

By the Varuna scripture, 'He is the one who is the inmost of mother and father, and by His form He is the one who pervades all else', He, by one form alone, comes to pervade the space between heaven and earth. With 'behold My forms, O Partha' (11.5) many forms were promised, and the mother and father are the earth and the heaven, by such usage as 'may the earth, our mother, not set us in ill thought; may the heaven, our father, be sweet to us' (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 6.3.6). His own form is not, as a rule, fear-giving, since for Narada there was no fear. To some the Lord shows it so, as the Varuna branch says, 'some take delight in the seeing of that form; someone fears it; in the constant seeing of it there is full contentment'. Not all see it as fearful; even without seeing the forms, by considering them, it appears so to the seer through his fear. So the Gautama supplementary hymns say, 'rejoicing on seeing the God, and, though they have not seen it, fearing through this fear as if they had seen it, with eyes and faces cast toward Him they behold, since their minds have entered into Him alone'.