Bhagavad Gita 11.12 is Chapter 11, Verse 12, in Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (The Universal Form). Below are the Sanskrit text, a transliteration, a plain-English translation and an explanation.
divi sūrya-sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthitā yadi bhāḥ sadṛśī sā syād bhāsas tasya mahātmanaḥ
"If a thousand suns were to rise simultaneously in the sky, that might approximate the radiance of that great soul."
What This Means:
Famous verse: if a THOUSAND SUNS rose at once in the sky, their light might equal the brilliance of this form. This is Sanjaya's attempt to describe the indescribable.
Going Deeper:
This verse was famously quoted by J. Robert Oppenheimer witnessing the first nuclear explosion. The image captures light beyond comprehension, not visual but cosmic, annihilating.
How To Apply This:
Some realities can only be gestured at, not described. A thousand suns is itself unimaginable, yet it's only a metaphor. When you encounter the truly vast, words become pointers.
Key Sanskrit Terms: