dvāreṇa cakrānupathena tat tamaḥ
paraḿ paraḿ jyotir ananta-pāram
samaśnuvānaḿ prasamīkṣya phālgunaḥ
pratāḍitākṣo pidadhe 'kṣiṇī ubhe
dvarena -- by the path; cakra -- the Sudarsana disc; anupathena -- following; tat -- that; tamah -- darkness; param -- beyond; param -- transcendental; jyotih -- light; ananta -- unlimited; param -- whose expanse; samasnuvanam -- all-pervasive; prasamikshya -- beholding; phalgunah -- Arjuna; pratadita -- pained; akshah -- whose eyes; apidadhe -- he closed; akshini -- his eyes; ubhe -- both.
Following the Sudarsana disc, the chariot went beyond the darkness and reached the endless spiritual light of the all pervasive brahma-jyoti. As Arjuna beheld this glaring effulgence, his eyes hurt, and so he shut them.
After breaking through each of the eight concentric shells of the universe, the Sudarsana disc led Lord Krishna's chariot into the limitless, self-effulgent atmosphere of the spiritual sky. This journey by Lord Krishna and Arjuna to Vaikuntha is also narrated in Sri Hari-vamsa, where the Lord is quoted as telling His companion,
brahma-tejo-mayam divyam
mahat yad drishtavan asi
aham sa bharata-sreshtha
mat-tejas tat sanatanam
"The divine expanse of Brahman effulgence you have seen is none other than Myself, O best of the Bharatas. It is My own eternal effulgence."
prakritih sa mama para
vyaktavyakta sanatani
tam pravisya bhavantiha
mukta yoga-vid-uttamah
"It comprises My eternal, spiritual energy, both manifest and unmanifest. The foremost yoga experts of this world enter within it and become liberated."
sa sankhyanam gatih partha
yoginam ca tapasvinam
tat param paramam brahma
sarvam vibhajate jagat
mamaiva tad ghanam tejo
jnatum arhasi bharata
"It is the supreme goal of the followers of Sankhya, O Partha, as well as that of the yogis and ascetics. It is the Supreme Absolute Truth, manifesting the varieties of the entire created cosmos. You should understand this brahma-jyoti, O Bharata, to be My concentrated personal effulgence."
