Shankaracharya's commentary, trans. Alladi Mahadeva Sastry (1897)
[1]Tell me who thou art, so fierce in form. I bow to Thee, O God Supreme; have mercy. I desire to know Thee, the Original Being. I know not indeed Thy doing.
BG 11.31
आख्याहि मे को भवानुग्ररूपो नमोऽस्तु ते देववर प्रसीद। विज्ञातुमिच्छामि भवन्तमाद्यं न हि प्रजानामि तव प्रवृत्तिम् ॥
ākhyāhi me ko bhavānugrarūpo namo'stu te devavara prasīda| vijñātumicchāmi bhavantamādyaṃ na hi prajānāmi tava pravṛttim ||
"Who are You, fierce-formed? I bow — be gracious! I wish to know You, the Primeval, for I do not grasp Your action."
All public-domain translations
4 translations · all pre-1928 or released to public domain · sources
Swami Swarupananda, Srimad Bhagavad Gita (1909)
[4]Tell me who Thou art, fierce in form. Salutation to Thee, O Supreme Deva! have mercy. I desire to know Thee, O Primeval One. I know not indeed Thy purpose.
Sir Edwin Arnold, The Song Celestial (1885)
[7]Who art Thou, awful Deity! I bow myself to Thee. Namostu Te, Devavara! Prasid! O Mightiest Lord! rehearse why hast Thou face so fierce? Whence doth this aspect horrible proceed?
K.M. Ganguli, The Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva (1883–96)
[13]Tell me who thou art of such fierce form. I bow to thee, O chief of the gods, be gracious to me. I desire to know thee that art the Primeval One, I do not understand thy action.