Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 11: The Vision of the Cosmic Form

Bhagavad Gita 11.44

tasmātpraṇamya praṇidhāya kāyaṃ prasādaye tvāmahamīśamīḍyam | piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuḥ priyaḥ priyāyārhasi deva soḍhum ||

So I bow down and lay my body before you, and I ask for your grace, O Lord worthy of praise. As a father bears with a son, a friend with a friend, a lover with the beloved, please bear with me, O God.

Modern context

Arjuna asks to be forgiven in three ways: as a father forgives a son, as a friend forgives a friend, as a lover forgives the beloved. These are the three deepest bonds of human love. He does not ask to be treated as a subject before a king, but as someone beloved. Even after seeing the terrible form, he trusts that what lies at the heart of the divine is love.