Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Twenty-four
SB4.24.42
TEXT 42
namas ta asisam isa
manave karanatmane
namo dharmaya brhate
krsnayakuntha-medhase
purusaya puranaya
sankhya-yogesvaraya ca
SYNONYMS
namah—offering obeisances; te—unto You; asisam isa—O topmost of all bestowers of benediction; manave—unto the supreme mind or supreme Manu; karana-atmane—the supreme cause of all causes; namah—offering obeisances; dharmaya—unto one who knows the best of all religion; brhate—the greatest; krsnaya—unto Krsna; akuntha-medhase—unto one whose brain activity is never checked; purusaya—the Supreme Person; puranaya—the oldest of the old; sankhya-yoga-isvaraya—the master of the principles of sankhya-yoga; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, You are the topmost of all bestowers of all benediction, the oldest and supreme enjoyer amongst all enjoyers. You are the master of all the worlds’ metaphysical philosophy, for You are the supreme cause of all causes, Lord Krsna. You are the greatest of all religious principles, the supreme mind, and You have a brain which is never checked by any condition. Therefore I repeatedly offer my obeisances unto You.
PURPORT
The words krsnaya akuntha-medhase are significant in this verse. Modern scientists have stopped their brainwork by discovering the theory of uncertainty, but factually for a living being there cannot be any brain activity which is not checked by time and space limitations. A living entity is called anu, an atomic particle of the supreme soul, and therefore his brain is also atomic. It cannot accommodate unlimited knowledge. This does not mean, however, that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, has a limited brain. What Krsna says and does is not limited by time and space. In Bhagavad-gita (7.26) the Lord says:
vedaham samatitani
vartamanani carjuna
bhavisyani ca bhutani
mam tu veda na kascana
“O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.”
Krsna knows everything, but one cannot know Krsna without being favored by Him. Thus for Krsna and His representative there is no question of a theory of uncertainty. What Krsna says is all perfect and certain and is applicable to the past, present and future. Nor is there any uncertainty for one who knows exactly what Krsna says. The Krsna consciousness movement is based on Bhagavad-gita as it is, as spoken by Lord Krsna, and for those who are engaged in this movement, there is no question of uncertainty.
Lord Krsna is also addressed herein as asisam isa. The great saintly personalities, sages and demigods are able to offer benedictions to ordinary living entities, but they in turn are benedicted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without being benedicted by Krsna, one cannot offer benediction to anyone else. The word manave, meaning “unto the supreme Manu,” is also significant. The supreme Manu in Vedic literature is Svayambhuva Manu, who is an incarnation of Krsna. All the Manus are empowered incarnations of Krsna (manvantara-avatara). There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahma, 420 in one month, all the Manus are directors of human society, ultimately Krsna is the supreme director of human society. In another sense, the word manave indicates the perfection of all kinds of mantras. The mantra delivers the conditioned soul from his bondage; so simply by chanting the mantra Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, one can gain deliverance from any condition.
Karanatmane: everything has a cause. The theory of chance is repudiated in this verse. Because everything has its cause, there is no question of chance. Because so-called philosophers and scientists are unable to find the real cause, they foolishly say that everything happens by chance. In Brahma-samhita Krsna is described as the cause of all causes; therefore He is addressed herein as karanatmane. His very personality is the original cause of everything, the root of everything and the seed of everything. As described in the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.2), janmady asya yatah: [Bhag. 1.1.1] the Absolute Truth is the supreme cause of all emanations.
The word sankhya-yogesvaraya is also significant herein, for Krsna is described in Bhagavad-gita as Yogesvara, the master of all mystic powers. Without possessing inconceivable mystic powers, one cannot be accepted as God. In this age of Kali, those who have a little fragmental portion of mystic power claim to be God, but such pseudo Gods can only be accepted as fools, for only Krsna is the Supreme Person who possesses all mystic and yogic perfections. The sankhya-yoga system popular at the present moment was propounded by the atheist Kapila, but the original sankhya-yoga system was propounded by an incarnation of Krsna also named Kapila, the son of Devahuti. Similarly, Dattatreya, another incarnation of Krsna, also explained the sankhya-yoga system. Thus Krsna is the origin of all sankhya-yoga systems and mystic yoga powers.
The words purusaya puranaya are also worthy of special attention. In Brahma-samhita, Krsna is accepted as the adi-purusa, the original person, or the original enjoyer. In Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna is also accepted as purana-purusa, the oldest person. Although He is the oldest of all personalities, He is also the youngest of all, or nava-yauvana. Another significant word is dharmaya. Since Krsna is the original propounder of all kinds of religious principles, it is said: dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam (Bhag. 6.3.19). No one can introduce a new type of religion, for religion is already there, having been established by Lord Krsna. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna informs us of the original dharma and asks us to give up all kinds of religious principles. The real dharma is surrender unto Him. In the Mahabharata, it is also said:
ye ca veda-vido vipra
ye cadhyatma-vido janah
te vadanti mahatmanam
krsnam dharmam sanatanam
The purport is that one who has studied the Vedas perfectly, who is a perfect vipra, or knower of the Vedas, who knows what spiritual life actually is, speaks about Krsna, the Supreme Person, as one’s sanatana-dharma. Lord Siva therefore teaches us the principles of sanatana-dharma. SB4.24.43 TEXT 43 sakti-traya-sametaya midhuse ’hankrtatmane ceta-akuti-rupaya namo vaco vibhutaye SYNONYMS sakti-traya—three kinds of energies; sametaya—unto the reservoir; midhuse—unto Rudra; ahankrta-atmane—the source of egotism; cetah—knowledge; akuti—eagerness to work; rupaya—unto the form of; namah—my obeisances; vacah—unto the sound; vibhutaye—unto the different types of opulences. TRANSLATION My dear Lord, You are the supreme controller of the worker, sense activities and results of sense activities [karma]. Therefore You are the controller of the body, mind and senses. You are also the supreme controller of egotism, known as Rudra. You are the source of knowledge and the activities of the Vedic injunctions. PURPORT Everyone acts under the dictation of the ego. Therefore Lord Siva is trying to purify false egotism through the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since Lord Siva, or Rudra, is himself the controller of egotism, he indirectly wants to be purified by the mercy of the Lord so that his real egotism can be awakened. Of course, Lord Rudra is always spiritually awake, but for our benefit he is praying in this way. For the am spirit soul.” But in its actual position, the spirit soul has devotional activities to perform. Therefore Lord Siva prays to be engaged both in mind and in action in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord according to the direction of the Vedas. This is the process for purifying false egotism. Cetah means “knowledge.” Without perfect knowledge, one cannot act perfectly. The real source of knowledge is the vacah, or sound vibration, given by Vedic instructions. Here the word vacah, or vibration, means the Vedic vibration. The origin of creation is sound vibration, and if the sound vibration is clear and purified, perfect knowledge and perfect activities actually become manifest. This is enacted by the chanting of the maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Thus Lord Siva is praying again and again for the purification of body, mind and activities through the purification of knowledge and action under the pure directions of the Vedas. Lord Siva prays to the Supreme Personality of Godhead so that his mind, senses and words will all turn toward devotional activities only. SB4.24.44 TEXT 44 darsanam no didrksunam dehi bhagavatarcitam rupam priyatamam svanam sarvendriya-gunanjanam SYNONYMS darsanam—vision; nah—our; didrksunam—desirous to see; dehi—kindly exhibit; bhagavata—of the devotees; arcitam—as worshiped by them; rupam—form; priya-tamam—dearmost; svanam—of Your devotees; sarva-indriya—all the senses; guna—qualities; anjanam—very much pleasing. TRANSLATION My dear Lord, I wish to see You exactly in the form that Your very dear devotees worship. You have many other forms, but I wish to see Your form that is especially liked by the devotees. Please be merciful upon me and show me that form, for only that form worshiped by the devotees can perfectly satisfy all the demands of the senses. PURPORT In the sruti, or veda-mantra, it is said that the Supreme Absolute Truth is sarva-kamah sarva-gandhah sarva-rasah, or, in other words, He is known as raso vai sah, the source of all relishable relationships (rasas). We have various senses—the powers of seeing, tasting, smelling, touching, etc.—and all the propensities of our senses can be satisfied when the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate: “Bhakti means engaging all the senses in the service of the master of the senses, Hrsikesa.” (Narada-pancaratra) These material senses, however, cannot be engaged in the service of the Lord; therefore one has to become free from all designations. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tatparatvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. One has to become free from all designation or false egotism and thus become purified. When we engage our senses in the service of the Lord, the desires or the inclinations of the senses can be perfectly fulfilled. Lord Siva therefore wants to see the Lord in a form which is inconceivable to the Bauddha philosophers, or the Buddhists. The impersonalists and the voidists also have to see the form of the Absolute. In Buddhist temples there are forms of Lord Buddha in meditation, but these are not worshiped like the forms of the Lord in Vaisnava temples (forms like Radha-Krsna, Sita-Rama or Laksmi-Narayana). Amongst the different sampradayas (Vaisnava sects) either Radha-Krsna or Laksmi-Narayana is worshiped. Lord Siva wants to see that form perfectly, just as the devotees want to see it. I he words rupam priyatamam svanam are specifically mentioned here, indicating that Lord Siva wants to see that form which is very dear to the devotees. The word svanam is especially significant because only the devotees are very, very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The jnanis, yogis and karmis are not particularly dear, for the karmis simply want to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their order supplier. The jnanis want to see Him to become one with Him, and the yogis want to see Him partially represented within their heart as Paramatma, but the bhaktas, or the devotees, want to see Him in His complete perfection. As stated in Brahma-samhita (5.30): venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept at playing on His flute, whose eyes are blooming like lotus petals, whose head is bedecked with peacock feathers, whose beauty is tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and whose unique loveliness charms millions of Cupids.” Thus Lord Siva’s desire is to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He is described in this way—that is, he wants to see Him as He appears to the bhagavatas, the devotees. The conclusion is that Lord Siva wants to see Him in complete perfection and not in the impersonalist or voidist way. Although the Lord is one in His various forms (advaitam acyutam anadim), still His form as the young enjoyer of the gopis and companion of the cowherd boys (kisora-murti) is the most perfect form. Thus Vaisnavas accept the form of the Lord in His Vrndavana pastimes as the chief form. SB4.24.45-46 TEXTS 45–46 snigdha-pravrd-ghana-syamam sarva-saundarya-sangraham carv-ayata-catur-bahu sujata-rucirananam padma-kosa-palasaksam sundara-bhru sunasikam sudvijam sukapolasyam sama-karna-vibhusanam SYNONYMS snigdha—glistening; pravrt—rainy season; ghana-syamam—densely cloudy; sarva—all; saundarya—beauty; sangraham—collection; caru—beautiful; ayata—bodily feature; catuh-bahu—unto the four-armed; su-jata—ultimately beautiful; rucira—very pleasing; ananam—face; padma-kosa—the whorl of the lotus flower; palasa—petals; aksam—eyes; sundara—beautiful; bhru—eyebrows; su-nasikam—raised nose; su-dvijam—beautiful teeth; su-kapola—beautiful forehead; asyam—face; sama-karna—equally beautiful ears; vibhusanam—fully decorated. TRANSLATION The Lord’s beauty resembles a dark cloud during the rainy season. As the rainfall glistens, His bodily features also glisten. Indeed, He is the sum total of all beauty. The Lord has four arms and an exquisitely beautiful face with eyes like lotus petals, a beautiful highly raised nose, a mind-attracting smile, a beautiful forehead and equally beautiful and fully decorated ears. PURPORT After the scorching heat of the summer season, it is very pleasing to see dark clouds in the sky. As confirmed in Brahma-samhita: barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam. The Lord wears a peacock feather in His hair, and His bodily complexion is just like a blackish cloud. The word sundara, or snigdha, means “very pleasing.” Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya. Krsna’s beauty is so pleasing that not even millions upon millions of Cupids can compare to it. The Lord’s form as Visnu is decorated in all opulence; therefore Lord Siva is trying to see that most opulent form of Narayana, or Visnu. Generally the worship of the Lord begins with the worship of Narayana, or Visnu, whereas the worship of Lord Krsna and Radha is most confidential. Lord Narayana is worshipable by the pancaratrika-vidhi, or regulative principles, whereas Lord Krsna is worshipable by the bhagavata-vidhi. No one can worship the Lord in the bhagavata-vidhi without going through the regulations of the pancaratrika-vidhi. Actually, neophyte devotees worship the Lord according to the pancaratrika-vidhi, or the regulative principles enjoined in the Narada-pancaratra. Radha-Krsna cannot be approached by the neophyte devotees; therefore temple worship according to regulative principles is offered to Laksmi-Narayana. Although there may be a Radha-Krsna vigraha, or form, the worship of the neophyte devotees is acceptable as Laksmi-Narayana worship. Worship according to the pancaratrika-vidhi is called vidhi-marga, and worship according to the bhagavata-vidhi principles is called raga-marga. The principles of raga-marga are especially meant for devotees who are elevated to the Vrndavana platform. The inhabitants of Vrndavana—the gopis, mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja, the cowherd boys, the cows and everyone else—are actually on the raga-marga or bhagavata-marga platform. They participate in five basic rasas—dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhurya and santa. But although these five rasas are found in the bhagavata-marga, the bhagavata-marga is especially meant for vatsalya and madhurya, or paternal and conjugal relationships. Yet there is the vipralambha-sakhya, the higher fraternal worship of the Lord especially enjoyed by the cowherd boys. Although there is friendship between Krsna and the cowherd boys, this friendship is different from the aisvarya friendship between Krsna and Arjuna. When Arjuna saw the visva-rupa, the gigantic universal form of the Lord, he was afraid for having treated Krsna as an ordinary friend; therefore he begged Krsna’s pardon. However, the cowherd boys who are friends of Krsna in Vrndavana sometimes ride on the shoulders of Krsna. They treat Krsna equally, just as they treat one another, and they are never afraid of Him, nor do they ever beg His pardon. Thus the raga-marga, or bhagavata-marga, friendship exists on a higher platform with Krsna, namely the platform of vipralambha friendship. Paternal friendship, paternal service and conjugal service are visible in the Vrndavana raga-marga relationships. Without serving Krsna according to the vidhi-marga regulative principles of the pancaratrika-vidhi, unscrupulous persons want to jump immediately to the raga-marga principles. Such persons are called sahajiya. There are also demons who enjoy depicting Krsna and His pastimes with the gopis, taking advantage of Krsna by their licentious character. These demons who print books and write lyrics on the raga-marga principles are surely on the way to hell. Unfortunately, they lead others down with them. Devotees in Krsna consciousness should be very careful to avoid such demons. One should strictly follow the vidhi-marga regulative principles in the worship of Laksmi-Narayana, although the Lord is present in the temple as Radha-Krsna. Radha-Krsna includes Laksmi-Narayana; therefore when one worships the Lord according to the regulative principles, the Lord accepts the service in the role of Laksmi-Narayana. In The Nectar of Devotion full instructions are given about the vidhi-marga worship of Radha-Krsna, or Laksmi-Narayana. Although there are sixty-four kinds of offenses one can commit in vidhi-marga worship, in raga-marga worship there is no consideration of such offenses because the devotees on that platform are very much elevated, and there is no question of offense. But if we do not follow the regulative principles on the vidhi-marga platform and keep our eyes trained to spot offenses, we will not make progress. In his description of Krsna’s beauty, Lord Siva uses the words carvayata-catur-bahu sujata-rucirananam, indicating the beautiful four-armed form of Narayana, or Visnu. Those who worship Lord Krsna describe Him as sujata-rucirananam. In the visnu-tattva there are hundreds and thousands and millions of forms of the Supreme Lord, but of all these forms, the form of Krsna is the most beautiful. Thus for those who worship Krsna, the word sujata-rucirananam is used. The four arms of Lord Visnu have different purposes. The hands holding a lotus flower and conchshell are meant for the devotees, whereas the other two hands, holding a disc and mace, or club, are meant for the demons. Actually all of the Lord’s arms are auspicious, whether they are holding conchshells and flowers or clubs and discs. The demons killed by Lord Visnu’s cakra disc and club are elevated to the spiritual world, just like the devotees who are protected by the hands holding the lotus flower and conchshell. However, the demons who are elevated to the spiritual world are situated in the impersonal Brahman effulgence, whereas the devotees are allowed to enter into the Vaikuntha planets. Those who are devotees of Lord Krsna are immediately elevated to the Goloka Vrndavana planet. The Lord’s beauty is compared to rainfall because when the rain falls in the rainy season, it becomes more and more pleasing to the people. After the scorching heat of the summer season, the people enjoy the rainy season very much. Indeed, they even come out of their doors in the villages and enjoy the rainfall directly. Thus the Lord’s bodily features are compared to the clouds of the rainy season. The devotees enjoy the Lord’s beauty because it is a collection of all kinds of beauties. Therefore the word sarva-saundarya-sangraham is used. No one can say that the body of the Lord is wanting in beautiful parts. It is completely purnam. Everything is complete: God’s creation, God’s beauty and God’s bodily features. All these are so complete that all one’s desires can become fully satisfied when one sees the beauty of the Lord. The word sarva-saundarya indicates that there are different types of beauties in the material and spiritual worlds and that the Lord contains all of them. Both materialists and spiritualists can enjoy the beauty of the Lord. Because the Supreme Lord attracts everyone, including demons and devotees, materialists and spiritualists, He is called Krsna. Similarly, His devotees also attract everyone. As mentioned in the Sad-gosvami-stotra: dhiradhira-jana-priyau—the Gosvamis are equally dear to the dhira (devotees) and adhira (demons). Lord Krsna was not very pleasing to the demons when He was present in Vrndavana, but the six Gosvamis were pleasing to the demons when they were present in Vrndavana. That is the beauty of the Lord’s dealings with His devotees; sometimes the Lord gives more credit to His devotees than He takes for Himself. For instance, on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, Lord Krsna fought simply by giving directions. Yet it was Arjuna who took the credit for fighting. Nimitta-matram bhava savyasacin: “You, O Savyasaci [Arjuna], can be but an instrument in the fight.” (Bg. 11.33) Everything was arranged by the Lord, but the credit of victory was given to Arjuna. Similarly, in the Krsna consciousness movement, everything is happening according to the predictions of Lord Caitanya, but the credit goes to Lord Caitanya’s sincere servants. Thus the Lord is described herein as sarva-saundarya-sangraham. SB4.24.47-48 TEXTS 47–48 priti-prahasitapangam alakai rupa-sobhitam lasat-pankaja-kinjalka- dukulam mrsta-kundalam sphurat-kirita-valaya- hara-nupura-mekhalam sankha-cakra-gada-padma- mala-many-uttamarddhimat SYNONYMS priti—merciful; prahasita—smiling; apangam—sidelong glance; alakaih—with curling hair; rupa—beauty; sobhitam—increased; lasat—glittering; pankaja—of the lotus; kinjalka—saffron; dukulam—clothing; mrsta—glittering; kundalam—earrings; sphurat—shiny; kirita—helmet; valaya—bangles; hara—necklace; nupura—ankle bells; mekhalam—belt; sankha—conchshell; cakra—wheel; gada—club; padma—lotus flower; mala—garland; mani—pearls; uttama—first class; rddhi-mat—still more beautified on account of this. TRANSLATION The Lord is superexcellently beautiful on account of His open and merciful smile and Mis sidelong glance upon His devotees. His black hair is curly, and His garments, waving in the wind, appear like flying saffron pollen from lotus flowers. His glittering earrings, shining helmet, bangles, garland, ankle bells, waist belt and various other bodily ornaments combine with conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower to increase the natural beauty of the Kaustubha pearl on His chest. PURPORT The word prahasitapanga, referring to Krsna’s smile and sidelong glances at His devotees, specifically applies to His dealings with the gopis. Krsna is always in a joking mood when He increases the feelings of conjugal rasa in the hearts of the gopis. The conchshell, club, disc and lotus flower can be either held in His hands or seen on the palms of His hands. According to palmistry, the signs of a conchshell, club, lotus flower and disc mark the palms of great personalities and especially indicate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB4.24.49 TEXT 49 simha-skandha-tviso bibhrat saubhaga-griva-kaustubham sriyanapayinya ksipta- nikasasmorasollasat SYNONYMS simha—a lion; skandha—shoulders; tvisah—the coils of hair; bibhrat—bearing; saubhaga—fortunate; griva—neck; kaustubham—the pearl of the name; sriya—beauty; anapayinya—never decreasing; ksipta—defeating; nikasa—the stone for testing gold; asma—stone; urasa—with the chest; ullasat—glittering. TRANSLATION The Lord has shoulders just like a lion’s. Upon these shoulders are garlands, necklaces and epaulets, and all of these are always glittering. Besides these, there is the beauty of the Kaustubha-mani pearl, and on the dark chest of the Lord there are streaks named Srivatsa, which are signs of the goddess of fortune. The glittering of these streaks excels the beauty of the golden streaks on a gold-testing stone. Indeed, such beauty defeats a gold-testing stone. PURPORT The curling hair on the shoulders of a lion always appears very, very beautiful. Similarly, the shoulders of the Lord were just like a lion’s, and the necklace and garlands, along with the Kaustubha pearl necklace, combined to excel the beauty of a lion. The chest of the Lord is streaked with Srivatsa lines, the sign of the goddess of fortune. Consequently the Lord’s chest excels the beauty of a testing stone for gold. The black siliceous stone on which gold is rubbed to test its value always looks very beautiful, being streaked with gold lines. Yet the chest of the Lord excels even such a stone in its beauty. SB4.24.50 TEXT 50 pura-recaka-samvigna- vali-valgu-dalodaram pratisankramayad visvam nabhyavarta-gabhiraya SYNONYMS pura—inhaling; recaka—exhaling; samvigna—agitated; vali—the wrinkles on the abdomen; valgu—beautiful; dala—like the banyan leaf; udaram—abdomen; pratisankramayat—coiling down; visvam—universe; nabhya—navel; avarta—screwing; gabhiraya—by deepness. TRANSLATION The Lord’s abdomen is beautiful due to three ripples in the flesh. Being so round, His abdomen resembles the leaf of a banyan tree, and when He exhales and inhales, the movement of the ripples appears very, very beautiful. The coils within the navel of the Lord are so deep that it appears that the entire universe sprouted out of it and yet again wishes to go back. PURPORT The whole universe is born out of the lotus stem which sprouted from the navel of the Lord. Lord Brahma sat on the top of this lotus stem to create the whole universe. The navel of the Lord is so deep and coiling that it appears that the whole universe again wants to withdraw into the navel, being attracted by the Lord’s beauty. The Lord’s navel and the ripples on His belly always increase the beauty of His bodily features. The details of the bodily features of the Lord especially indicate the Personality of Godhead. Impersonalists cannot appreciate the beautiful body of the Lord, which is described in these prayers by Lord Siva. Although the impersonalists are always engaged in the worship of Lord Siva, they are unable to understand the prayers offered by Lord Siva to the bodily features of Lord Visnu. Lord Visnu is known as siva-virinci-nutam (Bhag. 11.5.33), for He is always worshiped by Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. SB4.24.51 TEXT 51 syama-srony-adhi-rocisnu- dukula-svarna-mekhalam sama-carv-anghri-janghoru- nimna-janu-sudarsanam SYNONYMS syama—blackish; sroni—lower part of the waist; adhi—extra; rocisnu—pleasing; dukula—garments; svarna—golden; mekhalam—belt; sama—symmetrical; caru—beautiful; anghri—lotus feet; jangha—calves; uru—thighs; nimna—lower; janu—knees; su-darsanam—very beautiful. TRANSLATION The lower part of the Lord’s waist is dark and covered with yellow garments and a belt bedecked with golden embroidery work. His symmetrical lotus feet and the calves, thighs and joints of His legs are extraordinarily beautiful. Indeed, the Lord’s entire body appears to be well built. PURPORT Lord Siva is one of the twelve great authorities mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.3.20). These authorities are Svayambhu, Narada, Sambhu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Bali, Vaiyasaki, or Sukadeva Gosvami, and Yamaraja. The impersonalists, who generally worship Lord Siva, should learn of the transcendental sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1] of the Lord. Here Lord Siva kindly describes the details of the Lord’s bodily features. Thus the impersonalists’ argument that the Lord has no form cannot be accepted under any circumstance. SB4.24.52 TEXT 52 pada sarat-padma-palasa-rocisa nakha-dyubhir no ’ntar-agham vidhunvata pradarsaya sviyam apasta-sadhvasam padam guro marga-gurus tamo-jusam SYNONYMS pada—by the lotus feet; sarat—autumn; padma—lotus flower; palasa—petals; rocisa—very pleasing; nakha—nails; dyubhih—by the effulgence; nah—our; antah-agham—dirty things; vidhunvata—which can cleanse; pradarsaya—just show; sviyam—Your own; apasta—diminishing; sadhvasam—the trouble of the material world; padam—lotus feet; guro—O supreme spiritual master; marga—the path; guruh—spiritual master; tamah-jusam—of the persons suffering in ignorance. TRANSLATION My dear Lord, Your two lotus feet are so beautiful that they appear like two blossoming petals of the lotus flower which grows during the autumn season. Indeed, the nails of Your lotus feet emanate such a great effulgence that they immediately dissipate all the darkness in the heart of a conditioned soul. My dear Lord, kindly show me that form of Yours which always dissipates all kinds of darkness in the heart of a devotee. My dear Lord, You are the supreme spiritual master of everyone; therefore all conditioned souls covered with the darkness of ignorance can be enlightened by You as the spiritual master. PURPORT Lord Siva has thus described the bodily features of the Lord authoritatively. Now he wants to see the lotus feet of the Lord. When a devotee wants to see the transcendental form of the Lord, he begins his meditation on the Lord’s body by first looking at the feet of the Lord. Srimad-Bhagavatam is considered to be the transcendental sound form of the Lord, and the twelve cantos are divided in accordance with the transcendental form of the Lord. The First and Second Cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam are called the two lotus feet of the Lord. It is therefore suggested by Lord Siva that one should first try to see the lotus feet of the Lord. This also means that if one is serious about reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, he must begin by seriously studying the First and Second Cantos. The beauty of the lotus feet of the Lord is compared to the petals of a lotus flower which grows in the autumn season. By nature’s law, in autumn the dirty or muddy waters of rivers and lakes become very clean. At that time the lotus flowers growing in the lakes appear very bright and beautiful. The lotus flower itself is compared to the lotus feet of the Lord, and the petals are compared to the nails of the feet of the Lord. The nails of the feet of the Lord are very bright, as Brahma-samhita testifies. Ananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya: [Bs 5.32] every limb of the transcendental body of the Lord is made of ananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala. Thus every limb is eternally bright. As sunshine dissipates the darkness of this material world, the effulgence emanating from the body of the Lord immediately dries up the darkness in the heart of the conditioned soul. In other words, everyone serious about understanding the transcendental science and seeing the transcendental form of the Lord must first of all attempt to see the lotus feet of the Lord by studying the First and Second Cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam. When one sees the lotus feet of the Lord, all kinds of doubts and fears within the heart are vanquished. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that in order to make spiritual progress, one must become fearless. Abhayam sattva-samsuddhih (Bg. 16.1). Fearfulness is the result of material involvement. It is also said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.37), bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat: fearfulness is a creation of the bodily conception of life. As long as one is absorbed in the thought that he is this material body, he is fearful, and as soon as one is freed from this material conception, he becomes brahma-bhuta, or self-realized, and immediately becomes fearless. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma (Bg. 18.54). Without being fearless, one cannot be joyful. The bhaktas, the devotees, are fearless and always joyful because they are constantly engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord. It is also said: evam prasanna-manaso By practicing bhagavad-bhakti-yoga, one becomes fearless and joyful. Unless one becomes fearless and joyful, he cannot understand the science of God. Bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam mukta-sangasya jayate. This verse refers to those who are completely liberated from the fearfulness of this material world. When one is so liberated, he can really understand the transcendental features of the form of the Lord. Lord Siva therefore advises everyone to practice bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. As will be clear in the following verses, by doing so one can become really liberated and enjoy spiritual bliss. It is also stated: om ajnana-timirandhasya The Lord is the supreme spiritual master, and the bona fide representative of the Supreme Lord is also a spiritual master. The Lord from within enlightens the devotees by the effulgence of the nails of His lotus feet, and His representative, the spiritual master, enlightens from without. Only by thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord and always taking the spiritual master’s advice can one advance in spiritual life and understand Vedic knowledge. yasya deve para bhaktir [SU 6.23] Thus the Vedas (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23) enjoin that for one who has unflinching faith in the lotus feet of the Lord, as well as in the spiritual master, the real import of Vedic knowledge can be revealed.
barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah