Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Seven
SB4.7.18
TEXT 18
adhvaryunatta-havisa
yajamano visampate
dhiya visuddhaya dadhyau
tatha pradurabhud dharih
SYNONYMS
adhvaryuna—with the Yajur Veda; atta—taking; havisa—with clarified butter; yajamanah—King Daksa; visam-pate—O Vidura; dhiya—in meditation; visuddhaya—sanctified; dadhyau—offered; tatha—immediately; praduh—manifest; abhut—became; harih—Hari, the Lord.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Maitreya said to Vidura: My dear Vidura, as soon as King Daksa offered the clarified butter with Yajur Veda mantras in sanctified meditation, Lord Visnu appeared there in His original form as Narayana.
PURPORT
Lord Visnu is all-pervading. Any devotee who, in sanctified meditation, following the regulative principles, chants the required mantras in service and in a devotional mood can see Visnu. It is said in the Brahma-samhita that a devotee whose eyes are anointed with the ointment of love of Godhead can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead always within his heart. Lord Syamasundara is so kind to His devotee. SB4.7.19 TEXT 19 tada sva-prabhaya tesam dyotayantya diso dasa musnams teja upanitas tarksyena stotra-vajina SYNONYMS tada—at that time; sva-prabhaya—by His own effulgence; tesam—all of them; dyotayantya—by brightness; disah—directions; dasa—ten; musnan—diminishing; tejah—effulgence; upanitah—brought; tarksyena—by Garuda; stotra-vajina—whose wings are called Brhat and Rathantara. TRANSLATION Lord Narayana was seated on the shoulder of Stotra, or Garuda, who had big wings. As soon as the Lord appeared, all directions were illuminated, diminishing the luster of Brahma and the others present. PURPORT A description of Narayana is given in the following two slokas. SB4.7.20 TEXT 20 syamo hiranya-rasano ’rka-kirita-justo nilalaka-bhramara-mandita-kundalasyah sankhabja-cakra-sara-capa-gadasi-carma- vyagrair hiranmaya-bhujair iva karnikarah SYNONYMS syamah—blackish; hiranya-rasanah—a garment like gold; arka-kirita-justah—with a helmet as dazzling as the sun; nila-alaka—bluish curls; bhramara—big black bees; mandita-kundala-asyah—having a face decorated with earrings; sankha—conchshell; abja—lotus flower; cakra—wheel; sara—arrows; capa—bow; gada—club; asi—sword; carma—shield; vyagraih—filled with; hiranmaya—golden (bracelets and bangles); bhujaih—with hands; iva—as; karnikarah—flower tree. TRANSLATION His complexion was blackish, His garment yellow like gold, and His helmet as dazzling as the sun. His hair was bluish, the color of black bees, and His face was decorated with earrings. His eight hands held a conchshell, wheel, club, lotus flower, arrow, bow, shield and sword, and they were decorated with golden ornaments such as bangles and bracelets. His whole body resembled a blossoming tree beautifully decorated with various kinds of flowers. PURPORT The face of Lord Visnu as described in this verse appears like a lotus flower with bees humming over it. All of the ornaments on the body of Lord Visnu resemble molten gold of the reddish-gold color of the morning sunrise. The Lord appears, just as the morning sun rises, to protect the whole universal creation. His arms display different weapons, and His eight hands are compared to the eight petals of a lotus flower. All the weapons mentioned are for the protection of His devotees. Generally in the four hands of Visnu there are a wheel, club, conchshell and lotus flower. These four symbols are seen in the four hands of Visnu in different arrangements. The club and the wheel are the Lord’s symbols of punishment for the demons and miscreants, and the lotus flower and conchshell are used to bless the devotees. There are always two classes of men, the devotees and the demons. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (paritranaya sadhunam), the Lord is always ready for the protection of the devotees and annihilation of the demons. There are demons and devotees in this material world, but in the spiritual world there is no such distinction. In other words, Lord Visnu is the proprietor of both the material and spiritual worlds. In the material world almost everyone is of the demoniac nature, but there are also devotees, who appear to be in the material world although they are always situated in the spiritual world. A devotee’s position is always transcendental, and he is always protected by Lord Visnu. SB4.7.21 TEXT 21 vaksasy adhisrita-vadhur vana-maly udara- hasavaloka-kalaya ramayams ca visvam parsva-bhramad-vyajana-camara-raja-hamsah svetatapatra-sasinopari rajyamanah SYNONYMS vaksasi—on the chest; adhisrita—situated; vadhuh—a woman (the goddess of fortune, Laksmi); vana-mali—garlanded with forest flowers; udara—beautiful; hasa—smiling; avaloka—glance; kalaya—with a small part; ramayan—pleasing; ca—and; visvam—the whole world; parsva—side; bhramat—moving back and forth; vyajana-camara—white yak-tail hair for fanning; raja-hamsah—swan; sveta-atapatra-sasina—with a white canopy like the moon; upari—above; rajyamanah—looking beautiful. TRANSLATION Lord Visnu looked extraordinarily beautiful because the goddess of fortune and a garland were situated on His chest. His face was beautifully decorated with a smiling attitude which can captivate the entire world, especially the devotees. Fans of white hair appeared on both sides of the Lord like white swans, and the white canopy overhead looked like the moon. PURPORT The smiling face of Lord Visnu is pleasing to the whole world. Not only devotees but even nondevotees are attracted by such a smile. This verse nicely describes how the sun, moon, eight-petalled lotus flower and humming black bees were represented by the fans of hair, the overhead canopy, the moving earrings on both sides of His face, and His blackish hair. All together, accompanied by the conchshell, wheel, club, lotus flower, bow, arrows, shield and sword in His hands, these presented a grand and beautiful audience for Lord Visnu which captivated all the demigods there, including Daksa and Lord Brahma. SB4.7.22 TEXT 22 tam upagatam alaksya sarve sura-ganadayah pranemuh sahasotthaya brahmendra-tryaksa-nayakah SYNONYMS tam—Him; upagatam—arrived; alaksya—after seeing; sarve—all; sura-gana-adayah—the demigods and others; pranemuh—obeisances; sahasa—immediately; utthaya—after standing up; brahma—Lord Brahma; indra—Lord Indra; tri-aksa—Lord Siva (who has three eyes); nayakah—led by. TRANSLATION As soon as Lord Visnu was visible, all the demigods—Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, the Gandharvas and all present there—immediately offered their respectful obeisances by falling down straight before Him. PURPORT It appears that Lord Visnu is the Supreme Lord even of Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, what to speak of the demigods, Gandharvas and ordinary living entities. It is stated in a prayer, yam brahma varunendra-rudra-marutah: all the demigods worship Lord Visnu. Similarly, dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah: [SB 12.13.1] yogis concentrate their minds on the form of Lord Visnu. Thus Lord Visnu is worshipable by all demigods, all Gandharvas and even Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. Tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayah: Visnu is therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even though Lord Siva was previously referred to in prayers by Lord Brahma as the Supreme, when Lord Visnu appeared, Siva also fell prostrated before Him to offer respectful obeisances. SB4.7.23 TEXT 23 tat-tejasa hata-rucah sanna-jihvah sa-sadhvasah murdhna dhrtanjali-puta upatasthur adhoksajam SYNONYMS tat-tejasa—by the glaring effulgence of His body; hata-rucah—having faded lusters; sanna-jihvah—having silent tongues; sa-sadhvasah—having fear of Him; murdhna—with the head; dhrta-anjali-putah—with hands touched to the head; upatasthuh—prayed; adhoksajam—to Adhoksaja, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. TRANSLATION In the presence of the glaring effulgence of the bodily luster of Narayana, everyone else’s luster faded away, and everyone stopped speaking. Fearful with awe and veneration, all present touched their hands to their heads and prepared to offer their prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Adhoksaja. SB4.7.24 TEXT 24 apy arvag-vrttayo yasya mahi tv atmabhuv-adayah yatha-mati grnanti sma krtanugraha-vigraham SYNONYMS api—still; arvak-vrttayah—beyond the mental activities; yasya—whose; mahi—glory; tu—but; atmabhu-adayah—Brahma, etc.; yatha-mati—according to their different capacities; grnanti sma—offered prayers; krta-anugraha—manifested by His grace; vigraham—transcendental form. TRANSLATION Although the mental scope of even demigods like Brahma was unable to comprehend the unlimited glories of the Supreme Lord, they were all able to perceive the transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His grace. Only by such grace could they offer their respectful prayers according to their different capacities. PURPORT The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is always unlimited, and His glories cannot be completely enumerated by anyone, even by a personality like Lord Brahma. It is said that Ananta, a direct incarnation of the Lord, has unlimited mouths, and with each mouth He has been trying to describe the glories of the Lord for an unlimited span of time, yet the glories of the Lord remain unlimited, and He therefore never finishes. It is not possible for any ordinary living entity to understand or to glorify the unlimited Personality of Godhead, but one can offer prayers or service to the Lord according to one’s particular capacity. This capacity is increased by the service spirit. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau means that the service of the Lord begins with the tongue. This refers to chanting. By chanting Hare Krsna, one begins the service of the Lord. Another function of the tongue is to taste and accept the Lord’s prasada. We have to begin our service to the Unlimited with the tongue and become perfect in chanting, and accepting the Lord’s prasada. To accept the Lord’s prasada means to control the entire set of senses. The tongue is considered to be the most uncontrollable sense because it hankers for so many unwholesome eatables, thereby forcing the living entity into the dungeon of material conditional life. As the living entity transmigrates from one form of life to another, he has to eat so many abominable foodstuffs that finally there is no limit. The tongue should be engaged in chanting and in eating the Lord’s prasada so that the other senses will be controlled. Chanting is the medicine, and prasada is the diet. With these processes one can begin his service, and as the service increases, the Lord reveals more and more to the devotee. But there is no limit to His glories, and there is no limit to engaging oneself in the service of the Lord. SB4.7.25 TEXT 25 dakso grhitarhana-sadanottamam yajnesvaram visva-srjam param gurum sunanda-nandady-anugair vrtam muda grnan prapede prayatah krtanjalih SYNONYMS daksah—Daksa; grhita—accepted; arhana—rightful; sadana-uttamam—sacrificial vessel; yajna-isvaram—unto the master of all sacrifices; visva-srjam—of all the Prajapatis; param—the supreme; gurum—preceptor; sunanda-nanda-adi-anugaih—by associates like Sunanda and Nanda; vrtam—surrounded; muda—with great pleasure; grnan—offering respectful prayers; prapede—took shelter; prayatah—having a subdued mind; krta-anjalih—with folded hands. TRANSLATION When Lord Visnu accepted the oblations offered in the sacrifice, Daksa, the Prajapati, began with great pleasure to offer respectful prayers unto Him. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually the master of all sacrifices and preceptor of all the Prajapatis, and He is served even by such personalities as Nanda and Sunanda. SB4.7.26 TEXT 26 daksa uvaca suddham sva-dhamny uparatakhila-buddhy-avastham cin-matram ekam abhayam pratisidhya mayam tisthams tayaiva purusatvam upetya tasyam aste bhavan aparisuddha ivatma-tantrah SYNONYMS daksah—Daksa; uvaca—said; suddham—pure; sva-dhamni—in Your own abode; uparata-akhila—completely turned back; buddhi-avastham—position of mental speculation; cit-matram—completely spiritual; ekam—one without a second; abhayam—fearless; pratisidhya—controlling; mayam—material energy; tisthan—being situated; taya—with her (Maya); eva—certainly; purusatvam—overseer; upetya—entering into; tasyam—in her; aste—is present; bhavan—Your Lordship; aparisuddhah—impure; iva—as if; atma-tantrah—self-sufficient. TRANSLATION Daksa addressed the Supreme Personality of Godhead: My dear Lord, You are transcendental to all speculative positions. You are completely spiritual, devoid of all fear, and You are always in control of the material energy. Even though You appear in the material energy, You are situated transcendentally. You are always free from material contamination because You are completely self-sufficient. SB4.7.27 TEXT 27 rtvija ucuh tattvam na te vayam ananjana rudra-sapat karmany avagraha-dhiyo bhagavan vidamah dharmopalaksanam idam trivrd adhvarakhyam jnatam yad-artham adhidaivam ado vyavasthah SYNONYMS rtvijah—the priests; ucuh—began to say; tattvam—truth; na—not; te—of Your Lordship; vayam—all of us; ananjana—without material contamination; rudra—Lord Siva; sapat—by his curse; karmani—in fruitive activities; avagraha—being too much attached; dhiyah—of such intelligence; bhagavan—O Lord; vidamah—know; dharma—religion; upalaksanam—symbolized; idam—this; tri-vrt—the three departments of knowledge of the Vedas; adhvara—sacrifice; akhyam—of the name; jnatam—known to us; yat—that; artham—for the matter of; adhidaivam—for worshiping the demigods; adah—this; vyavasthah—arrangement. TRANSLATION The priests addressed the Lord, saying: O Lord, transcendental to material contamination, by the curse offered by Lord Siva’s men we have become attached to fruitive activities, and thus we are now fallen and therefore do not know anything about You. On the contrary, we are now involved in the injunctions of the three departments of the Vedic knowledge under the plea of executing rituals in the name of yajna. We know that You have made arrangements for distributing the respective shares of the demigods. PURPORT The Vedas are known as traigunya-visaya vedah (Bg. 2.45). Those who are serious students of the Vedas are very much attached to the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas, and therefore these veda-vadis cannot understand that the ultimate goal of the Vedas is to understand Lord Krsna, or Visnu. Those who have transcended the qualitative Vedic attractions, however, can understand Krsna, who is never contaminated by the material qualities. Therefore Lord Visnu is addressed here as ananjana (free from material contamination). In Bhagavad-gita (2.42) the crude Vedic scholars have been deprecated by Krsna as follows: yam imam puspitam vacam “Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, and they say that there is nothing more than this.” SB4.7.28 TEXT 28 sadasya ucuh utpatty-adhvany asarana uru-klesa-durge ’ntakogra- vyalanviste visaya-mrga-trsy atma-gehoru-bharah dvandva-svabhre khala-mrga-bhaye soka-dave ’jna-sarthah padaukas te saranada kada yati kamopasrstah SYNONYMS sadasyah—the members of the assembly; ucuh—said; utpatti—repeated birth and death; adhvani—on the path of; asarane—not having a place to take shelter; uru—great; klesa—troublesome; durge—in the formidable fort; antaka—termination; ugra—ferocious; vyala—snakes; anviste—being infested with; visaya—material happiness; mrga-trsi—mirage; atma—body; geha—home; uru—heavy; bharah—burden; dvandva—dual; svabhre—holes, ditches of so-called happiness and distress; khala—ferocious; mrga—animals; bhaye—being afraid of; soka-dave—the forest fire of lamentation; ajna-sa-arthah—for the interest of the rascals; pada-okah—shelter of Your lotus feet; te—unto You; sarana-da—giving shelter; kada—when; yati—went; kama-upasrstah—being afflicted by all sorts of desires. TRANSLATION The members of the assembly addressed the Lord: O exclusive shelter for all who are situated in troubled life, in this formidable fort of conditional existence the time element, like a snake, is always looking for an opportunity to strike. This world is full of ditches of so-called distress and happiness, and there are many ferocious animals always ready to attack. The fire of lamentation is always blazing, and the mirage of false happiness is always alluring, but one has no shelter from them. Thus foolish persons live in the cycle of birth and death, always overburdened in discharging their so-called duties, and we do not know when they will accept the shelter of Your lotus feet. PURPORT Persons who are not in Krsna consciousness are living a very precarious life, as described in this verse, but all these circumstantial conditions are due to forgetfulness of Krsna. The Krsna consciousness movement is meant to give relief to all these bewildered and distressed persons; therefore it is the greatest relief work for all human society, and the workers thereof are the greatest well-wishers, for they follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, who is the greatest friend to all living entities. SB4.7.29 TEXT 29 rudra uvaca tava varada varanghrav asisehakhilarthe hy api munibhir asaktair adarenarhaniye yadi racita-dhiyam mavidya-loko ’paviddham japati na ganaye tat tvat-paranugrahena SYNONYMS rudrah uvaca—Lord Siva said; tava—Your; vara-da—O supreme benefactor; vara-anghrau—precious lotus feet; asisa—by desire; iha—in the material world; akhila-arthe—for fulfillment; hi api—certainly; munibhih—by the sages; asaktaih—liberated; adarena—with care; arhaniye—worshipable; yadi—if; racita-dhiyam—mind fixed; ma—me; avidya-lokah—the ignorant persons; apaviddham—unpurified activity; japati—utters; na ganaye—do not value; tat—it; tvat-para-anugrahena—by compassion like Yours. TRANSLATION Lord Siva said: My dear Lord, my mind and consciousness are always fixed on Your lotus feet, which, as the source of all benediction and the fulfillment of all desires, are worshiped by all liberated great sages because Your lotus feet are worthy of worship. With my mind fixed on Your lotus feet, I am no longer disturbed by persons who blaspheme me, claiming that my activities are not purified. I do not mind their accusations, and I excuse them out of compassion, just as You exhibit compassion toward all living entities. PURPORT Lord Siva expresses herein his regret at having been angry and having disturbed the sacrificial activities of Daksa. King Daksa had insulted him in many ways, and thus he had become angry and had frustrated the entire sacrificial ceremony. Later, when he was pleased, the yajna performances were reinstituted, and therefore he regretted his activities. Now he says that because his mind is fixed on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, Visnu, he is no longer disturbed by the ordinary critics of his way of life. From this statement by Lord Siva it is understood that as long as one is on the material platform one is affected by the three modes of material nature. As soon as one is in Krsna consciousness, however, one is no longer affected by such material activities. One should therefore always be fixed in Krsna consciousness, busy in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. It is guaranteed that such a devotee will never be affected by the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature. This fact is also corroborated in Bhagavad-gita: anyone who is fixed in the transcendental service of the Lord has surpassed all the material qualities and is situated in the status of Brahman realization, in which one is not afflicted by hankering for material objects. The recommendation of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is that one should always be Krsna conscious and should never forget his transcendental relationship with the Lord. This program has to be followed strictly by everyone. From the statement of Lord Siva it is understood that he was always in Krsna consciousness, and thus he remained free from material affliction. The only remedy, therefore, is to continue Krsna consciousness rigidly, in order to get out of the contamination of the material modes. SB4.7.30 TEXT 30 bhrgur uvaca yan mayaya gahanayapahrtatma-bodha brahmadayas tanu-bhrtas tamasi svapantah natman-sritam tava vidanty adhunapi tattvam so ’yam prasidatu bhavan pranatatma-bandhuh SYNONYMS bhrguh uvaca—Sri Bhrgu said; yat—who; mayaya—by illusory energy; gahanaya—insurmountable; apahrta—stolen; atma-bodhah—knowledge of the constitutional position; brahma-adayah—Lord Brahma, etc.; tanu-bhrtah—embodied living entities; tamasi—in the darkness of illusion; svapantah—lying down; na—not; atman—in the living entity; sritam—situated in; tava—Your; vidanti—understand; adhuna—now; api—certainly; tattvam—absolute position; sah—You; ayam—this; prasidatu—be kind; bhavan—Your Lordship; pranata-atma—surrendered soul; bandhuh—friend. TRANSLATION Sri Bhrgu said: My dear Lord, all living entities, beginning from the highest, namely Lord Brahma, down to the ordinary ant, are under the influence of the insurmountable spell of illusory energy, and thus they are ignorant of their constitutional position. Everyone believes in the concept of the body, and all are thus submerged in the darkness of illusion. They are actually unable to understand how You live in every living entity as the Supersoul, nor can they understand Your absolute position. But You are the eternal friend and protector of all surrendered souls. Therefore, please be kind toward us and forgive all our offenses. PURPORT Bhrgu Muni was conscious of the scandalous behavior exhibited by each and every one of them, including Brahma and Lord Siva, in the sacrificial ceremony of Daksa. By mentioning Brahma, the chief of all living entities within this material world, he wanted to state that everyone, including also Brahma and Lord Siva, is under the concept of the body and under the spell of material energy—all but Visnu. That is the version of Bhrgu. As long as one is under the concept of the body as self, it is very difficult to understand the Supersoul or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Conscious that he was not greater than Brahma-, Bhrgu included himself in the list of offenders. Ignorant personalities, or conditioned souls, have no choice but to accept their precarious condition under material nature. The only remedy is to surrender to Visnu and always pray to be excused. One should depend only on the causeless mercy of the Lord for deliverance and not even slightly on one’s own strength. That is the perfect position of a Krsna conscious person. The Lord is everyone’s friend, but He is especially friendly to the surrendered soul. The simple process, therefore, is that a conditioned soul should remain surrendered to the Lord, and the Lord will give him all protection to keep him out of the clutches of material contamination. SB4.7.31 TEXT 31 brahmovaca naitat svarupam bhavato ’sau padartha- bheda-grahaih puruso yavad ikset jnanasya carthasya gunasya casrayo mayamayad vyatirikto matas tvam SYNONYMS brahma uvaca—Lord Brahma said; na—not; etat—this; svarupam—eternal form; bhavatah—Your; asau—that other; pada-artha—knowledge; bheda—different; grahaih—by the acquiring; purusah—person; yavat—as long as; ikset—wants to see; jnanasya—of knowledge; ca—also; arthasya—of the objective; gunasya—of the instruments of knowledge; ca—also; asrayah—the basis; maya-mayat—from being made of material energy; vyatiriktah—distinct; matah—regarded; tvam—You. TRANSLATION Lord Brahma said: My dear Lord, Your personality and eternal form cannot be understood by any person who is trying to know You through the different processes of acquiring knowledge. Your position is always transcendental to the material creation, whereas the empiric attempt to understand You is material, as are its objectives and instruments. PURPORT It is said that the transcendental name, qualities, activities, paraphernalia, etc., of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood with our material senses. The attempt of the empiric philosophers to understand the Absolute Truth by speculation is always futile because their process of understanding, their objective and the instruments by which they try to understand the Absolute Truth are all material. The Lord is aprakrta, beyond the creation of the material world. This fact is also accepted by the great impersonalist Sankaracarya: narayanah paro ’vyaktad andam avyakta-sambhavam. Avyakta, or the original material cause, is beyond this material manifestation and is the cause of the material world. Because Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material world, one cannot speculate upon Him by any material method. One has to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by the transcendental method of Krsna consciousness. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.55). Bhaktya mam abhijanati: only by devotional service can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord. The difference between the impersonalists and the personalists is that the impersonalists, limited by their speculative processes, cannot even approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the devotees please the Supreme Personality of Godhead through His transcendental loving service. Sevonmukhe hi: due to the service attitude of the devotee, the Lord is revealed to him. The Supreme Lord cannot be understood by materialistic persons even though He is present before them. In Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna therefore condemns such materialists as mudhas. Mudha means “rascal.” It is said in the Gita, “Only rascals think of Lord Krsna as an ordinary person. They do not know what Lord Krsna’s position is or what His transcendental potencies are.” Unaware of His transcendental potencies, the impersonalists deride the person of Lord Krsna, whereas the devotees, by dint of their service attitude, can understand Him as the Personality of Godhead. In the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna also confirmed that it is very difficult to understand the personality of the Lord. SB4.7.32 TEXT 32 indra uvaca idam apy acyuta visva-bhavanam vapur ananda-karam mano-drsam sura-vidvit-ksapanair udayudhair bhuja-dandair upapannam astabhih SYNONYMS indrah uvaca—King Indra said; idam—this; api—certainly; acyuta—O infallible one; visva-bhavanam—for the welfare of the universe; vapuh—transcendental form; ananda-karam—a cause of pleasure; manah-drsam—to the mind and the eye; sura-vidvit—envious of Your devotees; ksapanaih—by punishment; ud-ayudhaih—with uplifted weapons; bhuja-dandaih—with arms; upapannam—possessed of; astabhih—with eight. TRANSLATION King Indra said: My dear Lord, Your transcendental form with eight hands and weapons in each of them appears for the welfare of the entire universe, and it is very pleasing to the mind and eyes. In such a form, Your Lordship is always prepared to punish the demons, who are envious of Your devotees. PURPORT It is generally understood from revealed scriptures that Lord Visnu appears with four hands, but in this particular sacrificial arena Lord Visnu arrived with eight hands. King Indra said, “Even though we are accustomed to see Your four-handed Visnu form, this appearance with eight hands is as real as the four-handed form.” As Lord Brahma had said, to realize the transcendental form of the Lord is beyond the power of the senses. In reply to that statement by Brahma, King Indra said that even though the transcendental form of the Lord is not perceivable by the material senses, His activities and His transcendental form can be understood. The Lord’s uncommon features, uncommon activities and uncommon beauty can be perceived even by an ordinary man. For example, when Lord Krsna appeared just like a six- or seven-year-old boy in Vrndavana, He was approached by the residents there. There were torrents of rain, and the Lord saved the residents of Vrndavana by lifting Govardhana Hill and resting it on the little finger of His left hand for seven days. This uncommon feature of the Lord should convince even materialistic persons who want to speculate to the limit of their material senses. The activities of the Lord are pleasing to experimental vision also, but impersonalists will not believe in His identity because they study the personality of the Lord by comparing their personality to His. Because men in this material world cannot lift a hill, they do not believe that the Lord can lift one. They accept the statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam to be allegorical, and they try to interpret them in their own way. But factually the Lord lifted the hill in the presence of all the inhabitants of Vrndavana, as corroborated by great acaryas and authors like Vyasadeva and Narada. Everything about the Lord—His activities, pastimes and uncommon features—should be accepted as is, and in this way, even in our present condition, we can understand the Lord. ln the instance herein, King Indra confirmed: “Your presence with eight hands is as good as Your presence with four hands.” There is no doubt about it.
pravadanty avipascitah
veda-vada-ratah partha
nanyad astiti vadinah