Verse Text
41. atha śrī-mūrter darśanam, yathā vārāhe—
vṛndāvane tu govindaṁ ye paśyanti vasundhare |
na te yama-puraṁ yānti yānti puṇya-kṛtāṁ gatim ||166||
Translation
Seeing the deity (verse 86), from Varāha Purāṇa: O Earth! Those who see Govinda in Vṛndāvana do not go to the city of Yama, but achieve pure bhakti, the goal of all puṇya.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Puṇya-kṛtāṁ gatim, the goal of those who execute pious acts, is a phrase to attract the materialists, glorifying bhakti for material results. The author will later explain that the chief result of bhakti, for those without material desire, is attraction to the Lord in the form of rati (bhāva).
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Speaking to all people the glories of seeing the deity, and speaking of all forms of the deities, the author, overcome by ever-increasing devotion, particularly glorifies seeing Govinda, Bhagavān, the most excellent form of the deity. Bhakti is the highest goal of the human being: sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. (SB 1.2.6) Therefore, the wise consider bhakti to be the goal of all pious actions. Thus, puṇya-krṭāṁ gatim (the goal of those who do puṇyas) actually means, “bhakti, the final goal of all puṇyas, as understood by the wise.”
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Seeing the Deity
In the Varāha Purāṇa there is a statement praising the seeing of the Deity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the temple. A devotee says there, “My dear Vasundharā, any person who goes to Vṛndāvana and sees the Deity of Govindadeva is free from the courthouse of Yamarāja and is allowed to enter into the highest planetary system, in which reside the demigods.” This means that even an ordinary person who goes to Vṛndāvana out of inquisitiveness and by chance sees the temple, especially that of Govindadeva, even if he is not elevated to the spiritual kingdom, is still assured promotion to the higher planetary systems. This means that simply by visiting the Deity of Govinda in Vṛndāvana one becomes highly elevated in pious life.