Verse Text
tatra śrī-murtiḥ yathā—
smerāṁ bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ
vaṁśī-nyastādhara-kiśalayām ujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa |
govindākhyāṁ hari-tanum itaḥ keśi-tīrthopakaṇṭhe
mā prekṣiṣṭhās tava yadi sakhe bandhu-sange ’sti raṅgaḥ ||239||
Translation
The power of serving the deity: O my friend, if you desire to enjoy with your friends and relatives, then do not look upon the form of the Lord called Govinda wandering near Keśī-tīrtha on the bank of the Yamunā river, with a slight smile on His lips, posed with three bends in His body, eyes glancing everywhere in a crooked fashion, flute placed on His red lower lip like a tender bud, and shining gloriously with a peacock feather.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Using his own sweet words, the author, in five verses that follow, expresses his ecstasy about the five items that he had mentioned in verses 90-92. By saying, “Do not look” the author actually means that one must look at Kṛṣṇa. “By experiencing the sweetness of the Lord’s form, you will consider everything else to be insignificant. Therefore, look at that form of Kṛṣṇa!” This is the intention of the prohibition.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Regarding worship of the form of the Lord, or Deity, Rūpa Gosvāmī has written the following verse: “My dear friend, if you still have any desire to enjoy the company of your friends within this material world, then don’t look upon the form of Kṛṣṇa, who is standing on the bank of Keśī-ghāṭa [a bathing place in Vṛndāvana]. He is known as Govinda, and His eyes are very enchanting. He is playing upon His flute, and on His head there is a peacock feather. And His whole body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky.”
The purport of this verse is that if someone becomes attached to the śrī-mūrti, or Deity of Kṛṣṇa, by worshiping at home, then he will forget his relationships of so-called friendship, love and society. Thus it is the duty of every householder to install Deities of the Lord at home and to begin the process of worshiping along with all of his family members. This will save everyone from such unwanted activities as going to clubs, cinemas and dancing parties, and smoking, drinking, etc. All such nonsense will be forgotten if one stresses the worship of the Deities at home.