SB 10.51.24 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तमालोक्य घनश्यामं पीतकौशेयवाससम् । श्रीवत्सवक्षसं भ्राजत्कौस्तुभेन विराजितम् ॥ २३ ॥ चतुर्भुजं रोचमानं वैजयन्त्या च मालया । चारुप्रसन्नवदनं स्फुरन्मकरकुण्डलम् ॥ २४ ॥ प्रेक्षणीयं नृलोकस्य सानुरागस्मितेक्षणम् । अपीव्यवयसं मत्तमृगेन्द्रोदारविक्रमम् ॥ २५ ॥ पर्यपृच्छन्महाबुद्धिस्तेजसा तस्य धर्षित: । शङ्कित: शनकै राजा दुर्धर्षमिव तेजसा ॥ २६ ॥

Verse text

tam ālokya ghana-śyāmaṁ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasam śrīvatsa-vakṣasaṁ bhrājat kaustubhena virājitam catur-bhujaṁ rocamānaṁ vaijayantyā ca mālayā cāru-prasanna-vadanaṁ sphuran-makara-kuṇḍalam prekṣaṇīyaṁ nṛ-lokasya sānurāga-smitekṣaṇam apīvya-vayasaṁ matta- mṛgendrodāra-vikramam paryapṛcchan mahā-buddhis tejasā tasya dharṣitaḥ śaṅkitaḥ śanakai rājā durdharṣam iva tejasā

Synonyms

tam — Him ; ālokya — looking upon ; ghana — like a cloud ; śyāmam — dark blue ; pīta — yellow ; kauśeya — silk ; vāsasam — whose garment ; śrīvatsa — the Śrīvatsa mark ; vakṣasam — on whose chest ; bhrājat — brilliant ; kaustubhena — with the Kaustubha gem ; virājitam — glowing ; catuḥ — bhujam — four-armed ; rocamānam — beautified ; vaijayantyā — named Vaijayantī ; ca — and ; mālayā — by the flower garland ; cāru — attractive ; prasanna — and calm ; vadanam — whose face ; sphurat — glittering ; makara — shaped like sharks ; kuṇḍalam — whose earrings ; prekṣaṇīyam — attracting the eyes ; nṛ — lokasya — of mankind ; sa — with ; anurāga — affection ; smita — smiling ; īkṣaṇam — whose eyes or glance ; apīvya — handsome ; vayasam — whose youthful form ; matta — angered ; mṛga — indra — like a lion ; udāra — noble ; vikramam — whose walking ; parya — pṛcchat — he questioned ; mahā — buddhiḥ — having great intelligence ; tejasā — by the effulgence ; tasya — His ; dharṣitaḥ — overwhelmed ; śaṅkitaḥ — having doubt ; śanakaiḥ — slowly ; rājā — the King ; durdharṣam — unassailable ; iva — indeed ; tejasā — with His effulgence .

Translation

As he gazed at the Lord, King Mucukunda saw that He was dark blue like a cloud, had four arms, and wore a yellow silk garment. On His chest He bore the Śrīvatsa mark and on His neck the brilliantly glowing Kaustubha gem. Adorned with a Vaijayantī garland, the Lord displayed His handsome, peaceful face, which attracts the eyes of all mankind with its shark-shaped earrings and affectionately smiling glance. The beauty of His youthful form was unexcelled, and He moved with the nobility of an angry lion. The highly intelligent King was overwhelmed by the Lord’s effulgence, which showed Him to be invincible. Expressing his uncertainty, Mucukunda hesitantly questioned Lord Kṛṣṇa as follows.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

As he gazed at the Lord, King Mucukunda saw that He was dark blue like a cloud, had four arms, and wore a yellow silk garment. On His chest He bore the Śrīvatsa mark and on His neck the brilliantly glowing Kaustubha gem. Adorned with a Vaijayantī garland, the Lord displayed His handsome, peaceful face, which attracts the eyes of all mankind with its shark-shaped earrings and affectionately smiling glance. The beauty of His youthful form was unexcelled, and He moved with the nobility of an angry lion. The highly intelligent King was overwhelmed by the Lord's effulgence, which showed Him to be invincible. Expressing his uncertainty, Mucukunda hesitantly questioned Lord Kṛṣṇa as follows. KB 10.51.23-26 When Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared before Mucukunda, the King saw Him dressed in a yellow garment, His chest marked with the symbol of Śrīvatsa, and the Kaustubha jewel hanging around His neck. Kṛṣṇa appeared before him with four hands, as viṣṇu-mūrti, with a garland called Vaijayantī hanging from His neck down to His knees. He looked lustrous, His face was beautifully smiling, and He wore nice jeweled earrings on His ears. Kṛṣṇa appeared more beautiful than a human can conceive. Not only did He appear in this feature, but He glanced over Mucukunda with great affection, attracting the King’s mind. Although He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the oldest of all, He looked like a fresh young boy, and His movements were just like those of a free deer. Still, He appeared extremely powerful; His influence and vast power are so great that every human being should be afraid of Him.

Purport

It is significant that text 24 states, catur-bhujaṁ rocamānam: “The Lord was seen in the beauty of His four-armed form.” Throughout this great work, we find Lord Kṛṣṇa manifesting His various transcendental forms, most prominently the two-armed form of Kṛṣṇa and the four-armed form of Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu. Thus there is no doubt that Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu are nondifferent, or that Kṛṣṇa is the original form of the Lord. These things are sometimes misunderstood, but the great ācāryas, experts in spiritual science, have clarified the matter for us. God in His original form is not merely the creator, maintainer and destroyer, or the punisher of conditioned souls, but rather the infinitely beautiful Godhead, enjoying in His own right, in His own abode. This is the form of Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa who expands Himself into Viṣṇu forms for the maintenance of our bumbling world. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī mentions that the word śaṅkitaḥ, “having some doubt,” indicates that Mucukunda was thinking, “Is this indeed the Supreme Lord?” He expresses himself frankly in the following verses.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Mucukunda had a doubt (sankitah), "Is this the Supreme Lord?" The lord was unconquerable (durdharsam). Iva in this case is only an ornament.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

With his mind attracted to the great beauty of Kṛṣṇa, Śukadeva again describes him, in order to praise the good fortune of Mucukunda. His chest especially shone (virājitam) with the brilliant Kaustubha gem. This shows that it was superior to other ornaments. In the previous description Kṛṣṇa wore a lotus garland extending to his feet. (vanamālā). Now he was shining with a vaijayantī garland, made of flowers of five colors, according to the descriptions of Garga. Like the Lord himself, all his ornaments had infinite forms. He had new youth (vayasam) which was most beautiful. Conquered by Kṛṣṇa’s powers he slowly began to inquire because he was most intelligent.” Others cannot fool me by wearing the Lord’s dress. Others lack the power to overwhelm me.” This is how he thought. He first thought in various ways (śaṅkitaḥ) in order to dispel his doubts. He began to inquire slowly because it was hard to question the Lord (durdharṣam). Iva is ornamental. Because he was highly intelligent he asked thoroughly (paryapṛcchan). By this it is understood he had great devotion like Prahlāda.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The Lord’s beauty is again described in three verses. That form was shown in a special way at all times (viṛajitam). It shone like a million suns (rocamānam). Or it produced taste for the eyes and mind. He wore a garland of five differently colored flowers. Or he shone with the garland. The lotus garland described by Garga manifested as the vaijayantī garland. His face was happy with a smile and attractive (cāru) from chin to forehead to be seen by all in the three worlds. Other unmentioned elements of beauty should also be understood. His glance was endowed with a smile because of love or with a smile indicating his continual mercy. Or he had eyes along with happiness expressed by the smile of his two red lips. His age of new youth was most beautiful. He had the prowess of a mad elephant. He had beauty in his most powerful arms, waist, and chest. Though Mucukunda was intelligent, he was overpowered by the Lord’s power and became afraid. Eventually he questioned the Lord with choked, confused voice. He was a powerful devotee. Why did he react in this way? The Lord could not be conquered by his prowess (durdharṣam). Or he was effulgent with the brilliance of a million suns. The word iva has no special meaning. Or because of his power, he could not be questioned (durdharṣam). Mucukunda questioned the Lord because his intelligence was deep (mahābuddhiḥ). With questioning, he could not understand the truth. Thus his bhakti would not arise and all his births and actions would be useless. Most of all he thought that he could relish the words of the Lord.