SB 3.23.19

SB 3.23.19

Devanagari

चक्षुष्मत्पद्मरागाग्र्‍यैर्वज्रभित्तिषु निर्मितै: । जुष्टं विचित्रवैतानैर्महार्हैर्हेमतोरणै: ॥ १९ ॥

Verse text

cakṣuṣmat padmarāgāgryair vajra-bhittiṣu nirmitaiḥ juṣṭaṁ vicitra-vaitānair mahārhair hema-toraṇaiḥ

Synonyms

cakṣuḥ mat — as if possessed of eyes ; padma rāga — with rubies ; agryaiḥ choicest ; vajra of diamond ; bhittiṣu on the walls ; nirmitaiḥ set ; juṣṭam furnished ; vicitra various ; vaitānaiḥ with canopies ; mahā arhaiḥ — greatly valuable ; hema toraṇaiḥ — with gates of gold .

Translation

With the choicest rubies set in its diamond walls, it appeared as though possessed of eyes. It was furnished with wonderful canopies and greatly valuable gates of gold.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

It was equipped with gold festoons, with various valuable canopies made of choicest rubies which were like eyes, set in surfaces of diamonds. There were gold festoons and canopies studded with rubies set against diamonds.

Purport

Artistic jewelry and decorations giving the appearance of eyes are not imaginary. Even in recent times the Mogul emperors constructed their palaces with decorations of jeweled birds with eyes made of valuable stones. The stones have been taken away by the authorities, but the decorations are still present in some of the castles constructed by the Mogul emperors in New Delhi. The royal palaces were built with jewels and rare stones resembling eyes, and thus at night they would give off reflective light without need of lamps.