Devanagari
भृत्यानुकम्पितधियेह गृहीतमूर्ते:
सञ्चिन्तयेद्भगवतो वदनारविन्दम् ।
यद्विस्फुरन्मकरकुण्डलवल्गितेन
विद्योतितामलकपोलमुदारनासम् ॥ २९ ॥
Verse text
bhṛtyānukampita-dhiyeha gṛhīta-mūrteḥ
saṣcintayed bhagavato vadanāravindam
yad visphuran-makara-kuṇḍala-valgitena
vidyotitāmala-kapolam udāra-nāsam
Synonyms
bhṛtya
—
for the devotees
;
anukampita
—
dhiyā — out of compassion
;
iha
—
in this world
;
gṛhīta
—
mūrteḥ — who presents different forms
;
saṣcintayet
—
one should meditate on
;
bhagavataḥ
—
of the Personality of Godhead
;
vadana
—
countenance
;
aravindam
—
lotuslike
;
yat
—
which
;
visphuran
—
glittering
;
makara
—
alligator-shaped
;
kuṇḍala
—
of His earrings
;
valgitena
—
by the oscillation
;
vidyotita
—
illuminated
;
amala
—
crystal clear
;
kapolam
—
His cheeks
;
udāra
—
prominent
;
nāsam
—
His nose .
Translation
The yogī should then meditate on the lotuslike countenance of the Lord, who presents His different forms in this world out of compassion for the anxious devotees. His nose is prominent, and His crystal-clear cheeks are illuminated by the oscillation of His glittering alligator-shaped earrings.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
One should meditate on the lotus face of the Lord who accepts forms in this world out of compassion for his servants. That face has a raised nose and clear cheeks glittering with the movements of his sparkling makara earrings.
Anukampita belong to the tārakādi class and means “filled with compassion.” The Lord accepts forms in this world by being filled with compassion for his servants, or he accepts forms along with his compassion which will live with him there. “O mercy, essence of my svarūpa-śakti! Among my many forms, accept that form which you like, as your living place.” Thinking in this way he accepts forms. His earrings sway because of the wind created by the cāmaras waved by two servants at the Lord’s sides. Or his earrings sway because of his head shaking caused by clever answers given by his close associates. Or he tilts his head to indicate the skilfulness as he relishes the dancing, singing, instrumental music with various rhythms. The two eyes, dancing with the reflections of the two moving earrings on his cheeks which are mirrors made of the best jewels, become dancing instructors, and make the four makaras (on the earrings and the reflections in the eyes) who have come to their classroom dance. This image should be understood. His nose is raised. Udāra means great and generous. Because of its good manners in tasting, the nose gives full self generously.
Purport
The Lord descends to the material world out of His deep compassion for His devotees. There are two reasons for the Lord’s appearance or incarnation in the material world. Whenever there is a discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles and there is prominence of irreligion, the Lord descends for the protection of the devotees and the destruction of the nondevotees. When He appears, His main purpose is to give solace to His devotees. He does not have to come Himself to destroy the demons, for He has many agents; even the external energy,
māyā,
has sufficient strength to kill them. But when He comes to show compassion to His devotees, He kills the nondevotees as a matter of course.
The Lord appears in the particular form loved by a particular type of devotee. There are millions of forms of the Lord, but they are one Absolute. As stated in the
Brahma-saṁhitā, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam:
all the different forms of the Lord are one, but some devotees want to see Him in the form of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, others prefer Him as Sītā and Rāmacandra, others would see Him as Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, and others want to see Him as four-handed Nārāyaṇa, Vāsudeva. The Lord has innumerable forms, and He appears in a particular form as preferred by a particular type of devotee. A
yogī
is advised to meditate upon the forms that are approved by devotees. A
yogī
cannot imagine a form for meditation. Those so-called
yogīs
who manufacture a circle or target are engaged in nonsense. Actually, a
yogī
must meditate upon the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that has been experienced by the Lord’s pure devotees.
Yogī
means devotee.
Yogīs
who are not actually pure devotees should follow in the footsteps of devotees. It is especially mentioned here that the
yogī
should meditate upon the form which is thus approved; he cannot manufacture a form of the Lord.