Devanagari
ध्यानायनं प्रहसितं बहुलाधरोष्ठ-
भासारुणायिततनुद्विजकुन्दपङ्क्ति ।
ध्यायेत्स्वदेहकुहरेऽवसितस्य विष्णोर्
भक्त्यार्द्रयार्पितमना न पृथग्दिदृक्षेत् ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
dhyānāyanaṁ prahasitaṁ bahulādharoṣṭha-
bhāsāruṇāyita-tanu-dvija-kunda-paṅkti
dhyāyet svadeha-kuhare ’vasitasya viṣṇor
bhaktyārdrayārpita-manā na pṛthag didṛkṣet
Synonyms
dhyāna
—
ayanam — easily meditated upon
;
prahasitam
—
the laughter
;
bahula
—
abundant
;
adhara
—
oṣṭha — of His lips
;
bhāsa
—
by the splendor
;
aruṇāyita
—
rendered rosy
;
tanu
—
small
;
dvija
—
teeth
;
kunda
—
paṅkti — like a row of jasmine buds
;
dhyāyet
—
he should meditate upon
;
sva
—
deha — kuhare — in the core of his heart
;
avasitasya
—
who resides
;
viṣṇoḥ
—
of Viṣṇu
;
bhaktyā
—
with devotion
;
ārdrayā
—
steeped in love
;
arpita
—
manāḥ — his mind being fixed
;
na
—
not
;
pṛthak
—
anything else
;
didṛkṣet
—
he should desire to see .
Translation
With devotion steeped in love and affection, the yogī should meditate within the core of his heart upon the laughter of Lord Viṣṇu. The laughter of Viṣṇu is so captivating that it can be easily meditated upon. When the Supreme Lord is laughing, one can see His small teeth, which resemble jasmine buds rendered rosy by the splendor of His lips. Once devoting his mind to this, the yogī should no longer desire to see anything else.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
One should meditate upon the Lord’s laughter, an easy object of meditation, which shows his teeth like a row of jasmine buds with his shining, full, red lips. One should not desire to see anything except Viṣṇu who is present in one’s heart with a mind steeped in mature devotion.
It has been said that one should meditate on the Lord’s pastimes in verse 19. The Lord sits on his flower bed, unable to give up closeness to his beloved’s ears, eyes nose and mouth out of greed for the fragrance of his beloved. He watches as she becomes frightened of a humming of a bee, and starts waving her arms and cloth, and moving her neck and eyes about restlessly. Pitifully she cries out, “O king of enjoyers! I fall at your feet. Please drive this evil thing away!” One should meditate on loud laugher of the Lord as he says, “O king of the bees! Do not leave her. Enjoy her!”
Without effort, spontaneously, this becomes the object of meditation (dhyānāyanam). That is because of its sweetness. With the laughter one can see the profuse splendour of his lips and his row of fine teeth like jasmine buds. One should not desire to see anything else in ones heart except Viṣṇu who is seen in the heart. One should not desire to know anything else in one’s heart, since there is nothing greater than this essence of all goals. This bewilderment through tasting bliss is the highest samādhi for the devotees. The third aṅga of nine-fold bhakti consisting of meditation on the sweet form, qualities, and pastimes of the avataras of the Lord has been described in the present context of aṣṭāṅga-yoga to attract the great yogīs and drown them in the ocean of bhakti-rasa.
pariniṣṭhito 'pi nairguṇya uttama-śloka-līlayā
gṛhīta-cetā rājarṣe ākhyānaṁ yad adhītavān
Though I was fixed in brahman and beyond the guṇas, my mind became attracted to the pastimes of the Lord. I thus learned his pastimes. SB 2.1.9
advaita-vīthī-pathikair upāsyāḥ
svānanda-siṁhāsana-labdha-dīkṣāḥ
śaṭhena kenāpi vayaṁ haṭhena
dāsī-kṛtā gopa-vadhū-viṭena
Although I was worshiped by those on the path of monism and initiated into self-realization through the yoga system, I have nonetheless been forcibly turned into a maidservant by some cunning boy who is always joking with the gopīs. Bilvamaṅgala, quoted in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.1.44
These verses show that great yogīs like Śukadeva and Bilvamaṅgala drowned in bhakti-rasa by the mercy of great devotees.
Purport
It is recommended that the
yogī
visualize the laughter of the Lord after studying His smile very carefully. These particular descriptions of meditation on the smile, laughter, face, lips and teeth all indicate conclusively that God is not impersonal. It is described herein that one should meditate on the laughter or smiling of Viṣṇu. There is no other activity that can completely cleanse the heart of the devotee. The exceptional beauty of the laughter of Lord Viṣṇu is that when He smiles His small teeth, which resemble the buds of jasmine flowers, at once become reddish, reflecting His rosy lips. If the
yogī
is able to place the beautiful face of the Lord in the core of his heart, he will be completely satisfied. In other words, when one is absorbed in seeing the beauty of the Lord within himself, the material attraction can no longer disturb him.