SB 5.17.20 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

असद्‍दृशो य: प्रतिभाति मायया क्षीबेव मध्वासवताम्रलोचन: न नागवध्वोऽर्हण ईशिरे ह्रियायत्पादयो: स्पर्शनधर्षितेन्द्रिया: ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

asad-dṛśo yaḥ pratibhāti māyayā kṣībeva madhv-āsava-tāmra-locanaḥ na nāga-vadhvo ’rhaṇa īśire hriyā yat-pādayoḥ sparśana-dharṣitendriyāḥ

Synonyms

asat — dṛśaḥ — for a person with polluted vision ; yaḥ — who ; pratibhāti — appears ; māyayā — the influence of māyā ; kṣībaḥ — one who is inebriated or angry ; iva — like ; madhu — by honey ; āsava — and liquor ; tāmra — locanaḥ — having eyes reddish like copper ; na — not ; nāga — vadhvaḥ — the wives of the serpent demon ; arhaṇe — in worshiping ; īśire — were unable to proceed ; hriyā — because of bashfulness ; yat — pādayoḥ — of whose lotus feet ; sparśana — by the touching ; dharṣita — agitated ; indriyāḥ — whose senses .

Translation

For persons with impure vision, the Supreme Lord’s eyes appear like those of someone who indiscriminately drinks intoxicating beverages. Thus bewildered, such unintelligent persons become angry at the Supreme Lord, and due to their angry mood the Lord Himself appears angry and very fearful. However, this is an illusion. When the wives of the serpent demon were agitated by the touch of the Lord’s lotus feet, due to shyness they could proceed no further in their worship of Him. Yet the Lord remained unagitated by their touch, for He is equipoised in all circumstances. Therefore who will not worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

For persons with impure vision, the Supreme Lord appears like an intoxicated person by the influence of māyā, but he is not such a red-eyed drunk. The wives of Kāliya were unable to worship the Lord because of shyness, since their senses were agitated by the touch of his feet. Will not the vision of an intoxicated person be affected? The Lord appears like an intoxicated person to the foolish (asad-dṛśaḥ). Such a drunk with red eyes loses his discrimination by drinking liquor. But you are not actually like that. You maintain your discrimination and are eternally full of bliss. The wives of Kāliya who were bewildered by the Lord’s beauty are described. They could not worship his feet (arhaṇe). Agitated by the touch of the Lord’s feet, they became shy. Since he is omniscient he knows about our agitated hearts. Thus they thought, “How can we serve him?”

Purport

Anyone who remains unagitated, even in the presence of cause for agitation, is called dhīra, or equipoised. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being always in a transcendental position, is never agitated by anything. Therefore someone who wants to become dhīra must take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. In Bhagavad-gītā (2.13) Kṛṣṇa says, dhīras tatra na muhyati: a person who is equipoised in all circumstances is never bewildered. Prahlāda Mahārāja is a perfect example of a dhīra. When the fierce form of Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared in order to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu, Prahlāda was unagitated. He remained calm and quiet, whereas others, including even Lord Brahmā, were frightened by the features of the Lord.