beautiful
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The Lord's beauty is compared to rainfall because when the rain falls in the rainy season, it becomes more and more pleasing to the people. After the scorching heat of the summer season, the people enjoy the rainy season very much. Indeed, they even come out of their doors in the villages and enjoy the rainfall directly. Thus the Lord's bodily features are compared with the clouds of the rainy season. The devotees enjoy the Lord's beauty because it is a collection of all kinds of beauties. Therefore the word sarva-saundarya-saṅgraham is used. No one can say that the body of the Lord is wanting in beautiful parts. It is completely purnam. Everything is complete: God's creation, God's beauty and God's bodily features. All these are so complete that all one's desires can become fully satisfied when one sees the beauty of the Lord. The word sarva-saundarya indicates that there are different types of beauties in the material and spiritual worlds, and that the Lord contains all of them. Both materialists and spiritualists can enjoy the beauty of the Lord. Because the Supreme Lord attracts everyone, including demons and devotees, materialists and spiritualists, He is called Krsna. Similarly, His devotees also attract everyone. As mentioned in the Sad-gosvami-stotra: dhiradhira-jana-priyau-the Gosvamis are equally dear to the dhira (devotees) and adhira (demons). Lord Krsna was not very pleasing to the demons when He was present in Vrndavana, but the six Gosvamis were pleasing to the demons when they were present in Vrndavana. That is the beauty of the Lord's dealings with His devotees; sometimes the Lord gives more credit to His devotees than He takes for Himself. For instance, on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, Lord Krsna fought simply by giving directions. Yet it was Arjuna who took the credit for fighting. Nimitta-matram bhava savyasacin (Bg. 11.33). "You, O Savyasacin [Arjuna], can be but an instrument in the fight." Everything was arranged by the Lord, but the credit of victory was given to Arjuna. Similarly, in the Krsna consciousness movement, everything is happening according to the predictions of Lord Caitanya, but the credit goes to Lord Caitanya's sincere servants. Thus the Lord is described herein as sarva-saundarya-saṅgraham.
(More...) Both Krsna and the gopis increase their transcendental beauty at every moment, and there is always transcendental competition between them. The attitude of the Gopis is just like a mirror on which the reflection of Krishna's beauty develops at every moment. Both Krishna and the Gopis increase their transcendental beauty at every moment, and there is always transcendental competition between them. Nobody can appreciate the beauty of Krishna by proper discharge of his occupational duty, or by austerities, or by mystic Yoga, or by cultivation of knowledge, or by offering different kinds of prayer. Only those who are on the transcendental platform of love of God-who only out of love are engaged in devotional service-can appreciate the transcendental beauty of Krishna. Such beauty of Krishna is the essence of all opulences, and His characteristics in that connection are only appreciable in Goloka Vrindaban and not anywhere else. In the Form of Narayan the beauties of mercy, reputation, etc. are all established by Krishna. But His gentleness and magnanimity cannot be possible in Narayan. They are found only in Krishna.
(More...) His personal beauty was so great that there was no necessity for His wearing ornaments on His body. In fact, instead of the ornaments' beautifying Krsna, Krsna's beauty enhanced the ornaments. In the Third Canto, 2nd Chapter, 12th verse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Uddhava tells Vidura, "My dear sir, Krsna's form was most wonderful when He appeared on this planet and exhibited the potency of His internal energy. His wonderfully attractive form was present during His pastimes on this planet, and by His internal potency He exhibited His opulences, which are striking to everyone. His personal beauty was so great that there was no necessity for His wearing ornaments on His body. In fact, instead of the ornaments beautifying Krsna, Krsna's beauty enhanced the ornaments."
(More...) Regarding the attractiveness of Krsna's bodily beauty and the sound vibration of His flute, in the Tenth Canto, 29th Chapter, 37th verse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the gopis address Krsna as follows: "Although our attitude towards You resembles loving affairs with a paramour, we cannot but wonder at how no woman can maintain her chastity upon hearing the vibration from Your flute. And not only women, but even stronghearted men are subject to falling down from their position at the sound of Your flute. In fact, we have seen that in Vrndavana even the cows, the deer, the birds, the trees-everyone-has been enchanted by the sweet vibration of Your flute and the fascinating beauty of Your person."
(More...) In Rupa Gosvami's Lalita-madhava, it is said: "One day Krsna happened to see the shadow of His beautiful form reflected on the jeweled foreground. Upon seeing this bodily reflection, He expressed His feelings: 'How wonderful it is that I have never seen such a beautiful form! Although it is My own form, still, like Radharani, I am trying to embrace this form and enjoy celestial bliss.' " This statement shows how Krsna and His shadow reflection are one and the same. There is no difference between Krsna and His shadow reflection, nor between Krsna and His picture. That is the transcendental position of Krsna.
(More...) The above statements describe some of the wonderful reservoirs of pleasure within Krsna, as well as the transcendental qualities of His personality. The transcendental qualities of Krsna are compared to the ocean: no one can estimate the length and breadth of the ocean. But, as one can understand the ocean's contents simply by testing one drop of it, so these statements will give us some understanding of Krsna's transcendental position and qualities.
(More...) In the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 7th verse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Lord Brahma says, "My dear Lord, the inconceivable qualities, beauties and activities which You have revealed by Your presence on this planet cannot be calculated by any material measurement. If one even tries to imagine that 'Krsna may be like this,' that is also impossible. The day may come when the material scientist, after many, many births or after many, many years, will be able to estimate the atomic constitution of the whole world, or he may be able to count the atomic fragments that permeate the sky, or he may even give an estimate of all the atoms within the universe, but still he will never be able to count the transcendental qualities in Your reservoir of transcendental bliss."
(More...) Krsna, the enemy of Agha, always looked beautiful with His incomparable helmet, His earrings made of diamonds, His necklace of pearls, His bangles, embroidered garments and the beautiful rings on His fingers. Krsna used to put a vaijayanti garland around His neck. This vaijayanti garland is made of at least five differently colored flowers. The length of such a garland was always touching Krsna's knees or feet. Besides this garland of flowers, there were other kinds of flower garlands too-sometimes decorating His head, sometimes hanging around His neck and chest. Artistic painting with sandalwood pulp and colored sandalwood were also to be found on the body of Krsna.
(More...) His helmet, His earrings, His necklace, His four garments, the bangles on His head, the rings on His fingers, His ankle bells and His flute-these are the different features of Krsna's ornaments. Krsna, the enemy of Agha, always looked beautiful with His incomparable helmet, His earrings made of diamonds, His necklace of pearls, His bangles, embroidered garments and the beautiful rings on His fingers.
(More...) Krsna's face is as beautiful as the moon, His thighs are powerful, just like the trunks of elephants, His arms are just like two pillars, His palms are expanded like lotus flowers, His chest is just like a doorway, His hips are dens, and the middle of His Any comparison of the different parts of the Lord's body to different material objects cannot factually be a complete comparison. Ordinary persons, who cannot understand how exalted are the bodily features of the Lord, are simply given a chance to understand by a material comparison. It is said that Krsna's face is as beautiful as the moon, His thighs are powerful, just like the trunks of elephants, His arms are just like two pillars, His palms are expanded like lotus flowers, His chest is just like a doorway, His hips are dens, and the middle of His body is a terrace.
(More...) My dear friend, just see how the enemy of Agha has assumed such wonderful features! His brows are just like the brows of Cupid, and they are moving just as though they were dancing. Sometimes the gopis would think about His soft nails, moving eyebrows and His teeth, which were catechu colored from chewing pan. One description was given by a gopi to her friend: "My dear friend, just see how the enemy of Agha has assumed such wonderful features! His brows are just like the brows of Cupid, and they are moving just as though they were dancing. The tips of His nails are so soft-it is as if they were dried bamboo leaves. His teeth are reddish, and so it appears that He has assumed a feature of anger. Under the circumstances, where is the chance for a young girl not to be attracted by such beautiful features and not to be afraid of becoming a victim to such beauty?"
(More...) Krsna's attractive features are also described by Vrnda, the gopi after whom Vrndavana was named. She told Krsna: "My dear Madhava, Your newly-invented smile has so captivated the hearts of the gopis that they are simply unable to express themselves! As such, they have become bewildered and will not talk with others. All of these gopis have become so affected that it is as if they had offered three sprinkles of water upon their lives. In other words, they have given up all hope for their living condition." According to the Indian system, when a person is dead there is a sprinkling of water on the body. Thus, the statement of Vrnda shows that the gopis were so enchanted by the beauty of Krsna that because they could not express their minds, they decided to commit suicide.
(More...) When Krsna arrived at the age of thirteen to fourteen years, His two arms and chest assumed an unspeakable beauty, and His whole form became simply enchanting. When Krsna attained thirteen years of age, His two arms were challenging the trunks of elephants, His rising chest was trying to come to peace talks with doors of jewels, and His two arms were minimizing the value of the bolts found on doors. Who can describe the wonderful beauty of these features of Krsna? The special beauty of Krsna's body was His mild smiling, His restless eyes and His world-enchanting songs. These are the special features of this age.
(More...) There is a statement in this connection that Krsna, on arriving at this age, manifested such beautiful bodily features that His restless eyes became the playthings of Cupid, and His mild smile resembled the newly-grown lotus flower. The enchanting vibration of His songs became a great impediment to the young girls, who were supposed to remain chaste and faithful to their husbands.
(More...) The form of Krsna, the conjugal beauty, is eternally existent in Krsna alone, whereas His other opulences are present in His Narayana form. Krishna is known as Madanmohan because He conquers the mind of Cupid. He is Madanmohan by His favors to the damsels of Vraja, and by accepting their devotional service. The Lord is engaged there in the Rasa Dance as the new Cupid, after conquering Cupid's pride. He is Madanmohan by His capacity to conquer the minds of women with His five arrows called Form, Taste, Smell, Sound and Touch. The pearls of the necklace which is hanging on the neck of Krishna are as white as ducks; and the feather of the peacock which is decorating the head of Krishna is colored just like the rainbow. His yellow garment is like lightning in the sky. Krishna is like the newly arrived clouds; and the Gopis are just like footbells on His feet. When the cloud pours rain on the grains in the field it appears that Krishna is nourishing the hearts of the Gopis by calling down His Pastime rain of mercy. The ducks fly in the sky in the rainy season, and the rainbow is also seen in the sky at that time. Krishna freely moves with His friends as a cowherd boy in Vrindaban; and when He plays His flute all the living creatures, mobile and immobile, become overwhelmed with ecstasy, and they quiver and tears flow in their eyes.
(More...) The gopis used to criticize the creator Brahma for causing their vision of Krsna to be momentarily impeded by the blinking of their eyelids. Lord Chaitanya very much relished all these verses from Srimad Bhagwatam which He explained to Sanatan. In particular He explained the verse from the Ninth Canto, Ninth Chapter, 24th [9.24.65] verse, as follows: "The Gopis used to relish the beauty of Krishna as a ceremony of perpetual enjoyment. They enjoyed the beautiful Face of Krishna, His beautiful Ears with earrings, His broad Forehead, and His Smile; and while enjoying the sight of Krishna's beauty they used to criticise the defect of the creator, Brahma, for the separation from their vision of Krishna by the momentary blinking of their eyelids."
(More...) The Vedic hymn which is known as Kamagayatri describes the Face of Krishna as the king of all moons. In metaphorical language there are many different moons, and they are all one in Krishna-the moon of the mouth, the moon of the cheeks, the moon-spots of sandalwood pulp, the beauty moon of the fingertips of His hand, and the tip of His toes-in this way there are twenty-four and a half moons, and Krishna is the central figure of all these different kinds of moons.
(More...) The dancing movement of Krishna's earrings, eyes, and eyebrows are very attractive to the damsels of Vraja. Activities in devotional service increase the sense of devotional service. What else is there for two eyes to see beyond the face of Krishna? One cannot sufficiently see Krishna with only two eyes; and one feels incapable and thus becomes bereaved. Such bereavement is slightly reduced when one criticizes the creative power of the creator. The unsatiated seer of the face of Krishna then laments as follows:
(More...) The devotee increasingly feels the absence of Krishna, because without Him one cannot drink the nectar of His beauty. When there is the transcendental sound of Krishna's flute, the devotee's anxiety to hear that flute penetrates the covering of this material world and enters into the Spiritual Sky, and the transcendental sound of the flute enters into the ears of the followers of the Gopis. The sound of Krishna's flute always resides within the ear of the Gopis, and increases their ecstasy. At the time when it is heard no other sound can enter into the ear, and in their family activities they are not able to reply properly because all these beautiful sounds are vibrating.
(More...) There is no beauty to compare with Krsna's, for no one possesses beauty greater than or equal to His. The Body of Krishna, the ocean of the eternal beauty of youth, can be seen as moving in waves of beauty. And there is a whirlwind at the sound of His flute. Those waves and that whirlwind make the hearts of the Gopis flutter like dry leaves on the trees, and when the leaves fall down to Krishna's Lotus Feet, they can never rise up again from there. There is no comparison with that beauty, because no one has beauty greater than, or equal to, Krishna. He is the Origin of all incarnations, including the Form of Narayan. Otherwise, how could the Goddess of Fortune, who is a constant companion of Narayan, give up the association of Narayan, and engage herself in penance for gaining the association of Krishna? This is the superexcellent beauty of Krishna, the everlasting mine of all beauty. And from that beauty all other beautiful things emanate.
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