SB 10.13.50

TEXT 50

TEXT

cain‰"k(AivazAd"smaerE":
s$aAs&NAApaANlvaIiºataE:
svak(ATaARnaAimava r"ja:-
s$aÔvaAByaAM ›aí+"paAlak(A:

candrika-visada-smeraih

sarunapaṅga-viksitaih

svakarthanam iva rajah-

sattvabhyam srastr-palakah

candrika-visada-smeraih-by pure smiling like the full, increasing moonlight; sa-aruna-apaṅga-viksitaih-by the clear glances of Their reddish eyes; svaka-arthanam-of the desires of His own devotees; iva-just as; rajah-sattvabhyam-by the modes of passion and goodness; srastr-palakah-were creators and protectors.

TRANSLATION

Those Visnu forms, by Their pure smiling, which resembled the increasing light of the moon, and by the sidelong glances of Their reddish eyes, created and protected the desires of Their own devotees, as if by the modes of passion and goodness.

PURPORT

Those Visnu forms blessed the devotees with Their clear glances and smiles, which resembled the increasingly full light of the moon (sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam). As maintainers, They glanced upon Their devotees, embracing them and protecting them by smiling. Their smiles resembled the mode of goodness, protecting all the desires of the devotees, and the glancing of Their eyes resembled the mode of passion. Actually, in this verse the word rajah means not "passion" but "affection." In the material world, rajo-guna is passion, but in the spiritual world it is affection. In the material world, affection is contaminated by rajo-guna and tamo-guna, but in the suddha-sattva the affection that maintains the devotees is transcendental.

The word svakarthanam refers to great desires. As mentioned in this verse, the glance of Lord Visnu creates the desires of the devotees. A pure devotee, however, has no desires. Therefore Sanatana Gosvami comments that because the desires of devotees whose attention is fixed on Krsna have already been fulfilled, the Lord's sidelong glances create variegated desires in relation to Krsna and devotional service. In the material world, desire is a product of rajo-guna and tamo-guna, but desire in the spiritual world gives rise to a variety of everlasting transcendental service. Thus the word svakarthanam refers to eagerness to serve Krsna.

In Vrndavana there is a place where there was no temple, but a devotee desired, "Let there be a temple and seva, devotional service." Therefore, what was once an empty corner has now become a place of pilgrimage. Such are the desires of a devotee.