TEXT 29
hiranmaye pi bhagavan nivasati kurma-tanum bibhranas tasya tat priyatamam tanum aryama saha varsa-purusaih pitr-ganadhipatir upadhavati mantram imam canujapati.
SYNONYMS
hiranmayein Hiranmaya-varsa; apiindeed; bhagavanthe Supreme Personality of Godhead; nivasatiresides; kurma-tanumthe body of a tortoise; bibhranahmanifesting; tasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tatthat; priya-tamamdearmost; tanumbody; aryamaAryama, the chief resident of Hiranmaya-varsa; sahawith; varsa-purusaihthe people of that tract of land; pitr-gana-adhipatihwho is the chief of the pitas; upadhavatiworships in devotional service; mantramhymn; imamthis; caalso; anujapatichants.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami continued: In Hiranmaya-varsa, the Supreme Lord, Visnu, lives in the form of a tortoise [kurma-sarira]. This most dear and beautiful form is always worshiped there in devotional service by Aryama, the chief resident of Hiranmaya-varsa, along with the other inhabitants of that land. They chant the following hymns.
PURPORT
The word priyatama (dearmost) is very significant in this verse. Each devotee regards a particular form of the Lord as most dear. Because of an atheistic mentality, some people think that the tortoise, boar and fish incarnations of the Lord are not very beautiful. They do not know that any form of the Lord is always the fully opulent Personality of Godhead. Since one of His opulences is infinite beauty, all the Lords incarnations are very beautiful and are appreciated as such by devotees. Nondevotees, however, think that Lord Krsnas incarnations are ordinary material creatures, and therefore they distinguish between the beautiful and the not beautiful. A certain form of the Lord is worshiped by a particular devotee because he loves to see that form of the Lord. As stated in Brahma-samhita (5.33): advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca. The very beautiful form of the Lord is always youthful. Sincere servants of a particular form of the Lord always see that form as very beautiful, and thus they engage in constant devotional service to Him.

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