Shloka 13
तं त्वां वयं नाथ समुज्जिहानं सरोजनाभातिचिरेप्सितार्थम् । दृष्ट्वा गता निर्वृतमद्य सर्वे गजा दवार्ता इव गाङ्गमम्भ: ॥ १३ ॥
taṁ tvāṁ vayaṁ nātha samujjihānaṁ saroja-nābhāticirepsitārtham dṛṣṭvā gatā nirvṛtam adya sarve gajā davārtā iva gāṅgam ambhaḥ
O Lord, O Sarojanābha, from whose navel the lotus springs—now that You have appeared before us, You whom we long desired to behold, we are all filled with transcendental joy, like elephants tormented by a forest fire who rejoice upon finding the waters of the Ganges.
The devotees of the Lord are always very eager to see the Supreme Lord face to face, but they do not demand that the Lord come before them, for a pure devotee considers such a demand to be contrary to devotional service. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches this lesson in His Śikṣāṣṭaka. Adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā. The devotee is always eager to see the Lord face to face, but if he is brokenhearted because he cannot see the Lord, even life after life, he will never command the Lord to appear. This is a sign of pure devotion. Therefore in this verse we find the word ati-cira-īpsita-artham, meaning that the devotee aspires for a long, long time to see the Lord. If the Lord, by His own pleasure, appears before the devotee, the devotee feels extremely happy, as Dhruva Mahārāja felt when he personally saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Dhruva Mahārāja saw the Lord, he had no desire to ask the Lord for any benediction. Indeed, simply by seeing the Lord, Dhruva Mahārāja felt so satisfied that he did not want to ask the Lord for any benediction ( svāmin kṛtārtho ’smi varaṁ na yāce ). A pure devotee, whether able or unable to see the Lord, always engages in the Lord’s devotional service, always hoping that at some time the Lord may be pleased to appear before him so that he can see the Lord face to face.
FAQs
This verse says that merely beholding the Lord who appears to fulfill the devotee’s long-sought need brings immediate peace—like cooling Gaṅgā water to elephants burning in a forest fire.
After being weakened and threatened in the events leading to the churning of the ocean, the Devas approached Viṣṇu for protection and success, praising Him as the one who can fulfill their long-desired aim.
When overwhelmed, turn the mind toward the Lord through remembrance, prayer, and hearing His names—this inner “darśana” calms distress and restores clarity to act wisely.