Shloka 31
The Kingdom of God (Vaikuṇṭha) and the Curse of Jaya and Vijaya
ताभ्यां मिषत्स्वनिमिषेषु निषिध्यमाना: स्वर्हत्तमा ह्यपि हरे: प्रतिहारपाभ्याम् । ऊचु: सुहृत्तमदिदृक्षितभङ्ग ईष- त्कामानुजेन सहसा त उपप्लुताक्षा: ॥ ३१ ॥
tābhyāṁ miṣatsv animiṣeṣu niṣidhyamānāḥ svarhattamā hy api hareḥ pratihāra-pābhyām ūcuḥ suhṛttama-didṛkṣita-bhaṅga īṣat kāmānujena sahasā ta upaplutākṣāḥ
As other divinities looked on, the two chief doorkeepers of Śrī Hari forbade the Kumāras entry, though they were most worthy. Their intense longing to behold their dearest Master, Śrī Hari, being thwarted, their eyes suddenly reddened with anger, and they spoke in a somewhat stern tone.
According to the Vedic system, a sannyāsī, a person in the renounced order of life, is dressed in saffron-colored garments. This saffron dress is practically a passport for the mendicant and sannyāsī to go anywhere. The sannyāsī’s duty is to enlighten people in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Those in the renounced order of life have no other business but preaching the glories and supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the Vedic sociological conception is that a sannyāsī should not be restricted; he is allowed to go anywhere and everywhere he wants, and he is not refused any gift he might demand from a householder. The four Kumāras came to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa. The word suhṛttama, “best of all friends,” is important. As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavad-gītā, He is the best friend of all living entities. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. No one can be a greater well-wishing friend to any living entity than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is so kindly disposed towards everyone that in spite of our completely forgetting our relationship with the Supreme Lord, He comes Himself — sometimes personally, as Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared on this earth, and sometimes as His devotee, as did Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu — and sometimes He sends His bona fide devotees to reclaim all the fallen souls. Therefore, He is the greatest well-wishing friend of everyone, and the Kumāras wanted to see Him. The doorkeepers should have known that the four sages had no other business, and therefore to restrict them from entering the palace was not apt.
FAQs
This verse shows that Hari’s two doorkeepers (Jaya and Vijaya) forbade entry, temporarily obstructing the sages’ desire for the Lord’s darśana, which then led to the sages speaking out with emotion.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates that Brahmā and other unblinking sages, along with Sanaka, were checked by Viṣṇu’s gatekeepers at Vaikuṇṭha and responded with tearful words when their wish to see the Lord was blocked.
Even a slight obstruction to devotion can stir strong feelings; the verse encourages cultivating humility, careful conduct around sacred places and devotees, and channeling disappointment into sincere, respectful prayer rather than harsh reaction.