Shloka 38
तं त्वागतं प्रतिहृतौपयिकं स्वपुम्भि- स्तेऽचक्षताक्षविषयं स्वसमाधिभाग्यम् । हंसश्रियोर्व्यजनयो: शिववायुलोल- च्छुभ्रातपत्रशशिकेसरशीकराम्बुम् ॥ ३८ ॥
taṁ tv āgataṁ pratihṛtaupayikaṁ sva-pumbhis te ’cakṣatākṣa-viṣayaṁ sva-samādhi-bhāgyam haṁsa-śriyor vyajanayoḥ śiva-vāyu-lolac- chubhrātapatra-śaśi-kesara-śīkarāmbum
The sages headed by Sanaka beheld Viṣṇu—formerly seen only within the heart in samādhi—now manifest to their very eyes. As He advanced with His attendants bearing the umbrella and cāmara fans, the white tufts swayed gently like a pair of swans, and the pearl strings upon the umbrella trembled in the auspicious breeze like drops of amṛta.
In this verse we find the word acakṣatākṣa-viṣayam. The Supreme Lord cannot be seen by ordinary eyes, but He now became visible to the eyesight of the Kumāras. Another significant word is samādhi-bhāgyam. Meditators who are very fortunate can see the Viṣṇu form of the Lord within their hearts by following the yogic process. But to see Him face to face is a different matter. This is only possible for pure devotees. The Kumāras, therefore, upon seeing the Lord coming forward with His associates, who were holding an umbrella and a cāmara fan, were struck with wonder that they were seeing the Lord face to face. It is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā that devotees, being elevated in love of God, always see Śyāmasundara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within their hearts. But when they are mature, the same God is visible before them face to face. For ordinary persons the Lord is not visible; however, when one can understand the significance of His holy name and one engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord, beginning with the tongue, by chanting and tasting prasāda, then gradually the Lord reveals Himself. Thus the devotee constantly sees the Lord within his heart, and, in a more mature stage, one can see the same Lord directly, as we see everything else.
FAQs
This verse portrays the Lord’s arrival in Vaikuṇṭha as the supreme object of the devotees’ vision—so fulfilling that it is called the very “fortune of their samādhi,” emphasizing that direct darśana of the Lord is the perfection of meditation.
The fans (cāmara) and spotless parasol are traditional emblems of royal and divine honor, showing that in Vaikuṇṭha every movement around the Lord is loving service and reverence offered by His devotees.
It encourages devotees to make the Lord the “object of the eyes” through focused remembrance—darśana, deity worship, and meditation—seeing bhakti as the true wealth that perfects one’s inner concentration.