Shloka 42
The Kingdom of God (Vaikuṇṭha) and the Curse of Jaya and Vijaya
अत्रोपसृष्टमिति चोत्स्मितमिन्दिराया: स्वानां धिया विरचितं बहुसौष्ठवाढ्यम् । मह्यं भवस्य भवतां च भजन्तमङ्गं नेमुर्निरीक्ष्य नवितृप्तदृशो मुदा कै: ॥ ४२ ॥
atropasṛṣṭam iti cotsmitam indirāyāḥ svānāṁ dhiyā viracitaṁ bahu-sauṣṭhavāḍhyam mahyaṁ bhavasya bhavatāṁ ca bhajantam aṅgaṁ nemur nirīkṣya na vitṛpta-dṛśo mudā kaiḥ
The exquisite beauty of Nārāyaṇa, many times enhanced by the discerning love of His devotees, eclipsed even Lakṣmī’s pride in beauty. O demigods, that Lord is worshipable to me, to Śiva, and to all of you. The sages gazed upon Him with eyes never satisfied and, in joy, bowed their heads at His lotus feet.
The beauty of the Lord was so enchanting that it could not be sufficiently described. The goddess of fortune is supposed to be the most beautiful sight within the spiritual and material creations of the Lord; she has a sense of being the most beautiful, yet her beauty was defeated when the Lord appeared. In other words, the beauty of the goddess of fortune is secondary in the presence of the Lord. In the words of Vaiṣṇava poets, it is said that the Lord’s beauty is so enchanting that it defeats hundreds of thousands of Cupids. He is therefore called Madana-mohana. It is also described that the Lord sometimes becomes mad after the beauty of Rādhārāṇī. Poets describe that under those circumstances, although Lord Kṛṣṇa is Madana-mohana, He becomes Madana-dāha, or enchanted by the beauty of Rādhārāṇī. Actually the Lord’s beauty is superexcellent, surpassing even the beauty of Lakṣmī in Vaikuṇṭha. The devotees of the Lord in the Vaikuṇṭha planets want to see the Lord as the most beautiful, but the devotees in Gokula or Kṛṣṇaloka want to see Rādhārāṇī as more beautiful than Kṛṣṇa. The adjustment is that the Lord, being bhakta-vatsala, or one who wants to please His devotees, assumes such features so that devotees like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and other demigods may be pleased. Here also, for the devotee-sages, the Kumāras, the Lord appeared in His most beautiful feature, and they continued to see Him without satiation and wanted to continue seeing Him more and more.
FAQs
This verse highlights devotees whose eyes are never satisfied by seeing the Lord, and who naturally bow down in joyful reverence upon receiving His merciful audience.
Lakṣmī’s graceful smile symbolizes divine hospitality and auspiciousness in Vaikuṇṭha, enhancing the devotees’ reverence and delight in the Lord’s presence.
Cultivate steady devotional practices—hearing, chanting, and mindful worship—so spiritual attraction grows, replacing temporary cravings with deeper longing for divine remembrance.