Shloka 22
Kardama Muni’s Penance, Viṣṇu’s Darśana, and the Arrangement of Devahūti’s Marriage
ऋषिरुवाच इत्यव्यलीकं प्रणुतोऽब्जनाभ- स्तमाबभाषे वचसामृतेन । सुपर्णपक्षोपरि रोचमान: प्रेमस्मितोद्वीक्षणविभ्रमद्भ्रू: ॥ २२ ॥
ṛṣir uvāca ity avyalīkaṁ praṇuto ’bja-nābhas tam ābabhāṣe vacasāmṛtena suparṇa-pakṣopari rocamānaḥ prema-smitodvīkṣaṇa-vibhramad-bhrūḥ
Maitreya reprit : Ainsi loué avec sincérité, le Seigneur Viṣṇu, Padmanābha, rayonnant avec beauté sur les épaules de Garuḍa, répondit par des paroles douces comme le nectar. Ses sourcils se mouvaient avec grâce tandis qu’Il regardait le sage, souriant d’un amour tendre.
The word vacasāmṛtena is significant. Whenever the Lord speaks, He speaks from the transcendental world. He does not speak from the material world. Since He is transcendental, His speech is also transcendental, as is His activity; everything in relation to Him is transcendental. The word amṛta refers to one who does not meet with death. The words and activities of the Lord are deathless; therefore they are not manufactured of this material world. The sound of this material world and that of the spiritual world are completely different. The sound of the spiritual world is nectarean and eternal, whereas the sound of the material world is hackneyed and subject to end. The sound of the holy name — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare — everlastingly increases the enthusiasm of the chanter. If one repeats monotonous material words, he will feel exhausted, but if he chants Hare Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, he will never feel exhausted; rather, he will feel encouraged to continue chanting more and more. When the Lord replied to the sage Kardama, the word vacasāmṛtena is specifically mentioned, since He spoke from the transcendental world. He replied in transcendental words, and when He spoke His eyebrows moved with great affection. When a devotee praises the glories of the Lord, the Lord is very satisfied, and He bestows His transcendental benediction upon the devotee without reservation because He is always causelessly merciful toward His devotee.
FAQs
This verse highlights that when the Lord is worshiped with genuine, deceit-free devotion (avyalīkam), He responds personally—speaking in “nectar-like” words and revealing His affectionate disposition.
The verse depicts the Lord seated upon Garuḍa, His divine presence making even the carrier’s wings radiant—emphasizing both Viṣṇu’s majesty and Garuḍa’s honored service.
Offer prayers and spiritual practice without ulterior motives, cultivating sincerity and affection; the teaching is that heartfelt devotion invites clarity, guidance, and inner sweetness—symbolized by the Lord’s “nectar-like” speech.