Shloka 13
The Lord Appears to the Devas and Instructs the Truce; Mandara Is Brought for Churning
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
主よ、蓮華の臍をもつサロージャナーバよ。久しく拝見を願っていたあなたが、いま私たちの前に現れました。あなたを見て、私たちは皆、超越の歓喜に満たされました。まるで山火事に苦しむ象が、ガンガーの水を得て喜ぶように。
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.