Shloka 24
Kṛṣṇa Leads Kālayavana to Mucukunda; The Yavana Is Burned; Mucukunda’s Prayers and Boon of Bhakti
तमालोक्य घनश्यामं पीतकौशेयवाससम् । श्रीवत्सवक्षसं भ्राजत्कौस्तुभेन विराजितम् ॥ २३ ॥ चतुर्भुजं रोचमानं वैजयन्त्या च मालया । चारुप्रसन्नवदनं स्फुरन्मकरकुण्डलम् ॥ २४ ॥ प्रेक्षणीयं नृलोकस्य सानुरागस्मितेक्षणम् । अपीव्यवयसं मत्तमृगेन्द्रोदारविक्रमम् ॥ २५ ॥ पर्यपृच्छन्महाबुद्धिस्तेजसा तस्य धर्षित: । शङ्कित: शनकै राजा दुर्धर्षमिव तेजसा ॥ २६ ॥
tam ālokya ghana-śyāmaṁ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasam śrīvatsa-vakṣasaṁ bhrājat kaustubhena virājitam
Ketika memandang-Nya, raja melihat Tuhan berwarna biru gelap seperti awan, mengenakan sutera kuning; di dada-Nya tanda Śrīvatsa dan di leher-Nya permata Kaustubha yang bersinar. Dengan empat lengan, berhias kalung Vaijayantī, wajah-Nya tampan dan damai, anting makara berkilau, serta pandangan tersenyum penuh kasih yang memikat manusia. Keindahan muda-Nya tiada banding; langkah-Nya agung seperti singa murka, dengan cahaya yang tak dapat ditundukkan. Ditimpa sinar itu dan masih ragu, Mucukunda yang bijaksana perlahan bertanya kepada Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
It is significant that text 24 states, catur-bhujaṁ rocamānam: “The Lord was seen in the beauty of His four-armed form.” Throughout this great work, we find Lord Kṛṣṇa manifesting His various transcendental forms, most prominently the two-armed form of Kṛṣṇa and the four-armed form of Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu. Thus there is no doubt that Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu are nondifferent, or that Kṛṣṇa is the original form of the Lord. These things are sometimes misunderstood, but the great ācāryas, experts in spiritual science, have clarified the matter for us. God in His original form is not merely the creator, maintainer and destroyer, or the punisher of conditioned souls, but rather the infinitely beautiful Godhead, enjoying in His own right, in His own abode. This is the form of Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa who expands Himself into Viṣṇu forms for the maintenance of our bumbling world.
FAQs
This verse describes the Lord appearing with four arms, a classic Viṣṇu feature, emphasizing His supreme divinity even while He performs human-like pastimes.
In the narrative, Mucukunda receives direct darśana of the Lord; the Vaijayantī garland marks the Lord’s divine majesty and auspicious presence.
Contemplating the Lord’s serene face and divine ornaments helps steady the mind, reduce anxiety, and cultivate devotion through personal, form-based remembrance (smaraṇa).