Shloka 29
Varṣa-devatā Worship in Jambūdvīpa: Hayagrīva/Hayaśīrṣa, Nṛsiṁha, Kāmadeva (Pradyumna), Matsya, Kūrma, and Varāha
हिरण्मयेऽपि भगवान्निवसति कूर्मतनुं बिभ्राणस्तस्य तत्प्रियतमां तनुमर्यमा सह वर्षपुरुषै: पितृगणाधिपतिरुपधावति मन्त्रमिमं चानुजपति ॥ २९ ॥
hiraṇmaye ’pi bhagavān nivasati kūrma-tanuṁ bibhrāṇas tasya tat priyatamāṁ tanum aryamā saha varṣa-puruṣaiḥ pitṛ-gaṇādhipatir upadhāvati mantram imaṁ cānujapati.
Di Hiraṇmaya-varṣa, Bhagavān Viṣṇu bersemayam dengan mengambil rupa kura-kura (kūrma-śarīra). Di sana Aryamā, ketua negeri itu, bersama para penghuni lain sentiasa menyembah rupa-Nya yang paling dikasihi dan indah dengan bhakti, sambil melafazkan himpunan pujian berikut.
The word priyatama (dearmost) is very significant in this verse. Each devotee regards a particular form of the Lord as most dear. Because of an atheistic mentality, some people think that the tortoise, boar and fish incarnations of the Lord are not very beautiful. They do not know that any form of the Lord is always the fully opulent Personality of Godhead. Since one of His opulences is infinite beauty, all the Lord’s incarnations are very beautiful and are appreciated as such by devotees. Nondevotees, however, think that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations are ordinary material creatures, and therefore they distinguish between the beautiful and the not beautiful. A certain form of the Lord is worshiped by a particular devotee because he loves to see that form of the Lord. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.33) : advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca. The very beautiful form of the Lord is always youthful. Sincere servants of a particular form of the Lord always see that form as very beautiful, and thus they engage in constant devotional service to Him.
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme Lord resides in Hiraṇmaya-varṣa in the form of Kūrma, and that Aryamā—leader of the Pitṛs—approaches Him with the region’s guardians and offers a mantra in worship.
Aryamā, as the chief of the Pitṛ-gaṇas, approaches the Lord’s most beloved form present in that varṣa—Kūrma—and recites a mantra, showing that even exalted cosmic administrators depend on Viṣṇu through devotion and prayer.
Choose a form of the Lord that inspires your heart, approach with humility, and keep steady practice of mantra and remembrance—devotion is shown here as reverent approach and consistent recitation.