Shloka 27
Kapila Describes Bhakti-Saturated Aṣṭāṅga-Yoga and Meditation on the Lord’s Form
बाहूंश्च मन्दरगिरे: परिवर्तनेन निर्णिक्तबाहुवलयानधिलोकपालान् । सञ्चिन्तयेद्दशशतारमसह्यतेज: शङ्खं च तत्करसरोरुहराजहंसम् ॥ २७ ॥
bāhūṁś ca mandara-gireḥ parivartanena nirṇikta-bāhu-valayān adhiloka-pālān sañcintayed daśa-śatāram asahya-tejaḥ śaṅkhaṁ ca tat-kara-saroruha-rāja-haṁsam
Higit pa, magnilay ang yogi sa apat na bisig ng Panginoon, na pinagmumulan ng lahat ng kapangyarihan ng mga diyos na namamahala sa mga tungkulin ng kalikasan. Pagkatapos, ituon ang isip sa makikinis na palamuti na kuminang dahil sa pag-ikot ng Bundok Mandara. Pagdaka, pagnilayan ang Sudarśana cakra na may isang libong sinag at nakasisilaw na ningning, at ang kabibe na tila isang sisne sa Kanyang palad na gaya ng lotus.
All departments of law and order emanate from the arms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The law and order of the universe is directed by different demigods, and it is here said to emanate from the Lord’s arms. Mandara Hill is mentioned here because when the ocean was churned by the demons on one side and the demigods on the other, Mandara Hill was taken as the churning rod. The Lord in His tortoise incarnation became the pivot for the churning rod, and thus His ornaments were polished by the turning of Mandara Hill. In other words, the ornaments on the arms of the Lord are as brilliant and lustrous as if they had been polished very recently. The wheel in the hand of the Lord, called the Sudarśana cakra, has one thousand spokes. The yogī is advised to meditate upon each of the spokes. He should meditate upon each and every one of the component parts of the transcendental form of the Lord.
FAQs
It instructs the devotee to contemplate the Lord’s form in detail—specifically His arms and the divine emblems, such as the Sudarśana cakra (hundred-spoked, intensely radiant) and the conch resting on His lotus hand.
Mandara Mountain recalls the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthana), where the Lord’s mighty arms helped turn the mountain; the verse uses that līlā to glorify the purity, strength, and protective power of His arms.
Practice focused visualization: calmly remember the Lord’s arms and His conch and discus, letting their purity and protective symbolism steady the mind and reduce distraction during daily japa or quiet prayer.