FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.39

कृत्‍स्‍नप्रसादसुमुखं स्पृहणीयधाम स्‍नेहावलोककलया हृदि संस्पृशन्तम् । श्यामे पृथावुरसि शोभितया श्रिया स्व- श्चूडामणिं सुभगयन्तमिवात्मधिष्ण्यम् ॥ ३९ ॥
kṛtsna-prasāda-sumukhaṁ spṛhaṇīya-dhāma
[kritsna-prasaada-sumukham sprihaneeya-dhaama]
snehāvaloka-kalayā hṛdi saṁspṛśantam
[snehaavaloka-kalayaa hridi samsprishantam]
śyāme pṛthāv urasi śobhitayā śriyā svaś-
[shyaame prithaav urasi shobhitayaa shriyaa svash-]
cūḍāmaṇiṁ subhagayantam ivātma-dhiṣṇyam
[choodaamanim subhagayantam ivaatma-dhishnyam]
kṛtsna-prasāda — blessing everyone su-mukham — auspicious face spṛhaṇīya — desirable dhāma — shelter sneha — affection avaloka — looking upon kalayā — by expansion hṛdi — within the heart saṁspṛśantam — touching śyāme — unto the Lord with blackish color pṛthau — broad urasi — chest śobhitayā — being decorated śriyā — goddess of fortune svaḥ — heavenly planets cūḍā-maṇim — summit subhagayantam — spreading good fortune iva — like ātma — the Supreme Personality of Godhead dhiṣṇyam — abode.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kṛtsna-prasāda-sumukhaṁ spṛhaṇīya-dhāma
kṛtsna-prasāda
blessing everyone
su-mukham
auspicious face
spṛhaṇīya
desirable
dhāma
shelter
snehāvaloka-kalayā hṛdi saṁspṛśantam
sneha
affection
avaloka
looking upon
kalayā
by expansion
hṛdi
within the heart
saṁspṛśantam
touching
śyāme pṛthāv urasi śobhitayā śriyā svaś-
śyāme
unto the Lord with blackish color
pṛthau
broad
urasi
chest
śobhitayā
being decorated
śriyā
goddess of fortune
svaḥ
heavenly planets
cūḍāmaṇiṁ subhagayantam ivātma-dhiṣṇyam
cūḍā-maṇim
summit
subhagayantam
spreading good fortune
iva
like
ātma
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
dhiṣṇyam
abode.
The Lord is the reservoir of all pleasure. His auspicious presence is meant for everyone’s benediction, and His affectionate smiling and glancing touch the core of the heart. The Lord’s beautiful bodily color is blackish, and His broad chest is the resting place of the goddess of fortune, who glorifies the entire spiritual world, the summit of all heavenly planets. Thus it appeared that the Lord was personally spreading the beauty and good fortune of the spiritual world.

When the Lord came, He was pleased with everyone; therefore it is stated here, kṛtsna-prasāda-sumukham. The Lord knew that even the offensive doormen were His pure devotees, although by chance they committed an offense at the feet of other devotees. To commit an offense against a devotee is very dangerous in devotional service. Lord Caitanya therefore said that an offense to a devotee is just like a mad elephant run loose; when a mad elephant enters a garden, it tramples all the plants. Similarly, an offense unto the feet of a pure devotee murders one’s position in devotional service. On the part of the Lord there was no offended mood because He does not accept any offense created by His sincere devotee. But a devotee should be very cautious of committing offenses at the feet of another devotee. The Lord, being equal to all, and being especially inclined to His devotee, looked as mercifully at the offenders as at the offended. This attitude of the Lord was due to His unlimited quantity of transcendental qualities. His cheerful attitude towards the devotees was so pleasing and heart-touching that His very smile was attractive for them. That attraction was glorious not only for all the higher planets of this material world, but beyond, for the spiritual world also. Generally a human being has no idea of what the constitutional position is in the higher material planets, which are far better constituted in regard to all paraphernalia, yet the Vaikuṇṭha planet is so pleasing and so celestial that it is compared to the middle jewel or locket in a necklace of jewels.

In this verse the words spṛhaṇīya-dhāma indicate that the Lord is the reservoir of all pleasure because He has all the transcendental qualities. Although only some of these are aspired for by persons who hanker after the pleasure of merging in the impersonal Brahman, there are other aspirants who want to associate with the Lord personally as His servants. The Lord is so kind that He gives shelter to everyone — both impersonalists and devotees. He gives shelter to the impersonalists in His impersonal Brahman effulgence, whereas He gives shelter to the devotees in His personal abodes known as the Vaikuṇṭhalokas. He is especially inclined to His devotee; He touches the core of the heart of the devotee simply by smiling and glancing over him. The Lord is always served in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka by many hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune, as stated by the Brahma-saṁhitā ( lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam ). In this material world, one is glorified if he is favored even a pinch by the goddess of fortune, so we can simply imagine how glorified is the kingdom of God in the spiritual world, where many hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune engage in the direct service of the Lord. Another feature of this verse is that it openly declares where the Vaikuṇṭhalokas are situated. They are situated as the summit of all the heavenly planets, which are above the sun globe, at the upper limit of the universe, and are known as Satyaloka, or Brahmaloka. The spiritual world is situated beyond the universe. Therefore it is stated here that the spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭhaloka, is the summit of all planetary systems.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
They saw the Lord with beautiful face fully pleased, the most desirable object, who touched the hearts of all people with his skilful glance of affection, and who was the crest jewel among all planets, made auspicious with the mark of Lakṣmī on his dark, broad chest. The Kumāras were filled with doubt. “We do not know if the Lord is angry with us for cursing his two devotees.” But the Lord had a pleasing face internally and externally. They felt inner joy. “Oh! He is fully pleased!” The Lord was the abode of beauty, sweet sound, fragrance, youth, mercy and generosity desired by the eye and other senses of the sages. Jaya and Vijaya wept in lamentation. “Since we will fall down, burned by the fire of the brāhmaṇas’ curse, we will no longer see the Lord’s sweetness.” The Lord responded to them. He touched the hearts of all present by the skill of his affectionate glance. “How affectionate he is to his devotees!” In this way he attracted their minds. With Lakṣmī in the form of a golden line situated on his left upper chest, he was the abode of Vaikuṇtha (ātmā-dhiṣṇyam) which was the crest jewel among all planets starting with Svarga and ending with Satyaloka. Seeing this, everyone became most fortunate. This will also be explained later. The sweetness of his mercy and form were realized and understood by the mind and eye.
The cosmology here is not abstract scenery — it locates the reader inside a vast, intelligent order. Seeing your tiny role in this design quietly cools the urge to make yourself the centre. The verse anchors this in pure devotee.
Reflection Questions
  • How does it change your day to remember the universe was not built around your preferences?
  • Which 'cosmic' problem are you trying to solve when your actual task is just to play your small part well?
📝 My note

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