FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.24-25

तर्ह्येव सरसस्तस्मान्निष्क्रामन्तं सहानुगम् । उपगीयमानममरप्रवरं विबुधानुगै: ॥ २४ ॥ तप्तहेमनिकायाभं शितिकण्ठं त्रिलोचनम् । प्रसादसुमुखं वीक्ष्य प्रणेमुर्जातकौतुका: ॥ २५ ॥
tarhy eva sarasas tasmān
[tarhy eva sarasas tasmaan]
niṣkrāmantaṁ sahānugam
[nishkraamantam sahaanugam]
upagīyamānam amara-
[upageeyamaanam amara-]
pravaraṁ vibudhānugaiḥ
[pravaram vibudhaanugaih]
tapta-hema-nikāyābhaṁ
[tapta-hema-nikaayaabham]
śiti-kaṇṭhaṁ tri-locanam
[shiti-kantham tri-lochanam]
prasāda-sumukhaṁ vīkṣya
[prasaada-sumukham veekshya]
praṇemur jāta-kautukāḥ
[pranemur jaata-kautukaah]
tarhi — in that very moment eva — certainly sarasaḥ — from the water tasmāt — therefrom niṣkrāmantam — coming out saha-anugam — accompanied by great souls upagīyamānam — glorified by the followers amara-pravaram — the chief of the demigods vibudha-anugaiḥ — followed by his associates tapta-hema — molten gold nikāya-ābham — bodily features śiti-kaṇṭham — blue throat tri-locanam — with three eyes prasāda — merciful su-mukham — beautiful face vīkṣya — seeing praṇemuḥ — offered obeisances jāta — aroused kautukāḥ — being amazed by the situation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tarhy eva sarasas tasmān
tarhi
in that very moment
eva
certainly
sarasaḥ
from the water
tasmāt
therefrom
niṣkrāmantaṁ sahānugam
niṣkrāmantam
coming out
saha-anugam
accompanied by great souls
upagīyamānam amara-
upagīyamānam
glorified by the followers
amara-pravaram
the chief of the demigods
pravaraṁ vibudhānugaiḥ
vibudha-anugaiḥ
followed by his associates
tapta-hema-nikāyābhaṁ
tapta-hema
molten gold
nikāya-ābham
bodily features
śiti-kaṇṭhaṁ tri-locanam
śiti-kaṇṭham
blue throat
tri-locanam
with three eyes
prasāda-sumukhaṁ vīkṣya
prasāda
merciful
su-mukham
beautiful face
vīkṣya
seeing
praṇemur jāta-kautukāḥ
praṇemuḥ
offered obeisances
jāta
aroused
kautukāḥ
being amazed by the situation.
The Pracetās were fortunate to see Lord Śiva, the chief of the demigods, emerging from the water with his associates. His bodily luster was just like molten gold, his throat was bluish, and he had three eyes, which looked very mercifully upon his devotees. He was accompanied by many musicians, who were glorifying him. As soon as the Pracetās saw Lord Śiva, they immediately offered their obeisances in great amazement and fell down at the lotus feet of the lord.

The word vibudhānugaiḥ indicates that Lord Śiva is always accompanied by the denizens of the higher planets known as Gandharvas and Kinnaras. They are very expert in musical science, and Lord Śiva is worshiped by them constantly. In pictures, Lord Śiva is generally painted white, but here we find that the color of his skin is not exactly white but like molten gold, or a glowing yellowish color. Because Lord Śiva is always very, very merciful, his name is Āśutoṣa. Amongst all the demigods, Lord Śiva can be pacified even by the lowest class of men, who need only offer him obeisances and leaves of a bael tree. Thus his name is Āśutoṣa, which means that he is pleased very quickly.

Generally those who are very fond of material prosperity approach Lord Śiva for such benediction. The lord, being very merciful, quickly awards all the blessings the devotee asks of him. The demons take advantage of this leniency and sometimes take benedictions from Lord Śiva which can be very dangerous to others. For instance, Vṛkāsura took a benediction from Lord Śiva by which he could kill everyone he touched on the head. Although Lord Śiva sometimes very liberally gives such benedictions to his devotees, the difficulty is that the demons, being very cunning, sometimes want to experiment improperly with such benedictions. For instance, after receiving his benediction, Vṛkāsura tried to touch the head of Lord Śiva. Devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, however, have no desire for such benedictions, and Lord Viṣṇu does not give His devotees benedictions which would cause disturbance to the whole world.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
At that moment, they saw emerging from the lake the chief of the devatās, beautiful Śiva, effulgent like a pile of melted golden, with blue throat, three eyes, and brilliant face, accompanied by his followers, while being glorified by the followers of the devatās. With curiosity aroused, they offered respects.
They saw Śiva emerge from the water — golden body, blue throat, three eyes — with musicians glorifying him. The right vision of Śiva involves his actual entourage; he isn't austere alone.
Reflection Questions
  • What is my image of Śiva, and does it match his full retinue or just the austere caricature?
  • Where am I underestimating someone by reducing them to a single image?
📝 My note

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