FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.7.10

तदा वृषध्वजद्वेषकलिलात्मा प्रजापति: । शिवावलोकादभवच्छरद्‌ध्रद इवामल: ॥ १० ॥
tadā vṛṣadhvaja-dveṣa-
[tadaa vrishadhvaja-dvesha-]
kalilātmā prajāpatiḥ
[kalilaatmaa prajaapatih]
śivāvalokād abhavac
[shivaavalokaad abhavach]
charad-dhrada ivāmalaḥ
[charad-dhrada ivaamalah]
tadā — at that time vṛṣa-dhvaja — Lord Śiva, who rides on a bull dveṣa — envy kalila-ātmā — polluted heart prajāpatiḥ — King Dakṣa śiva — Lord Śiva avalokāt — by seeing him abhavat — became śarat — in the autumn hradaḥ — lake iva — like amalaḥ — cleansed.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tadā vṛṣadhvaja-dveṣa-
tadā
at that time
vṛṣa-dhvaja
Lord Śiva, who rides on a bull
dveṣa
envy
kalilātmā prajāpatiḥ
kalila-ātmā
polluted heart
prajāpatiḥ
King Dakṣa
śivāvalokād abhavac
śiva
Lord Śiva
avalokāt
by seeing him
abhavat
became
śarat
in the autumn
charad-dhrada ivāmalaḥ
hradaḥ
lake
iva
like
amalaḥ
cleansed.
At that time, when Dakṣa saw Lord Śiva, who rides upon a bull, his heart, which was polluted by envy of Lord Śiva, was immediately cleansed, just as the water in a lake is cleansed by autumn rains.

Here is an example of why Lord Śiva is called auspicious. If anyone sees Lord Śiva with devotion and reverence, his heart is immediately cleansed. King Dakṣa was polluted by envy of Lord Śiva, and yet by seeing him with a little love and devotion, his heart immediately became cleansed. In the rainy season, the reservoirs of water become dirty and muddy, but as soon as the autumn rain comes, all the water immediately becomes clear and transparent. Similarly, although Dakṣa’s heart was impure because of his having slandered Lord Śiva, for which he was severely punished, Dakṣa now came to consciousness, and just by seeing Lord Śiva with veneration and respect, he became immediately purified.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
At that time, Dakṣa, whose heart had been contaminated by hatred of Śiva, became pure like an autumn lake from seeing Śiva. Kalilātmā means “even though contaminated.”
Seeing Śiva, Dakṣa's envy-polluted heart is cleansed like a lake by autumn rains. Sometimes the cleanest thing for a fouled heart is simply to look directly, with reverence, at the person you envied.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose face, looked at honestly, would clean the envy out of my own heart?
  • Where am I avoiding direct sight of someone because I sense it would dissolve a grudge I'm fond of?
📝 My note

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