FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.5.45

स त्वं नो दर्शयात्मानमस्मत्करणगोचरम् । प्रपन्नानां दिद‍ृक्षूणां सस्मितं ते मुखाम्बुजम् ॥ ४५ ॥
sa tvaṁ no darśayātmānam
[sa tvam no darshayaatmaanam]
asmat-karaṇa-gocaram
[asmat-karana-gocharam]
prapannānāṁ didṛkṣūṇāṁ
[prapannaanaam didrikshoonaam]
sasmitaṁ te mukhāmbujam
[sasmitam te mukhaambujam]
saḥ — He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead) tvam — You are my Lord naḥ — to us darśaya — be visible ātmānam — in Your original form asmat-karaṇa-gocaram — appreciable by our direct senses, especially by our eyes prapannānām — we are all surrendered unto You didṛkṣūṇām — yet we wish to see You sasmitam — smiling te — Your mukha-ambujam — lotuslike face.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa tvaṁ no darśayātmānam
saḥ
He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead)
tvam
You are my Lord
naḥ
to us
darśaya
be visible
asmat-karaṇa-gocaram
ātmānam
in Your original form
prapannānāṁ didṛkṣūṇāṁ
sasmitaṁ te mukhāmbujam
asmat-karaṇa-gocaram
appreciable by our direct senses, especially by our eyes
prapannānām
we are all surrendered unto You
didṛkṣūṇām
yet we wish to see You
sasmitam
smiling
te
Your
mukha-ambujam
lotuslike face.
O Supreme Personality of Godhead, we are surrendered unto You, yet we wish to see You. Please make Your original form and smiling lotus face visible to our eyes and appreciable to our other senses.

The devotees are always eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His original form, with His smiling lotuslike face. They are not interested in experiencing the impersonal form. The Lord has both impersonal and personal features. The impersonalists have no idea of the personal feature of the Lord, but Lord Brahmā and the members of his disciplic succession want to see the Lord in His personal form. Without a personal form there can be no question of a smiling face, which is clearly indicated here by the words sasmitam te mukhāmbujam. Those who are in the Vaiṣṇava sampradāya of Brahmā always want to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are eager to realize the Lord’s personal feature, not the impersonal feature. As clearly stated here, asmat-karaṇa-gocaram: the personal feature of the Lord can be directly perceived by our senses.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
We are surrendered unto you and wish to see you. Please make your form with its lotus face and smile visible to our senses. “O Brahṁā! Please accept your desired boon.” Brahmā answers. Show your svarūpa to us, who have surrendered to you. “Is this form without qualities or with qualities?” Show that form which we can perceive with our senses. It is a form with qualities. That form has a lotus face with a smile.
Brahmā, on behalf of the demigods, asks to actually see the Lord's original smiling lotus face, not just His impersonal feature. Devotees long for the Person behind the principle. Do not settle for an abstract God when a Personal one is available.
Reflection Questions
  • Has my picture of God quietly drifted toward the impersonal in recent months?
  • Which form, name, or smiling face of the Lord can I return to today?
📝 My note

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