SRI BRAHMA-SAMHITA

Verse 38

premanjana-chchhurita-bhakti-vilochanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti
yam syamasundaram achintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami [38]

Translation: The sadhus, their eyes tinted with the unguent of love, see within their hearts that Shyamasundar Krishna of inconceivable qualities; that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I adore.

Purport: The form of Shyamasundar is Krishna’s inconceivable simultaneously personal and impersonal paradoxical form. The sadhus, or pure devotees, see Him within their own hearts, in their trance of devotion (bhakti-samadhi). The Shyama form is not of the syama, or black, colour of this world, but it is the colour of the transcendental variegatedness that bestows eternal joy. It cannot be seen with mundane eyes. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak pranihite ’male, apasyat purusam purnam, etc.: if we study the nature of the pure samadhi of Vyasadeva, we will appreciate that the intrinsic form of Sri Krishna is the whole Personality of Godhead, and He appears seated in the inner region of His devotee’s heart of devotional trance.

At the time of His appearance in Vraja, everyone, both devotees and non-devotees, saw Him directly; but only the devotees adored Him—Krishna of the holy place of Vraja—as the priceless jewel of their hearts.

Now also, even without visually seeing him in that way, the devotees see Krishna in Vraja Dham within their hearts saturated with devotion. The jiva’s eyes of devotion are the eyes of his pure spiritual self. The pure vision of Krishna is attainable in proportion to the degree that those eyes are developed by the cultivation of devotion. When devotion in practice (sadhana-bhakti) reaches the budding stage of love (bhava), by the power of Krishna’s grace the unguent that is love is applied to the eyes of that developed devotee; then he can have the direct darsan of Krishna. The phrase ‘within their hearts’ means that Krishna is seen in proportion to the degree that His devotee’s heart is purified by devotional qualification.

The essential point is that the triple-curved form of Shyamasundar, the supreme dancer who plays the flute, is not imaginary; it is seen by the eye of unalloyed consciousness.

• For Reader's Appreciation
• Feelings of Appreciation
• Prologue
• Translator's Note
• Illumination
• Verse 1
• Verse 2
• Verse 3
• Verse 4
• Verse 5
• Verse 6
• Verse 7
• Verse 8
• Verse 9

• Verse 11
• Verse 12
• Verse 13
• Verse 14
• Verse 15
• Verse 16
• Verse 17
• Verse 18
• Verse 19

• Verse 20
• Verse 21
• Verse 22
• Verse 23
• Verse 24
• Verse 25
• Verse 26
• Verse 27
• Verse 28
• Verse 29

• Verse 30
• Verse 31
• Verse 32
• Verse 33
• Verse 34
• Verse 35
• Verse 36
• Verse 37
• Verse 38
• Verse 39

• Verse 40
• Verse 41
• Verse 42
• Verse 43
• Verse 44
• Verse 45
• Verse 46
• Verse 47
• Verse 48
• Verse 49

• Verse 50
• Verse 51
• Verse 52
• Verse 53
• Verse 54
• Verse 55
• Verse 56
• Verse 57
• Verse 58
• Verse 59

• Verse 60
• Verse 61
• Verse 62

• Verse Contents

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