[world-vedic] Why Lotus Eyes & Feet??

[Guest guest]

raghu wrote:

I would like clarification from learned members on a specific termwhat is the

symbolism of lotus feet and lotus eye. I understand that lotus is metioned for

its property of growing amongst slush... but why eye and feet?

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The only veritable explanation I have come across is that the lotus (pankaja) is

LIKED by Lord Krsna. This being the case HE wants to be indentified by the

Lotus. This is why we see the following glorification in Srimad Bhagavatam by

Queen Kunti in reference to Lord Krsna.

 

ys mahesh

 

 

 

730414SB.LA Lectures namah pankaja-nabhaya

namah pankaja-maline namah

pankaja-netraya namas te pankajanghraye

 

"My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a

depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus

flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus, and whose feet are engraved with

lotuses."Prabhupada: Lord's feet, there are flags, lotus flowers, chariot.

These are the symbolic representations. God is person, but His personality is

distinct from our personality. So these specific marks are there on His lotus

feet. And pankaja-nabhaya, another meaning, pankaja-nabhaya means originally a

lotus stem came out from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu, and Brahma was born

in that lotus flower, the origin of creation. So Krsna's all parts of the body,

as reference to the pankaja. Pankaja means lotus flower. Panka means mud, and

ja means generate. Pankaja, the lotus flower, is so important. Still, it is

generated from mud. So Krsna likes pankaja very much, lotus flower. So if we

see lotus flower, we can immediately remember Krsna. If... Just like if you

love your child, if you see any garment, a small ship, shoes or any play

things, immediately you remember your child: "Oh, this is my child's shoes.

This is my child's playing things. This is my garment." So it is the custom of

love. If you actually love God, Krsna, then you can remember Him at any time,

always, always. There is no difficulty. Here Kuntidevi describes pankaja, with

reference to lotus flower. And Krsna describes Himself in the Bhagavad-gita,

raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "I am the taste of the liquid." So Krsna can be

remembered by tasting water. Even those who are drinking... If he thinks that

"This taste of drinking is Krsna," he will one day come out a great saintly

person. Such a nice thing, Krsna consciousness, if you have cultivate Krsna

consciousness, if you follow the description given by the sastras. So I can

request that even the drunkards that "You can become Krsna conscious." The

drunkard, what to speak of others? Because Krsna says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya:

"I am the taste of the liquid." Generally, liquid, water is taken. So liquor is

also liquid. Liquor is bad because it creates intoxication. Otherwise, it is

made from sugar, molasses, molasses with sulphuric acid fermented, so far I

know. We were in the chemical line. Molasses fermented with sulphuric acid and

then distilled. That is called spirit, or liquor. So thing is, nothing is bad,

but because if a thing creates bad effects, then it is bad. Then it is bad. So

I shall request even the drunkards... In your country, there are many

drunkards. There is no scarcity. So if you'll kindly remember when drinking

wine that this nice taste of drinking is Krsna... Just begin with it. You'll

come out one day a saintly person, Krsna conscious. It's so nice, practical.

So Krsna is available, any circumstance, if we want to catch Him. That's all.

Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam. He's... If one is actually very

serious to search out Krsna, Krsna is everywhere.

Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami.

He is within this universe, not only within the... He's within your heart. He's

within the atom even. So it is not difficult to find Him out, but you must know

the process, how to find Him out. And this process is very simple. And the

process we are distributing by the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to

everyone, without any charge. The process is chant Hare Krsna. As soon as you

chant Hare Krsna, immediately you understand Krsna.

 

 

SB 1.8.22 T Prayers by Queen Kunti and Pariksit Saved

namah pankaja-nabhaya namah

pankaja-maline namah pankaja-netraya

namas te pankajanghraye

 

SYNONYMS

 

 

namah--all respectful obeisances; pankaja-nabhaya--unto the Lord who has a

specific depression resembling a lotus flower in the center of His abdomen;

namah--obeisances; pankaja-maline--one who is always decorated with a garland

of lotus flowers; namah--obeisances; pankaja-netraya--one whose glance is as

cooling as a lotus flower; namah te--respectful obeisances unto You;

pankaja-anghraye--unto You, the soles of whose feet are engraved with lotus

flowers (and who are therefore said to possess lotus feet).

 

TRANSLATION

 

My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a

depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus

flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with

lotuses.

 

PURPORT

 

Here are some of the specific symbolical marks on the spiritual body of the

Personality of Godhead which distinguish His body from the bodies of all

others. They are all special features of the body of the Lord. The Lord may

appear as one of us, but He is always distinct by His specific bodily features.

Srimati Kunti claims herself unfit to see the Lord because of her being a woman.

This is claimed because women, sudras (the laborer class) and the dvija-bandhus,

or the wretched descendants of the higher three classes, are unfit by

intelligence to understand transcendental subject matter concerning the

spiritual name, fame, attributes, forms, etc., of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Such persons, although they are unfit to enter into the spiritual affairs of

the Lord, can see Him as the arca-vigraha, who descends on the material world

just to distribute favors to the fallen souls, including the above-mentioned

women, sudras and dvija-bandhus. Because such fallen souls cannot see anything

beyond matter, the Lord condescends to enter into each and every one of the

innumerable universes as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who grows a lotus stem from

the lotuslike depression in the center of His transcendental abdomen, and thus

Brahma, the first living being in the universe, is born. Therefore, the Lord is

known as the Pankajanabhi. The Pankajanabhi Lord accepts the arca-vigraha (His

transcendental form) in different elements, namely a form within the mind, a

form made of wood, a form made of earth, a form made of metal, a form made of

jewel, a form made of paint, a form drawn on sand, etc. All such forms of the

Lord are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, and there should be a

soothing atmosphere in the temple of worship to attract the burning attention of

the nondevotees always engaged in material wranglings. The meditators worship a

form within the mind. Therefore, the Lord is merciful even to the women, sudras

and dvija-bandhus, provided they agree to visit the temple of worship in

different forms made for them. Such temple visitors are not idolaters, as

alleged by some men with a poor fund of knowledge. All the great acaryas

established such temples of worship in all places just to favor the less

intelligent, and one should not pose himself as transcending the stage of

temple worship while one is actually in the category of the sudras and the

women or less. One should begin to see the Lord from His lotus feet, gradually

rising to the thighs, waist, chest and face. One should not try to look at the

face of the Lord without being accustomed to seeing the lotus feet of the Lord.

Srimati Kunti, because of her being the aunt of the Lord, did not begin to see

the Lord from the lotus feet because the Lord might feel ashamed, and thus

Kuntidevi, just to save a painful situation for the Lord, began to see the Lord

just above His lotus feet, i.e., from the waist of the Lord, gradually rising to

the face, and then down to the lotus feet. In the round, everything there is in

order.