Seeing Krishna

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Think of Krsna's lotus feet.

 

Then gradually move up, to this verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam, 9.24.65

 

yasyanana makara-kundala-caru-karna-

bhrajat-kapola-subhagam savilasa-hasam

nityotsava na tatrpur drsibhih pibantyo

naryo naras ca muditah kupita nimes ca

 

TRANSLATION

Krsna's face is decorated with ornaments, such as earrings resembling

sharks. His ears are beautiful, His cheeks brilliant, and His smiling

attractive to everyone. Whoever sees Lord Krsna sees a festival. His face

and body are fully satisfying for everyone to see, but the devotees are

angry at the creator for the disturbance caused by the momentary blinking

of their eyes.

 

PURPORT

As stated by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (7.3):

manusyanam sahasresu

kascid yatati siddhaye

yatatam api siddhanam

kascin mam vetti tattvatah

Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of

those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth. Unless

one is qualified to understand Krsna, one cannot appreciate the presence

of Krsna on earth. Among the Bhojas, Vrsnis, Andhakas, Pandavas and many

other kings intimately related with Krsna, the intimate relationship

between Krsna and the inhabitants of Vrndavana is especially to be noted.

That relationship is described in this verse by the words nityotsava na

tatrpur drsibhih pibantyah.

The inhabitants of Vrndavana especially, such as the cowherd boys, the

cows, the calves, the gopis and Krsna's father and mother, were never

fully satisfied, although they saw Krsna's beautiful features constantly.

Seeing Krsna is described here as nitya-utsava, a daily festival. The

inhabitants of Vrndavana saw Krsna almost every moment, but when Krsna

left the village for the pasturing grounds, where He tended the cows and

calves, the gopis were very much afflicted because they saw Krsna walking

on the sand and thought that Krsna's lotus feet, which they dared not

place on their breasts because they thought their breasts not soft enough,

were being pierced by broken chips of stone. By even thinking of this, the

gopis were affected, and they cried at home. These gopis, who were

therefore the exalted friends of Krsna, saw Krsna constantly, but because

their eyelids disturbed their vision of Krsna, the gopis condemned the

creator, Lord Brahma. Therefore the beauty of Krsna, especially the beauty

of His face, is described here. At the end of the Ninth Canto, in the

Twenty-fourth Chapter, we find a hint of Krsna's beauty.

Now we are proceeding to the Tenth Canto, which is considered Krsna's

head. The entire Srimad-Bhagavata purana is the embodiment of Krsna's

form, and the Tenth Canto is His face. This verse gives a hint of how

beautiful His face is. Krsna's smiling face, with His cheeks, His lips,

the ornaments in His ears, His chewing of betel nuts--all this was

minutely observed by the gopis, who thus enjoyed transcendental bliss, so

much so that they were never fully satisfied to see Krsna's face, but

instead condemned the creator of the body for making eyelids that

obstructed their vision. The beauty of Krsna's face was therefore much

more appreciated by the gopis than by His friends the cowherd boys or even

by Yasoda Mata, who was also interested in decorating the face of Krsna.

 

MDd