Brahma-samhita 5.29-41

Govindas Spiritual Abode Filled with Cintamani Gems

📅 November 5, 1966 📍 New York ⏱ 45 min
God's transcendental form sees, hears, and sustains all creation through each limb's complete spiritual potency.
Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca

Transcript Preview

Prabhupāda: [sings, accompanied by karatāls] cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣalakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṃ govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi [Bs 5.29] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.] veṇuṃ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣambarhāvataṃsam asitāmbuda-sundarāìgam kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṃ govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi [Bs 5.30] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.] cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣalakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṃ govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi [Bs 5.29] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.] ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṃśīratnāìgadaṃ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam śyāmaṃ tri-bhaìga-lalitaṃ niyata-prakāśaṃ govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi [Bs 5.31] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Śyāmasundara is eternally manifest.] cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣalakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṃ govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi [Bs 5.29] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.] aìgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṃ jaganti ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi [Bs 5.32] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.] Prabhupāda: This verse is particularly important, because it describes the significance of sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1]. [Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.] The Lord's body is sac-cid-ānanda. His body is not like ours. Our body is acit and..., asat, acit and nirānanda, just the opposite. Asat means it will not exist, and acit means it is full of ignorance, and nirānanda...

Nirānanda means full of miseries. These three qualification of our body, whereas the Lord's body is sac-cid-ānanda: it is eternal and full of knowledge and full of bliss. Our body and with our self... My body and my self are different.

But Lord and Lord's body is absolute. What is Lord, Lord's body is also the same. So that description is given here: aìgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. The Lord is not impersonal.

He has got His form. And what sort of form? We should not consider that whenever there is a question of form, the form must be just like one of us. This is foolishness.

Now, His form is completely different, just like we have explained. His form is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, and our this present material body is asat, acit and nirānanda. Just completely different. So His form, His different parts of the body, described in the Vedas, apāṇi-pādo javano grahītā paśyati... [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.19]: [The Supreme Lord has no material hands and feet but accepts whatever is offered to Him and moves very quickly. The Supreme Person has no material ears and eyes but sees and hears everything. He is the knower of everything, and He is all that is to be known. It is said that He is the best and the greatest of all persons.] "He has no hands and legs; still, He accepts all that you offer to Him.'' In the Bhagavad-gītā also we'll find that, patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṃ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ [Bg 9.26] [If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.] "My devotees..." God is not... The Lord is not in need of our offering, but still, He is so kind, if we offer Him something...

Patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyam. Not that we have to offer him very luxurious things, very highly valuable things. He says that even a piece of leaf, patraṃ, a piece of flower, patraṃ puṣpam, a piece of fruit and little water... That means these four things can be secured by any poor man in any part of the world.

There is no botheration for securing a piece of leaf, a piece of flower a little water or a piece of fruit. Any poor man, any rich man can secure. And the Lord says, patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg 9.26]: "Anyone who offers Me these four things with devotion, with love, I accept them." "I accept them." Why? Now, tad ahaṃ bhaktyā upahṛtam aśnāmi: "Because that is secured with sincere love for Me." So God..., the Lord accepts our love. Now, the Lord is... We cannot see.

Krishna ConsciousnessBhaktiPrayerImpersonalismDevotional ServiceKnowledge
← All Srila Prabhupada lectures