Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.51.23-26
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa's Beauty and His Divine Forms
“As he gazed at the Lord, King Mucukunda saw that He was dark blue like a cloud, had four arms, and wore a yellow silk garment. On His chest He bore the Śrīvatsa mark and on His neck the brilliantly glowing Kaustubha gem. Adorned with a Vaijayantī garland, the Lord displayed His handsome, peaceful face, which attracts the eyes of all mankind with its shark-shaped earrings and affectionately smiling glance. The beauty of His youthful form was unexcelled, and He moved with the nobility of an angry lion. The highly intelligent King was overwhelmed by the Lord’s effulgence, which showed Him to be invincible. Expressing his uncertainty, Mucukunda hesitantly questioned Lord Kṛṣṇa as follows.”
What the purport teaches
- Mucukunda saw the Lord's beautiful four-armed form, dark blue like a cloud and dressed in yellow silk. His peaceful face bore an affectionately smiling glance.
- Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu are nondifferent, and Kṛṣṇa is the original form of the Supreme Lord. He expands Himself into Viṣṇu forms to maintain this world.
- God in His original form is not merely the creator, maintainer, destroyer or punisher, but the infinitely beautiful Godhead enjoying in His own abode. Overwhelmed by His effulgence, Mucukunda wondered whether this was indeed the Supreme Lord.
Try this today
Spend one minute in devotional remembrance of Kṛṣṇa's peaceful face and affectionately smiling glance as described here.
Ask yourself
How does this description deepen your understanding of God beyond His work of maintaining the world?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.