Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.24.45-46
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesApproach the Beautiful Lord Through Regulated Service
“The Lord’s beauty resembles a dark cloud during the rainy season. As the rainfall glistens, His bodily features also glisten. Indeed, He is the sum total of all beauty. The Lord has four arms and an exquisitely beautiful face with eyes like lotus petals, a beautiful highly raised nose, a mind-attracting smile, a beautiful forehead and equally beautiful and fully decorated ears.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord’s dark-cloud complexion is deeply pleasing, and His beauty surpasses that of millions of Cupids. Lord Śiva describes the beautiful, opulent four-armed form of Nārāyaṇa, or Viṣṇu.
- Beginning devotees worship through regulative principles, called vidhi-mārga. One should not try to jump to the intimate devotional relationships of Vṛndāvana without this foundation of service.
- All four arms of Lord Viṣṇu are auspicious, whether protecting devotees or overcoming demons. Devotees enter the Vaikuṇṭha planets, while devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are elevated to Goloka Vṛndāvana.
Try this today
Reread the description of the Lord’s four-armed form and spend one quiet minute remembering His beauty.
Ask yourself
How can I value steady, regulated service rather than seek an advanced position prematurely?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.