Part Two: Chapter 4

Chapter 4 ~ Krsna’s Unparalleled Beauty and Opulence

asamānordhva-rūpa-śrī-vismāpita-charācharaḥ

“Kṛṣṇa’s personal beauty and opulence are beyond compare.”

The fourth quality Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī presents as the unique possession of Kṛṣṇa, which no other form or incarnation of the Lord has, is Kṛṣṇa’s incredible beauty: asamānordhva-rūpa-śrīvismāpita- charācharaḥ.

Mad by beauty

How much beauty does Kṛṣṇa have? Kṛṣṇa’s beauty is beyond compare. Kṛṣṇa becomes mad when He sees His own beauty. In Kṛṣṇa’s house there are so many mirrors that sometimes He is afraid to go inside because when He sees His own beauty He forgets Himself. Śrīla Guru Mahārāj said Kṛṣṇa has so much beauty because He is Reality, and Reality’s nature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead—Reality the Beautiful.

śyāmaṁ hiraṇya-paridhiṁ vanamālya-barhadhātu-
pravāla-naṭa-veṣam anavratāṁse
vinyasta-hastam itareṇa dhunānam abjaṁ
karṇotpalālaka-kapola-mukhābja-hāsam
{Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.23.22}

This verse describes the beauty of Kṛṣṇa. “Kṛṣṇa always has a crown with peacock feathers and flowers in it. His cloth is golden and He is always bedecked with flower garlands made from fresh wild flowers. He is always dancing and playing on His flute.” There are no weapons in Vṛndāvan. When Kṛṣṇa killed the various demons—Pūtanā, Vatsāsura, Keśī, etc.—He did it all by hand. Sometimes He uses an arm or leg or another part of His body, but never any weapon.

Also we see in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam {9.24.65}:

yasyānanaṁ makara-kuṇḍala-chāru-karṇa
bhrājat-kapola-subhagaṁ savilāsa-hāsam
nityotsavaṁ na tatṛpur dṛśibhiḥ pibantyo
nāryo narāś cha muditāḥ kupitā nimeś cha

“Kṛṣṇa’s face is so beautiful. It is decorated with ornaments such as earrings that resemble sharks. His ears are beautiful, His cheeks brilliant and His smile is attractive to everyone. Whoever sees Kṛṣṇa sees a festival. Simply by seeing Kṛṣṇa one sees a festival taking place.

“When the demigods are flying in their airplanes with their wives and they see Kṛṣṇa walking through the forest of Vṛndāvan herding His cows and playing His flute, they are having a festival in their airplanes. Kṛṣṇa’s beauty is so overwhelming for everyone that the gopīs are angry at the creator, Lord Brahmā, for making eyes that blink because in that split second they can’t see Kṛṣṇa.”

When the gopīs see Kṛṣṇa and Balarām roaming in the Vṛndāvan forest they say:

mālānupṛkta-paridhāna-vichitra-veśau
madhye virejatur alaṁ paśu-pāla-goṣṭhyāṁ
raṅge yathā naṭa-varau kvacha gāyamānau
{Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.21.8}

“Dressed in a charming variety of garments, decorated with garlands, peacock feathers, lotuses, lilies, newly grown mango sprouts and clusters of flower buds, Kṛṣṇa and Balarām shine forth magnificently among the assembly of cowherd boys. They look just like the best of dancers appearing on a dramatic stage, and sometimes They even sing.”

Unique loveliness

In Śrī Brahmā-saṁhitā there are many ślokas describing Kṛṣṇa’s beauty.

ālola-chandraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśīratnāṅ
gadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam
śyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
{Śrī Brahmā-saṁhitā, 5.31}

Ālola-chandraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī: Kṛṣṇa’s dearest lover has made a vanamālya {forest garland} with peacock feathers and forest flowers and given it to Him. There is nothing else on that garland except forest flowers and peacock feathers gathered from the forest. There are no jewels, diamonds or anything else, only forest flowers and peacock feathers. Ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇaya-kelikalā- vilāsam. Since Kṛṣṇa is playing with the gopīs it is necessary to dress like them. Mother Yaśodā has given Kṛṣṇa some nice dress, golden ornaments, bracelets, ankle bracelets, etc. and He is wearing them and playing with the gopīs.

Śyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśam: Kṛṣṇa’s color is so beautiful that it gives peace to the eyes. It isn’t effulgent like Nārāyaṇ’s. It is soothing the eyes and attracting them like a magnet.

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁbarhāvataṁ
sam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam
kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
{Śrī Brahmā-saṁhitā, 5.30}

Kṛṣṇa’s eyes are like blooming lotus petals and He always has a peacock feather in His hair. His beauty is like the form and color of a blue rain cloud and He charms millions and millions of cupids. Koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobham: when millions of cupids see Kṛṣṇa they faint. His divine form is that beautiful. This is Lord Brahmā’s description so we must believe it.

Alive with the mood of love

In Śrīla Guru Mahārāj’s composition, Śrī Śrī Prema-dhāma-devastotram, he wrote rūpa-rāsa-raṅgaram {verse 2}, Kṛṣṇa’s limbs are “alive with the mood of love that emerges and continually flows from His beautiful form.” His beauty is inconceivable, rūpa-rāsalī lā.

Every part of Kṛṣṇa’s body wants to show itself to other parts. A hand wants to show itself to the other hand. A leg wants to show itself to the mouth and the mouth wants to show itself to other parts. Every part wants to show its beauty to others. All parts of His body want to show their beauty to the other parts.

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti
paśyanti pānti kalayanti chiraṁ jaganti
ānanda-chinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
{Śrī Brahmā-saṁhitā, 5.32}

“With each part of His transcendental body He can do the function of any other part. With any part He maintains and manifests all the universes, both spiritual and material. All the parts of His body are interchangeable, each being as beautiful as any other. His form has that type of truth, beauty and the most dazzling splendor.”

When Kṛṣṇa was present the whole creation was stunned to see His divine form. There were sixteen thousand girls waiting to marry Him. They were arrested by King Jarāsandha, but when they were released, they became mad when they saw Kṛṣṇa. Everyone ran towards Him and gave Him a garland.

We need to search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Reality the Beautiful

Kṛṣṇa is the Cause of all causes. This is essentially explained in the first śloka of Śrī Brahmā-saṁhitā:

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, sach-chid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

Lord Nārāyaṇ or other forms of the Lord do not have such beauty. These are the four qualities Kṛṣṇa has that Nārāyaṇ or other forms or incarnations of the Lord do not have.

Good question, good answer—conclusion

The question about Kṛṣṇa’s unique qualities was a good one and I think the answer was also good because through these topics many things have entered your heart and also through this answer another desire was fulfilled. We are searchers of the spiritual world, of spiritual life and of God, and through these topics we have got a chance to explain something about the glories of Kṛṣṇa. We have received a clue as to whose lotus feet we should worship and who we should take shelter of. There are many demigods and many forms of the Lord—Keśava, Govinda, Dāmodar and many others as well. Mahāprabhu expressed His mind in this way:

kāhāṅ mora prāṇa-nātha muralī-vadana
kāhāṅ karoṅ kāhāṅ pāṅ vrajendra-nandana
{Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya 2.15}

“Where is the Lord of My life who is playing His flute? What shall I do now? Where should I go to find the son of Mahārāj Nanda?”

There is also a śloka in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam {10.8.46}:

nandaḥ kim akarod brahman, śreya evaṁ mahodayam
yaśodā cha mahā-bhāgā, papau yasyāḥ stanaṁ hariḥ

“O Brāhmaṇa, what pious activities did Nanda Mahārāj perform to receive the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa as his son? And what pious activities did mother Yaśodā perform that made the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa call her ‘Mother’ and suck her breasts?”

The supreme benefit of our life

At the opening of the Chandrodaya Mandir in Māyāpur in 1973, I spoke the following śloka:

kaṁ prati kathayitum īśe, samprati ko vā pratītim āyātu
go-pati-tanayā-kuñje, gopa-vadhūṭī-viṭaṁ brahma

{Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya 19.98}

The meaning is, “Whom shall I tell, and who will believe me, when I say the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is playing in the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāj? He is playing with the gopīs and gopa-bālakas on the banks of the Yamunā. He is playing in Śyāma Kuṇḍa, Rādhā Kuṇḍa and in the caves of Girirāj Govardhan. He is fighting in the arena with Kaṁsa. His Pastimes are going on everywhere in madhura Vṛndāvan. If one leaves this area, he cannot go to any other place and find such Pastimes.”

Whoever will hear Kṛṣṇa-līlā will be attracted by Kṛṣṇa. He will never go to any other place. The Name of Kṛṣṇa attracts everyone and gives joy to our hearts. This is the meaning of the word “Kṛṣṇa.”

Chaitanya Mahāprabhu said, Bhaja Kṛṣṇa kaha Kṛṣṇa laha Kṛṣṇa Nāma. This is the way to surrender to Kṛṣṇa: take the Name of Kṛṣṇa, surrender to Kṛṣṇa and give everything to Kṛṣṇa. You will be supremely benefited in your spiritual life. All the Scriptures say this. Never abuse any god or demigod or any incarnation of the Lord, but supremely glorify Lord Kṛṣṇa.

ete chāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ, mṛḍayanti yuge yuge
{Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 1.3.28}

Kṛṣṇa is the Creator of the whole creation. This is stated in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in Śrī Brahmā-saṁhitā. We must
remember this. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, give attention to Kṛṣṇa and
be happy.

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Religion of the Heart ~ His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
© 2006—Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

All Rights Reserved by the Sevaite-President-Acharya of
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Kolerganj, Post Office Nabadwip,
District Nadia, West Bengal, Pin 741302, India.
ISBN: 9780615200323