नासाद्यकर्णनयनाभरणायुधाढ्यम् ।
मायामयं सदुपलक्षितसन्निवेशं
दृष्ट्वा महापुरुषमाप मुदं विरिञ्चः ॥३६॥
evaá¹ sahasra-vadanÄá¹…ghri-Å›iraḥ-karoru-
nÄsÄdya-karṇa-nayanÄbharaṇÄyudhÄá¸hyam
mÄyÄmayaá¹ sad-upalaká¹£ita-sanniveÅ›aá¹
dṛṣá¹vÄ mahÄ-puruá¹£am Äpa mudaá¹ viriñcaḥ
1 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: LSB(1)
evam - in this way; sahasra - thousands and thousands; vadana - faces; aá¹…ghri - feet; Å›iraḥ - heads; kara - hands; uru - thighs; nÄsa-Ädya - noses, etc.; karṇa - ears; nayana - eyes; Äbharaṇa - varieties of ornaments; Äyudha - varieties of weapons; Äá¸hyam - endowed with; mÄyÄ-mayam - all demonstrated by unlimited potency; sat-upalaká¹£ita - appearing in different symptoms; sanniveÅ›am - combined together; dṛṣá¹vÄ - seeing; mahÄ-puruá¹£am - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Äpa - achieved; mudam - transcendental bliss; viriñcaḥ - Lord BrahmÄ.
Lord BrahmÄ could then see You possessing thousands and thousands of faces, feet, heads, hands, thighs, noses, ears and eyes. You were very nicely dressed, being decorated and bedecked with varieties of ornaments and weapons. Seeing You in the form of Lord Viṣṇu, Your symptoms and form being transcendental, Your legs extending from the lower planets, Lord BrahmÄ achieved transcendental bliss.
Lord BrahmÄ, being completely pure, could see the original form of the Lord as Viṣṇu, having many thousands of faces and forms. This process is called self-realization. Genuine self-realization consists not of perceiving the impersonal effulgence of the Lord, but seeing face to face the transcendental form of the Lord. As distinctly mentioned here, Lord BrahmÄ saw the Supreme Lord as mahÄ-puruá¹£a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Arjuna also saw Kṛṣṇa in this same way. Therefore he told the Lord, paraá¹ brahma paraá¹ dhÄma pavitraá¹ paramaá¹ bhavÄn puruá¹£aá¹ Å›ÄÅ›vataá¹ divyam: “You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person.†The Lord is parama-puruá¹£a, the supreme form. Puruá¹£aá¹ Å›ÄÅ›vatam: He is everlastingly the supreme enjoyer. It is not that the impersonal Brahman assumes a form; on the contrary, the impersonal Brahman effulgence is an emanation from the supreme form of the Lord. Upon being purified, BrahmÄ could see the supreme form of the Lord. The impersonal Brahman cannot have heads, noses, ears, hands and legs. This is not possible, for these are attributes of the Lord’s form.
The word mÄyÄmayam means “spiritual knowledge.†This is explained by MadhvÄcÄrya. MÄyÄmayaá¹ jñÄna-svarÅ«pam. The word mÄyÄmayam, describing the Lord’s form, should not be taken to mean illusion. Rather, the Lord’s form is factual, and seeing this form is the result of perfect knowledge. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ: bahÅ«nÄá¹ janmanÄm ante jñÄnavÄn mÄá¹ prapadyate. The word jñÄnavÄn refers to one who is perfectly in knowledge. Such a person can see the Personality of Godhead, and therefore he surrenders unto the Lord. The Lord’s being symptomized by a face, nose, ears and so on is eternal. Without such a form, no one can be blissful. The Lord, however, is sac-cid-Änanda-vigraha, as stated in the Å›Ästra (Ä«Å›varaḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-Änanda-vigrahaḥ). When one is in perfect transcendental bliss, he can see the Lord’s supreme form (vigraha). In this regard, ÅšrÄ«la MadhvÄcÄrya says:
gandhÄkhyÄ devatÄ yadvat
pá¹›thivÄ«á¹ vyÄpya tiá¹£á¹hati
evaá¹ vyÄptaá¹ jagad viṣṇuá¹
brahmÄtma-sthaá¹ dadarÅ›a ha
Lord BrahmÄ saw that as aromas and colors spread throughout the earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead pervades the cosmic manifestation in a subtle form.
