Text 50] Brahma Stealing the Boys and Calves 53

candrika-visada-smeraih—by pure smiling like the full, increasing
moonlight; sa-aruna-aparga-viksitaih—by the clear glances of Their
reddish eyes; svaka-arthandm—of the desires of His own devotees;
iva—just as; rajah-sattvabhyam—by the modes of passion and good-
ness; srastr-palakah—were creators and protectors.

TRANSLATION

Those Visnu forms, by Their pure smiling, which resembled the
increasing light of the moon, and by the sidelong glances of Their
reddish eyes, created and protected the desires of Their own devo-
tees, as if by the modes of passion and goodness.

PURPORT

Those Visnu forms blessed the devotees with Their clear glances and
smiles, which resembled the increasingly full light of the moon (sreyah-
kairava-candrika-vitaranam). As maintainers, They glanced upon Their
devotees, embracing them and protecting them by smiling. Their smiles
resembled the mode of goodness, protecting all the desires of the devo-
tees, and the glancing of Their eyes resembled the mode of passion. Ac-
tually, in this verse the word rajah means not “passion” but “‘affection.”
In the material world, rajo-guna is passion, but in the spiritual world it is
affection. In the material world, affection is contaminated by rajo-guna
and tamo-guna, but in the Suddha-sattva the affection that maintains the
devotees is transcendental.

The word svakarthanam refers to great desires. As mentioned in this
verse, the glance of Lord Visnu creates the desires of the devotees. A
pure devotee, however, has no desires. Therefore Sanatana Gosvami
comments that because the desires of devotees whose attention is fixed on
Krsna have already been fulfilled, the Lord’s sidelong glances create
variegated desires in relation to Krsna and devotional service. In the ma-
terial world, desire is a product of rajo-guna and tamo-guna, but desire
in the spiritual world gives rise to a variety of everlasting transcendental
service. Thus the word svakarthdnam refers to eagerness to serve Krsna.

In Vrndavana there is a place where there was no temple, but a devo-
tee desired, ‘‘Let there be a temple and sevd, devotional service.”
Therefore, what was once an empty corner has now become a place of
pilgrimage. Such are the desires of a devotee.
