Text 29] Kapila’s Instructions on Devotional Service 1207
yad visphuran-makara-kundala-valgitena
vidyotitamala-kapolam udara-nadsam

bhrtya—for the devotees; anukampita-dhiya—out of compassion; tha—in
this world; grhita-mirteh—who presents different forms; saficintayet—one
should meditate on; bhagavatah—of the Personality of Godhead; vadana—
countenance; aravindam—lotuslike; yad—which; visphuran— glittering;
makara—alligator-shaped; kundala—of His earrings; valgitena—by the oscil-
lation; vidyotita—illuminated; amala—crystal clear; kapolam—His cheeks;
udara— prominent; nasam— His nose.

TRANSLATION

The yogi should then meditate on the lotuslike countenance of the
Lord, who presents His different forms in this world out of compassion
for the anxious devotees. His nose is prominent, and His crystal-clear
cheeks are illuminated by the oscillation of His glittering alligator-shaped
earrings.

PURPORT

The Lord descends to the material world out of His deep compassion
for His devotees. There are two reasons for the Lord’s appearance or
incarnation in the material world. Whenever there is a discrepancy in the
discharge of religious principles and prominence of irreligion, the Lord
descends for the protection of the devotees and the destruction of the
nondevotees. When He appears, His main purpose is to give solace to His
devotees. He does not have to come Himself to destroy the demons, for
He has many agents; even the external energy, maya, has sufficient strength
to kill them. But when He comes to show compassion to His devotees, He
kills the nondevotees as a matter of course.

The Lord appears in the particular form loved by a particular type of
devotee. There are millions of forms of the Lord, but they are one
Absolute. As stated in the Brahma-samhita, advaitam acyutam anadim
ananta-riipam: all the different forms of the Lord are one, but some
devotees want to see Him in the form of Radha and Krsna, others prefer
Him as Sita and Ramacandra, others would see Him as Laksmi-Narayana
and others want to see Him as four-handed Narayana, Vasudeva. The Lord
has innumerable forms, and He appears in a particular form as preferred by
a particular type of devotee. A yogi is advised to meditate upon the forms
that are approved by devotees. A yogi cannot imagine a form for
meditation. Those so-called yogis who manufacture a circle or target are
