सत्पुण्डरीकनयनं मेघाभं वैद्युताम्बरम् ।
द्विभुजं ज्ञानमुद्राढ्यं वनमालिनमीश्वरम् ॥
गोपगोपीगवावीतं सुरद्रुमतलाश्रितम् ।
दिव्यालङ्करणोपेतं रक्तपङ्कजमध्यगम् ॥
कालिन्दीजलकल्लोलसङ्गिमारुतसेवितम् ।
चिन्तयंश्चेतसा कृष्णं मुक्तो भवति संसृतेः ॥
sat-puṇḍarīka-nayanaṁ meghābhaṁ vaidyutāmbaram |
dvi-bhujaṁ jñāna-mudrāḍhyaṁ vana-mālinam īśvaram ||
gopa-gopī-gavāvītaṁ sura-druma-talāśritam |
divyālaṅkaraṇopetaṁ rakta-paṅkaja-madhyagam ||
kālindī-jala-kallola-saṅgi-māruta-sevitam |
cintayaṁś cetasā kṛṣṇaṁ mukto bhavati saṁsṛteḥ ||
(Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad: 1.9–11; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 3.107–109, Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 153, Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.2)
“Excellent lotus eyes,
The luster of a cloud,
Cloth like lightning,
Two-arms,
Endowed with the posture of wisdom,
Wearing a forest garland,
Capable,
Surrounded by gopas, gopīs, and cows,
Situated at the base of a sura-tree,
Endued with divine ornaments,
Centered on red lotus [seat],
Attended by breezes
Bearing [the mist from] the waves
Of the waters of the Kālindī—
Meditating with the heart on Kṛṣṇa [in this way],
One becomes liberated from saṁsāra.”
Commentary
Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī cites this verse in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa as the first example of a morning meditation to be performed by sādhakas. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī explains that “the posture of wisdom” (jñāna-mudrā) means a state of silence (mauna), and that a variant of the text is found as mauna-mudrāḍhyam [“Endowed with the posture of silence”]. He further comments that the gopas mentioned in the verse are those led by Śrīdāma and the gopīs mentioned are those led by Rādhā (gopāḥ Śrīdāmādayaḥ; gopyo Rādhādyāḥ).
Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments on this verse in his Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.87.2) as follows:
atra siddha-bhaktānām aprākṛta-buddhīndriyair aprākṛta-puṇḍarīka-megha-vidyutāṁśu-grāhyatvāt tābhir upāmateṣu bhagavan-nayana-vapur-vasaneṣv aprākṛtī tāpanī śrutir bhagavan-nayanādi-varṇayitrī sukhenaiva carati | sādhaka-bhaktānāṁ tu buddhy-ādibhir agrāhyatve’pi tatra prākṛta-puṇḍarīkādi-sādṛśyāropeṇaiva te yathā kathañcid eva buddhiṁ praveśayantaś cittaikāgryeṇāpi vastuto’spṛṣṭa-tad-rūpa-bhāsā api bhagavantaṁ prabhuṁ dhyāyāma ity abhimānino hṛṣyanti, bhagavān apy apāra-kṛpā-taraṅga-vaśād eva ebhir bhaktair ahaṁ dhyāta ity abhimanyamānas, tad-bhakti-paripāke sati tān sva-bhaktān sva-caraṇāntikaṁ sevārtham ānayatīti bhagavat-svarūpasya śruti-gamyatvaṁ tat-kṛpayaiva siddham |
“Here, on account of supramundane (aprākṛta) lotuses, clouds, and lightning bolts being perceptible by the supramundane intellect and senses of siddha-bhaktas, the supramundane Tāpanī Śruti [i.e., the siddha-bhakta who is the author of this śruti], a describer of Bhagavān’s eyes and so forth, with these [i.e., with a supramundane intellect and senses] easily moves between the objects of comparison [i.e., supramundane (aprākṛta) lotuses, clouds, and lightning bolts] and Bhagavān’s eyes, figure, and dress [i.e., a siddha-bhakta can truly meditate on Bhagavān by means of cognizing descriptions comparing Bhagavān’s eyes to lotuses and so forth because such a siddha-bhakta has direct personal experience of both Bhagavān and the supramundane lotuses and so forth in Bhagavān’s divine abode to which Bhagavān is being compared; the meditation performed by such a siddha-bhakta on the basis of such past personal experience is thus factual]. Although, on the contrary, [Bhagavān’s eyes and so forth are] imperceptible by the intellect and so forth of sādhaka-bhaktas, they [i.e., sādhaka-bhaktas] somehow or other cause the intellect to enter [into Bhagavān, i.e., become intent upon Bhagavān] just by ascribing the similarity of mundane (prākṛta) lotuses and so forth [to Bhagavān] even though they actually have not touched [i.e., perceived] even the effulgence of Bhagavān’s form even by one-pointedness of mind [i.e., even if they have attained a state of perfection in meditation], and, fostering the mentality, ‘We are meditating upon Bhagavān, [our] Prabhu,’ [these sādhaka-bhaktas] become delighted. Bhagavān too, simply compelled by waves of boundless grace, fosters the mentality, ‘I am meditated upon by these bhaktas,’ and when maturity of their bhakti comes about, then he brings these bhaktas of himself near his feet for service. The essential nature (svarūpa) of Bhagavān being attainable by Śruti [i.e., by hearing the Śruti-śāstra, wherein descriptions of his nature are found that include comparisons of his appearance to lotuses and so forth] is [thus ultimately] accomplished solely by his grace.”