Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Mukunda-mālā-stotra 8

kara-caraṇa-saroje kāntiman-netra-mīne

śrama-muṣi bhuja-vīci-vyākule 'gādha-mārge

hari-sarasi vigāhyāpīya tejo-jalaughaḿ

bhava-maru-parikhinnaḥ kleśam adya tyajāmi

SYNONYMS

kara — hands; caraṇa — and feet; saroje — whose lotuses; kānti-mat — shining; netra — eyes; mīne — whose fish; śrama — exhaustion; muṣi — robbing; bhuja — of arms; vīci — by waves; vyākule — agitated; agādha — fathomless; mārge — whose movement; hari — of Lord Hari; sarasi — in the lake; vigāhya — by diving; āpīya — drinking fully; tejaḥ — of His splendor; jala — of water; ogham — the flood; bhava — of material existence; maru — in the desert; parikhinnaḥ — worn out; kleśam — distress; adya — today; tyajāmi — I will abandon.

TRANSLATION

The desert of material existence has exhausted me. But today I will cast aside all troubles by diving into the lake of Lord Hari and drinking freely of the abundant waters of His splendor. The lotuses in that lake are His hands and feet, and the fish are His brilliant shining eyes. That lake's water relieves all fatigue and is agitated by the waves His arms create. Its current flows deep beyond fathoming.

PURPORT

In this prayer King Kulaśekhara employs an elaborate metaphor comparing the Lord's all-attractive form to a rejuvenating lake. If a devotee dives into that lake and drinks its waters, all his exhaustion from material life will go away. We simply have to plunge into devotional service by hearing about Kṛṣṇa, chanting His glories, and

remembering Him. Why don't we all do it? It is illusion that makes us think there is no relief here, or that the lake is a mirage. Or, out of foolish attachment to material activities, we may think it's irresponsible to dive into the ocean of pleasure that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Where is that lake?" we think. "I would gladly jump into it if I could find it. But it sounds like the legendary fountain of youth."

When we show the nondevotees the Lord's form and invite them to serve Him, they refuse. They think He's just an ordinary man or a mythical figure. But there is a "lake of Lord Hari," and there are aquatics sporting in it — the Lord's pure devotees, who have no cares or fear or anger or lust. They have dived into that lake and are free of all material exhaustion. In body, mind, and spirit we grow tired, but the waters of this lake relieve all our fatigue.

Elsewhere in the Vedic literature we hear of lakes such as Bindu-sarovara, where Devahūti was revived and made beautiful again after her long austerities. But the effect of immersing oneself in the lake of Lord Hari is not the restoration of youth, which will soon be exhausted again. It is eternal relief from saḿsāra, the repetition of birth and death.

We may attain attraction to the Lord's form by worshiping the Deity in the temple and hearing descriptions of His form in the śāstra. Also, chanting and hearing His names evokes attraction to His form, which the Lord eventually manifests to the pure chanter. As we become attracted to the form of the Lord, we will give up trying to enjoy other forms, an effort that simply leads to exhaustion. We will know then that only Kṛṣṇa can satisfy us.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari