When the mind is perfectly purified by the practice of yoga, one should
meditate on the form of the supreme Personality of God, who resides in
the heart of his devotee. His charming ever-youthful face is smiling, his eyes
are like the inner petals of the lotus flower, and his body looks like the
petals of the blue lotus. His hands hold the conchshell, the disc and the
mace.
His hips are wrapped with a shining cloth, yellow like the center of the lotus
flower, and on his chest one can see a small curl of white hair - the mark of
Srivatsa - and the radiant Kaustubha jewel. His neck is decorated with a
garland of forest flowers, surrounded by buzzing intoxicated bees. He wears
a necklace of pearls, a crown and couples of bracelets, armlets and anklets.
Meditating in this way on the Lord who resides in the heart, the yogi sees
him reclining, moving and sitting with him, and contemplates the various
parts of his body, starting from the lotus feet and the beautiful toenails, that
are red like rubies. The Lord's feet, massaged by Lakshmi Devi, are like
bolts of lightning that can shatter mountains of negative reactions
accumulated in the mind of his devotee.
His legs have a light blue complexion and appear particularly beautiful
when the Lord rides on Garuda. His hips are surrounded by a golden belt
gathering the wonderful yellow silken cloth that reaches down to his ankles.
The Lord's navel, similar to the moon, is the place of birth of the lotus
flower that contains all the planetary systems of the universe and is the
abode of Brahma, the first created being.
The Lord's chest is the resting place of Mahalakshmi, his nipples are like
emeralds illuminated by the necklace of milk-white pearls. The four arms of
the Lord are the source of the power of all the Devas. His disc, the
Sudarshana chakra, has one thousand rays and shines dazzlingly, and his
conchshell looks like a swan resting in his lotus hand. His Kaumodaki mace
is very dear to him, and is covered with the blood of the Asuras. The pearl
necklace on the Lord's neck represents the pure souls who are constantly
engaged in his service.
The Lord's face is surrounded by his dark curly hair and his eyebrows move
like two fishes swimming in a pond. His glance is compassionate and
affectionate, and dissipates all anxieties and sufferings in his devotees. Hissmile dries out the tears of anguish in those who bow to him. When Vishnu
laughs, his teeth, similar to jasmine buds, shine with a rosy hue from his
lips.
Thus meditating intimately on the Person of the Lord, the yogi develops
pure love for him and manifests ecstatic symptoms, such as the raising of
hairs and tears of joy. Focused on the Lord, the mind remains free from all
contamination, firm like the flame of a lamp that is not disturbed by the
wind, and does not care any longer for the material body. There is no more
sense of possession towards the relationships of the body, and the bodily
activities are felt as if performed in a dream.
There are three types of devotional service, according to the personal
qualities of the devotee. Service performed by an envious, arrogant, violent
and angry person, who has a sectarian mentality, is under the influence of
ignorance. Service offered in hope to obtain pleasure, fame and wealth for
oneself is under the influence of passion. When a devotee worships the
Lord offering him the result of his activities, to become free from
attachments, his service is under the influence of goodness.
Pure devotional service, that is above the gunas, is recognized by the
spontaneous and joyful attraction towards the Lord, that can be compared
to the flow of the Ganges, spontaneously rushing to the ocean because of
its own nature.
The pure devotee offers worship and prayers to the Deities in the temples,
but treats all living entities with equal benevolence, only considering their
spiritual nature. He must be compassionate to the needy, friendly with his
peers and respectful to the great souls. He must engage as much as possible
in listening about spiritual thing and in reciting the name of the Lord,
avoiding the company of materialists.
One who offers worship to the Deity in the temple but does not perceive
the Supreme Soul in the hearts of all beings and is hostile or offensive
towards the bodies of others is immersed in ignorance and his service is
compared to pouring oblations of clarified butter into ashes rather than in
the fire. The Lord is never pleased by such service and does not accept it
even if it is performed with technically perfect rituals and using all the
required ingredients.
Actually, the Lord puts a terrible fear of death in theheart of anyone who
makes even the smallest discrimination based on
bodily differences between himself and other living beings.
