Verse 1.2.98

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.2.98:

समान-महिम-श्रीमत्-परिवार-गणावृतः ।
महा-विभूतिमान् भाति सत्-परिच्छद-मण्डितः ॥
श्रीमत्-सङ्कर्षणं स्वस्माद् अभिन्नं तत्र सोऽर्चयन् ।
निजेष्ट-देवतात्वेन किं वा नातनुतेऽद्भुतम् ॥ ९८ ॥

samāna-mahima-śrīmat-parivāra-gaṇāvṛtaḥ |
mahā-vibhūtimān bhāti sat-paricchada-maṇḍitaḥ ||
śrīmat-saṅkarṣaṇaṃ svasmād abhinnaṃ tatra so'rcayan |
nijeṣṭa-devatātvena kiṃ vā nātanute'dbhutam || 98 ||

On that planet Śrī Mahādeva resides, surrounded by his similar dignitaries and glorious associates who are adorned with regal opulences like umbrellas, camaras and fine garments. There he worships Śrī Saṅkarṣana-deva, who is nondifferent from himself. He is worshipping Śrī Saṅkarṣana as his iṣṭa-deva there, spreading his wonderful glories that are impossible to describe.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Incomparable opulence and beauty embellish all of Śrīman Mahādeva’s devotees. The unique glories of Śrī Śiva and his family associates that completely surround him are his wonderfully decorated umbrella, cāmara fans, beautifully endowed garments and so on. Please listen to more. Mahādeva himself is endowed with unique opulences, that is, with artha, dharma, kāma, mokṣa and bhakti, and surrounded by eternal, factual, variegated homes and airplanes. All these associates are also replete with great opulences, and with an accumulative wealth superior to Brahmā and other demigods.

Again, Śrī Mahādeva, who engages himself in the devotional service of Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa-deva, resides on this planet. In what manner is Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa manifest there? Śrīmat Saṅkarṣaṇa is that Bhagavān with thousands of garlanded hoods. He is worshipable as the personal Lord of the heart (nijeṣṭa-deva) of Śrī Mahādeva, and he expands the worship of His supreme wonderful glories. On the other hand, what is not evident about such wonderful astonishment? How are all those astonishing moods increasing? How does he worship his venerable Lord (iṣṭa-deva)?

Although Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa and Śrī Mahādeva are both celebrated as incarnations of Śrī Bhagavān, still the source of destruction is Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa. By holding both the post and cause as the controller of tamo-guṇa, they are nondifferent. However, Śrī Mahādeva, although being nondifferent in this manner, astonishes everyone by performing worship of his adorable deity. At the time of worshipping his deity he performs a wonderful festival of praise, dance and so on. The reason for this special bliss is that he is worshipping Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa, who is nondifferent from himself as his worshipable deity. This topic of performing worship of his iṣṭa-deva Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa by Śrī Śiva is described in the Fifth Canto by Śrī Śukadeva.