Verse 2.1.73

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.1.73:

शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-पद्म-विभूषित-चतुर्-भुजः ।
न मद्-देवस् ततः कस्मात् प्रतीयेत स माधवः ॥ ७३ ॥

śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma-vibhūṣita-catur-bhujaḥ |
na mad-devas tataḥ kasmāt pratīyeta sa mādhavaḥ || 73 ||

śaṅkha–with conchshell; cakra–disc; gadā–club; padma–and lotus; vibhūṣita–decorated; catuḥ–four; bhujaḥ–arms; na–not; mat–my; devaḥ–worshipable Lord; tataḥ–then; kasmāt–how?; pratīyeta–can He appear; saḥ–He; mādhavaḥ–Śrī Mādhava.

“The Deity of Lord Śrī Mādhava’s four arms are decorated with a conchshell, disc, club, and lotus. However, my worshipable Lord is not like Him. Therefore, how can my Lord be Śrī Mādhava? How I can repose my faith for my worshipable Deity in Śrī Mādhava?

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

The reason for the brāhmaṇa’s distress is being explained in two-and-a-half verses, beginning here with śaṅkha. In these verses, he is thinking, “My worshipable Deity does not have four arms adorned with conchshell, disc, etc., but Śrī Mādhava has four arms that are holding those symbols. The scriptures also describe the characteristics of the Deity of Śrī Mādhava as follows: ‘gadā-śaṅkhacakra-padman bibhran mādhava ucyate–One who holds a mace

(gadā), conch (śaṅkha), disc (cakra), and lotus (padma) is Śrī Mādhava.’ Since Śrī Mādhava is different from my worshipable Lord, how can I believe that He is truly my worshipable Lord? Factually, I am unable to have this faith.”