Verse 2.3.177

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.3.177:

प्रभोः कृपा-पूर-बलेन भक्तेः प्रभावतो वा खलु दर्शनं स्यात् ।
अतः परिच्छिन्न-दृशापि सिद्ध्येन् निरन्तरं तन् मनसैव सम्यक् ॥ १७७ ॥

prabhoḥ kṛpā-pūra-balena bhakteḥ prabhāvato vā khalu darśanaṃ syāt |
ataḥ paricchinna-dṛśāpi siddhyen nirantaraṃ tan manasaiva samyak || 177 ||

prabhoḥ–of the Lord; kṛpā–of mercy; pūra–a flood; balena–by the power; bhakteḥ–of devotional service; prabhāvataḥ–by the power; vā–or; khalu–indeed; darśanam–vision; syāt–may be; ataḥ–then; paricchinna dṛśā–with limited eyes; api–also; sidhyet–may be effected; nirantaram–constant; tat–that; manasā–by the mind; iva–as if; samyak–thorough.

By the power of the Lord’s abundant mercy or by the influence of bhakti, the Lord can be seen even with the limited material eyes. That vision is as constant and thorough as that held in vision of the mind.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Śrī Gopa-kumāra might posit, “Even if one sees Bhagavān with his eyes, which are limited in function and small in size, at times the Lord may disappear from one’s sight and one will experience separation from Him. However, when one receives darśana of Bhagavān in the mind, no obstacle comes to frustrate the bliss of seeing Him. This is because the mind, due to the potency of being subtle, is allpervading.”

To dispel this apprehension, the Vaikuṇṭha associates speak this verse beginning with prabhoḥ, concluding their commentary on the opinion of Pippalāyana. They say, “Without the Lord’s mercy one cannot see Him. Whether divine vision comes by His grace or by the influence of bhakti, without mercy, there is no darśana. This being the case, one can then say that the material eyes and the mind are equally qualified to receive continuous and complete darśana of Bhagavān.”

Alternatively, the Vaikuṇṭha associates are speaking about the magnificence and power of Bhagavān’s mercy. To show the glories of bhakti, which is unlimitedly powerful, in the reasoning mentioned above, it is said that vision of the Lord is to be had by the influence of bhakti alone.

“Therefore, the limited sense of vision has the ability to see the full beauty of all the limbs of Bhagavān without any hindrance, just as that beauty is seen in the vision of the all-pervading, subtle mind.”