Verse 2.3.182

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.3.182:

कृष्णस्य साक्षाद् अपि जायते यत् केषाञ्चिद् अक्षि-द्वय-मीलनादि ।
ध्यानं न तत् किन्तु मुदां भरेण कम्पादिवत् प्रेम-विकार एषः ॥ १८२ ॥

kṛṣṇasya sākṣād api jāyate yat keṣāñcid akṣi-dvaya-mīlanādi |
dhyānaṃ na tat kintu mudāṃ bhareṇa kampādivat prema-vikāra eṣaḥ || 182 ||

kṛṣṇasya–of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; sākṣāt–directly; api–even; jāyate–is born; yat–which; keṣāñcit–for some persons; akṣi-dvaya–of the two eyes; mīlana–closing; ādi–and so forth; dhyānam–meditation; na–not; tat–that; kintu–however; mudām–happiness; bhareṇa–with profuse; kampa–trembling; ādi–and so forth; vat–like; premavikāraḥ–a transformation due to love; eṣaḥ–this.

If someone closes his eyes upon directly seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa, it may seem like meditation, but actually, it is not. Rather, you should understand this closing of the eyes to be an ecstatic transformation of prema. Such transformations include trembling and so forth, and are experienced out of overflowing bliss.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.15.44) states:

ते वा अमुष्य वदनासित-पद्म-कोशम् उद्वीक्ष्य सुन्दरतराधर-कुन्द-हासम्
लब्धाशिषः पुनर् अवेक्ष्य तदीयम् अङ्घ्रि द्वन्द्वं नखारुण-मणि-श्रयणं निदध्युः

te vā amuṣya vadanāsita-padma-kośam udvīkṣya sundaratarādhara-kunda-hāsam
labdhāśiṣaḥ punar avekṣya tadīyam aṅghri dvandvaṃ nakhāruṇa-maṇi-śrayaṇaṃ nidadhyuḥ

Śrī Sanaka and his brothers, the best of yogīs, looked up and became very pleased to see the blue lotus of Śrī Bhagavān’s face, with His attractive reddish lips and sweet smile that resembled kunda (jasmine) flowers. Then they looked down and saw His lotus feet, reddish in color, with toenails that resembled jewels. Desiring to experience the treasure of the beauty of His full body all at once, they repeatedly glanced up and down. However, because it is impossible to see up and down simultaneously, their desire was frustrated. Thus, they closed their eyes and entered into meditation, whereupon Śrī Bhagavān let them witness His whole body–that treasure of loveliness–all at once.

Śrī Gopa-kumāra might question, “From this narration, we hear about Śrī Sanaka and his brothers entering into meditation even after seeing Bhagavān directly before them in Vaikuṇṭha. From this, it seems that meditation is superior to direct darśana.”

To clarify their standpoint on this matter, the Vaikuṇṭha associates speak this verse beginning with kṛṣṇasya. They say, “In this case, closing of the eyes despite having directly seen Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot be regarded as dhyāna, because the actual fruit of meditation is to obtain the desired object, namely direct darśana of the Lord. Activities such as closing the eyes should be understood to be a transformation of pure love (prema-vikāra), or as one of the external symptoms of prema. Symptoms such as perspiring, horripilation, shedding tears, and trembling are generated from the great joy of meeting Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In this instance, closing of the eyes appears like meditation (dhyāna), and therefore it is addressed as such, but in fact it is not. Thus, the superiority of directly seeing the Lord is established.”