Verse 1.14.41

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.14.41:

দেব-গৃহে করেন যে স্বস্তিক-মণ্ডলী শঙ্খ-চক্র লিখেন হৈযা কুতূহলী ॥ ৪১ ॥

देव-गृहे करेन ये स्वस्तिक-मण्डली शङ्ख-चक्र लिखेन हैया कुतूहली ॥ ४१ ॥

deva-gṛhe karena ye svastika-maṇḍalī śaṅkha-cakra likhena haiyā kutūhalī || 41 ||

deva-grhe karena ye svastika-mandali sankha-cakra likhena haiya kutuhali (41)

English translation:

(41) She would decorate the floor of the temple with drawings of svastikas, conches, and discs.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The phrase svastika-maṇḍalī refers to the drawing of circles or smearing and drawing pictures on Viṣṇu’s temple for His worship. Their characteristics are described in the following Vedic statement quoted in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (Fourth Vibhāga): “A worshiper of Viṣṇu should draw a square within each of the four corners—northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest—of the Lord’s temple, divide each square into sixteen squares, then fill each square with white, yellow, red, and black colored powders. This is called svastika.” Svastika, the drawing of circles, and their glories are described in the Viṣṇu-dharmottara as follows: “One who is intelligent should draw various maṇḍalas such as sarvatobhadras and padmas and various wonderful svastikas in the temple of Hari.” In the Nṛsiṃha Purāṇa it is stated: “One should joyfully cleanse and decorate the temple of Viṣṇu by drawing various maṇḍalas like padmas and svastikas with different attractive colors.” In the Skanda Purāṇa, concerning the month of Kārttika, it is stated: “One who draws

various shapes like sarvatobhadras with clay or other minerals in front of Lord Keśava resides in heaven for one hundred kalpas. One who draws auspicious svastikas in front of śālagrāma, especially in the month of Kārttika, purifies seven generations of his family. A woman who regularly draws maṇḍalas before Lord Keśava does not become a widow for the next seven births. A woman who draws maṇḍalas with cow dung before Lord Keśava is never separated from her husband, children, or wealth. One who decorates the courtyard of Viṣṇu’s temple with various colorful svastikas and pictures enjoys the highest happiness within the three worlds.” It is stated in the Nāradīya Purāṇa: “A person who draws maṇḍalas in the temple of Viṣṇu with either clay, various minerals, various colors, or cow dung attains the form of a demigod who flies in an airplane.” In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya it is said: “One who smears cow dung in the temple of Viṣṇu and draws colorful pictures on it happily resides in the abode of Viṣṇu, where the residents look on him with welcome glances.”

There was a Viṣṇu temple in the Lord’s house. Within the temple the worshipable Śrī Nārāyaṇa forms of Gaṇḍakī-śilā (śālagrāma-śilā) and Gomatī-cakra-śilā (Dvārakā-śilā) were situated as the family Deities. In order to draw auspicious signs within the temple, Lakṣmīdevī drew shapes like conches and cakras throughout the temple, such as on the foundation and walls.