SB 12.9.23 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

महामरकतश्यामं श्रीमद्वदनपङ्कजम् । कम्बुग्रीवं महोरस्कं सुनसं सुन्दरभ्रुवम् ॥ २२ ॥ श्वासैजदलकाभातं कम्बुश्रीकर्णदाडिमम् । विद्रुमाधरभासेषच्छोणायितसुधास्मितम् ॥ २३ ॥ पद्मगर्भारुणापाङ्गं हृद्यहासावलोकनम् । श्वासैजद्वलिसंविग्ननिम्ननाभिदलोदरम् ॥ २४ ॥ चार्वङ्गुलिभ्यां पाणिभ्यामुन्नीय चरणाम्बुजम् । मुखे निधाय विप्रेन्द्रो धयन्तं वीक्ष्य विस्मित: ॥ २५ ॥

Verse text

mahā-marakata-śyāmaṁ śrīmad-vadana-paṅkajam kambu-grīvaṁ mahoraskaṁ su-nasaṁ sundara-bhruvam śvāsaijad-alakābhātaṁ kambu-śrī-karṇa-dāḍimam vidrumādhara-bhāseṣac- choṇāyita-sudhā-smitam padma-garbhāruṇāpāṅgaṁ hṛdya-hāsāvalokanam śvāsaijad-vali-saṁvigna- nimna-nābhi-dalodaram cārv-aṅgulibhyāṁ pāṇibhyām unnīya caraṇāmbujam mukhe nidhāya viprendro dhayantaṁ vīkṣya vismitaḥ

Synonyms

mahā — marakata — like a great emerald ; śyāmam — dark blue ; śrīmat — beautiful ; vadana — paṅkajam — whose lotus face ; kambu — like a conchshell ; grīvam — whose throat ; mahā — broad ; uraskam — whose chest ; su — nasam — having a beautiful nose ; sundara — bhruvam — having beautiful eyebrows ; śvāsa — by His breath ; ejat — trembling ; alaka — with the hair ; ābhātam — splendid ; kambu — like a conchshell ; śrī — beautiful ; karṇa — His ears ; dāḍimam — resembling pomegranate flowers ; vidruma — like coral ; adhara — of His lips ; bhāsā — by the effulgence ; īṣat — slightly ; śoṇāyita — reddened ; sudhā — nectarean ; smitam — His smile ; padma — garbha — like the whorl of a lotus ; aruṇa — reddish ; apāṅgam — the corners of His eyes ; hṛdya — charming ; hāsa — with a smile ; avalokanam — His countenance ; śvāsa — by His breath ; ejat — made to move ; vali — by the lines ; saṁvigna — contorted ; nimna — deep ; nābhi — with His navel ; dala — like a leaf ; udaram — whose abdomen ; cāru — attractive ; aṅgulibhyām — having fingers ; pāṇibhyām — by His two hands ; unnīya — picking up ; caraṇa — ambujam — His lotus foot ; mukhe — in His mouth ; nidhāya — placing ; vipra — indraḥ — the best of brāhmaṇas, Mārkaṇḍeya ; dhayantam — drinking ; vīkṣya — seeing ; vismitaḥ — was amazed .

Translation

The infant’s dark-blue complexion was the color of a flawless emerald, His lotus face shone with a wealth of beauty, and His throat bore marks like the lines on a conchshell. He had a broad chest, a finely shaped nose, beautiful eyebrows, and lovely ears that resembled pomegranate flowers and that had inner folds like a conchshell’s spirals. The corners of His eyes were reddish like the whorl of a lotus, and the effulgence of His corallike lips slightly reddened the nectarean, enchanting smile on His face. As He breathed, His splendid hair trembled and His deep navel became distorted by the moving folds of skin on His abdomen, which resembled a banyan leaf. The exalted brāhmaṇa watched with amazement as the infant took hold of one of His lotus feet with His graceful fingers, placed a toe within His mouth and began to suck.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The infant's dark-blue complexion was the color of a flawless emerald, his lotus face shone with a wealth of beauty, and his throat bore marks like the lines on a conchshell. He had a broad chest, a finely shaped nose, beautiful eyebrows, and lovely ears decorated with pomegranate flowers, having inner folds like a conchshell's spirals. The corners of his eyes were reddish like the whorl of a lotus, and the effulgence of his coral-like lips slightly reddened the sweet, enchanting smile on his face. As he breathed, his splendid hair trembled and his deep navel moved along with the deep folds of skin on his abdomen which was shaped like a banyan leaf. The exalted brāhmaṇa watched with amazement as the infant took hold of one of his lotus feet with his graceful fingers, placed a toe within his mouth, and began to suck. Kakudi means “on a raised area.” He looked splendid with locks of hair trembling because of his breathing. He had pomegranate flowers decorating his ears whose ear folds had the beauty of conches. His abdomen was shaped like a banyan leaf with a deep navel which quivered, and with deep horizontal skin folds which trembled when he breathed. He held his toe and sucked it, thinking, “What is the sweetness of my lotus foot? Since many of my devotees attempt to taste that sweetness, I should also try to taste it.”

Purport

The young child was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Lord Kṛṣṇa wondered, “So many devotees are hankering for the nectar of My lotus feet. Therefore let Me personally experience that nectar.” Thus the Lord, playing like an ordinary baby, began to suck on His toes.