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Plate 182

Ṣad-Bhuja, the Lord's Six-Armed Form

Thrrillowers of Caitanya Mahapralhu sometimes worship Him in His sx armed(sat bhugja) form. Two arms hold the waterpot and staff of the sannyāsī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, two arms hold the flute of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and two arms hold the bow and arrow of Lord Rāmacandra.

A verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.34) describes the six-armed form of the Lord, for it simultaneously refers to Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Rāmacandra.First, as interpreted for Lord Caitanya, it is translated as follows: "O Mahā-puruṣa, I worship Your lotus feet. You gave up the association of the goddess of fortune [Viṣṇu-priyā-devī] and all her opulence, which is most difficult to renounce and is hankered after by even the great demigods. Being the most faithful follower of the path of religion, You thus left for the forest [i.e., accepted the renounced order of life, sannyāsa] in obedience to a brāhmaṇa's curse. Out of sheer mercy You chased after the fallen, conditioned souls, who are always in pursuit of the false enjoyment of illusion, and at the same time You engaged in searching out Your own desired object [Lord Syāmasundara]."

As interpreted for Lord Rāmacandra, the verse reads as follows: "O Mahā-puruṣa, I worship Your lotus feet. You gave up the royal opulence [of Ayodhyā], which is most difficult to renounce and is hankered after by even the great demigods. Being the most faithful follower of the path of religion, You thus left for the forest [Dandakāranya] in obedience to the words of Your father. There You chased after an illusory deer greatly desired by Your beloved [Sītā-devil."

As interpreted for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the verse reads as follows: "O Mahā-puruṣa, I worship Your lotus feet. You gave up the royal opulence [of Mathurā], which is most difficult to renounce and is hankered after by even the great demigods. Being the most faithful follower of the path of religion, You thus left for the forest [Vṛndāvana] in obedience to the request of Your father and mother. There, acting just like a toy animal, You came under the control of Your beloved Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and to fulfill Her desires You ran here and there in Vṛndāvana."

Painting by PUṢKARA DĀSA (1981)

Ṣad-Bhuja, the Lord's Six-Armed Form