As Gopa-kumāra travelled ever higher through the universe, wherever he went, the residents, abodes, and presiding deities were ever more beautiful. The same gradation of beauty was observed when he entered the spiritual sky and travelled from Mahakala-pura to Vaikuntha, and finally to Vraja. Lord Nārāyaṇa had lotus feet, and Kṛṣṇa had lotus feet, but based on Gopa-kumara's experience, the two sets of feet were not equally beautiful. Those of the latter were much more beautiful than those of the former. This exemplifies how there are degrees of beauty.
And then there is the understanding that beauty is in the eye of the behold-er, or in Kṛṣṇa's words, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante, which can be paraphrased as,
According to the observer's devotion, I reward them with a corresponding vision of my beauty. (Bg. 4.11)
In the Brahma-saṁhitā verse beginning with premāñjana-cchurita, Lord Brahmā also confirms that only a devotee with prema can see Kṛṣṇa's incon-ceivable beauty, while lesser devotees see only according to their devotion. (Brahma-samhitā 5.38.)
Astute sādhakas thus bear in mind the limitations their undeveloped devo-tion places upon appreciating the Lord's beauty. What they see is a part of the reality-a small part. A comparable limitation exists for siddhas. In their case, perception of beauty is governed by relationship, rāsa.
The relative superiority of mellows indicates that Śrīdāmā, Yaśodā, and Lalitā see increasing grades of beauty in Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the hierarchy of the gopīs' love means that among Ratī, Lalitā, and Rādhā, only the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu tastes Kṛṣṇa's beauty in its full splendour.
H.H. Śivarāma Swami, Vilāpa-kusumāñjali, page 248.
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