The Charming Smile And The Fascinating Eyebrows...
"A yogī should similarly meditate on the most benevolent smile of Lord Śrī Hari, a smile which, for all those who bow to Him, dries away the ocean of tears caused by intense grief. The yogī should also meditate on the Lord’s arched eyebrows, which are manifested by His internal potency in order to charm the sex-god for the good of the sages."
The entire universe is full of miseries, and therefore the inhabitants of this material universe are always shedding tears out of intense grief. There is a great ocean of water made from such tears, but for one who surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ocean of tears is at once dried up. One need only see the charming smile of the Supreme Lord. In other words, the bereavement of material existence immediately subsides when one sees the charming smile of the Lord.
It is stated in this verse that the charming eyebrows of the Lord are so fascinating that they cause one to forget the charms of sense attraction. The conditioned souls are shackled to material existence because they are captivated by the charms of sense gratification, especially sex life. The sex-god is called Makara-dhvaja. The charming brows of the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect the sages and devotees from being charmed by material lust and sex attraction. Yāmunācārya, a great ācārya, said that ever since he had seen the charming pastimes of the Lord, the charms of sex life had become abominable for him, and the mere thought of sex enjoyment would cause him to spit and turn his face. Thus if anyone wants to be aloof from sex attraction, he must see the charming smile and fascinating eyebrows of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3 Chapter 28 Text 32)
The beauty of Krishna’s smile is the sweetest feature of all. His smile is like a full moon that spreads its rays throughout the three worlds Goloka Vṛndāvana, the spiritual sky of the Vaikuṇṭhas, and Devī-dhāma, the material world. Thus Krishna’s shining beauty spreads in all ten directions.” ~ Chaitanya Charitamrta Madhya 21.139
You laugh at us when you see us awake at night, but why are you not sleeping? You seem absorbed in thoughts of Krsna. Have you also been pierced by Krsna’s smile? His smile is very sweet. One who is pierced by such an arrow is very fortunate.
Characteristics of Krishna’s SMILE
S: Satisfying. Because we are spiritual in nature, nothing of this material world can satisfy our hearts. In the Bhagavad-gita (17.16) Lord Krishna lists satisfaction of the mind as one of the austerities in the mode of goodness. The more we try to find satisfaction in objects of this world, the more our mind becomes dissatisfied and craves for more. But we can experience satisfaction as soon as we turn our face towards Krishna in the attitude of bhakti, devotional service. Srila Prabhupada explains, “The exceptional beauty of the laughter of Lord Viṣṇu is that when He smiles His small teeth, which resemble the buds of jasmine flowers, at once become reddish, reflecting His rosy lips. If the yogi is able to place the beautiful face of the Lord in the core of his heart, he will be completely satisfied.” (Srimad- Bhagavatam 3.28.33, Purport)
M: Mystical, and motherly affection. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.8.44) Sūta Gosvami describes Lord Krishna's response to the prayers of Queen Kunti in this way:
pṛthayetthaṁ kala-padaiḥ
pariṇūtakhilodayaḥ
mandaṁ jahasa vaikuṇṭho
mohayann iva mayaya
“The Lord, thus hearing the prayers of Kuntidevi, composed in choice words for His glorification, mildly smiled. That smile was as enchanting as His mystic power.” Krishna is known as yogeSvara, the supreme master of all mystic powers. By His mystic potency He resides in countless spiritual Vaikuṇṭha planets, He creates and annihilates countless material universes, and He expands into countless spiritual forms to reside simultaneously in every universe. There is no limit to Krishna's mystic potency. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.1.31) “the most alluring illusory material energy” is said to be the smile of the Lord’s universal form. In the spiritual world Krishna's smile is the most attractive spiritual energy. When pervertedly reflected in this world, it takes the form of the material energy, which keeps living entities who are trying to lord over material nature in delusion and binds them with the shackles of lust. But when the living entity wants to serve Krishna , the word mayaya in the verse quoted above, which may refer to His mystic power that bewilders the nondevotee, means “affection.” Srila Prabhupada explains that Krishna smiles with affection for His devotees as a mother smiles with affection for her baby, and Krishna's smile makes devotees very happy and satisfied.
I: Infectious. The Lord’s smile infectiously makes His devotees smile even amid the trying situations of life. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.28.32) Lord Kapila says,
hāsaṁ harer avanatākhila-loka-tīvra-
śokāśru-sāgara-viśoṣaṇam atyudāram
A yogi should meditate on “the most benevolent smile of Lord Sri Hari [Krishna ], a smile which, for all those who bow to Him, dries up the ocean of tears caused by intense grief.” In our lives, too, there are lots of difficulties, uncertainties, and ups and downs, which can make us hopeless or pessimistic. In such a state – when even kith and kin may flee from us, making our whole situation appear gloomy – we need to look at the smiling face of the Lord for hope and redemption. His smile never fades. He has a unique plan for each one of us.
In Bhagavad-gita Arjuna stands on the battlefield and sees his relatives armed against him. Feeling weakness of heart, he loses his composure. But in that grief-stricken state he accepts Lord Krishna as his spiritual master and submits himself before Him. In Lord Krishna's prelude to His counsel, He smiles to show His compassion, and to show that no problem is too big for Him to solve.
Meditation on examples like this one can help us remember the Lord’s promises to His devotees and His inconceivable plan to bring us all closer to Him even in trying situations. We find in the Srimad-Bhagavatam the history of the prostitute Piṅgala, in whose heart detachment arose from frustration. Acknowledging the Lord’s mercy, she became happy in her situation and composed beautiful prayers to Him.
By the infectious nature of Krishna consciousness, the smiles of His pure devotees become so powerful, Srila Prabhupada explained, that simply by smiling they win many disciples, admirers, and followers.
L: Lasting forever: Krishna , along with His most enchanting smile, is always prepared to reciprocate with his devotees. The plastic smiles of this world for fulfilling personal interests do not last forever. When pleased with the service of His devotees, Krishna becomes their debtor. In reciprocation, He smiles. Srila Prabhupada writes,
Devotees do not ask anything from the Lord in exchange for their service. Even the most desirable liberation is refused by devotees, although offered by the Lord. Thus the Lord becomes a kind of debtor to the devotees, and He can only try to repay the devotees’ service with His everenchanting smile. The devotees are ever satisfied by the smiling face of the Lord, and they become enlivened. And by seeing the devotees so enlivened, the Lord Himself is further satisfied. So there is continuous transcendental competition between the Lord and His devotees by such reciprocation of service and acknowledgement. – Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.8.27, Purport
The Lord in His deity form smiles at everyone who comes before Him. And when He becomes pleased with our service and surrender – with our willingness to dedicate our entire being to please Him – then His smile touches our heart and satisfies our self completely.
E: Enchanting. In Sri Caitanyacaritamṛta (Madhya 21.138) Lord Caitanya tells Sanatana Gosvami, “Krishna's body is a city of attractive features, and it is sweeter than sweet. His face, which is like the moon, is sweeter still. And the supremely sweet gentle smile on that moonlike face is like rays of moonshine.” This supremely attractive smile enchants not only devotees, but even nondevotees.