Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c8.s2.39

c8.s2.39

His sixty-four (50+5+5+4) qualities, physical, mental and spiritual, are elaborately defined and illustrated (pp. 229-332). His fifty qualities are: Suramyāṅga (possessing fine symmetrical limbs), sarva-sallakṣaṇānvita (possessed of all the excellent lakṣaṇas or characteristics), rucira (good-looking), tejasvin (powerful and shining), balīyas (strong), vayo'nvita (youthful), vividhādbhuta-bhāṣāvid (acquainted with many and strange languages), satya-vāc (truthful), priyamvada (capable of pleasant speech), vāvadūka (expert in conversation), supaṇḍita (learned and wise), buddhimat (intelligent), pratibhānvita (possessed of genius), vidagdha (well-versed in the arts), catura (ingenious), dakṣa (dexterous and quick), kṛtajña (grateful), sudrḍha-vrata (resolute), daśa-kāla-supātrajña (possessing a knowledge of fit time, place and object), śāstra-cakṣus (acting according to the śāstra), sthira (steadfast), śuci (pure and purifying), vaśin (continent), dānta (capable of suffering), kṣamā-śīla (forgiving), gambhīra (profound), dhṛtimat (contented and placid), sama (equable), vādānya (liberal in gift), dhārmika (dutiful), śūra (brave), karuṇa (compassionate), mānya-māna-kṛt (respectful), vinayin (humble), dakṣiṇa (amiable and well-behaved), hrimat (modest), śaraṇāgata-pālaka (protector), sukhin (happy), bhakta-suhṛt (friend of the devotee), prema-vaśya (controllable by love), sarva-śubhamkara (beneficent to all), pratāpin (subjugator of enemies), kīrtimat (famous), rakta-loka (popular), sādhu-samāśraya (partial to the good), nārī-gaṇa-manohārin (charmer of women), sarvārādhya (pre-eminently adorable), samṛddhimat (prosperous), varīyas (pre-eminent) and īśvara (independent and supreme). The five additional qualities are: sadā-svarūpa-samprāpta (unconditioned), sarvajña (omniscient), nitya-nūtana (ever new), sac-cid-ānanda-sāndrāṅga (having self-existent, self-conscious, blissful compact form), sarva-siddhi-niṣevita (possessed of all powers and perfection). These qualities he shares also with Śiva and Brahmā; but as Nārāyaṇa his five exclusive theological qualities are: avicintya-mahā-śakti (possessed of infinite and indescribable powers), koṭi-brahmāṇḍa-vigraha (container of infinite worlds), avatārāvali-bīja (the seed of incarnations), hatāri-gati-dāyaka (giver of salvation to enemies killed), and ātmārāma-janākarṣin (attractor of the liberated wise). His four special qualities are: līlā (divine sport), prema-priyādhikya (abundance of beloved persons obtained by love), veṇumādhurya (sweetness of his flute) and rūpa-mādhurya (sweetness of his beauty). To these is added a set of eight inherent excellences (sattva-bheda) on the model of the eight Sāttvika excellences of the literary hero (see S.K. De, *Sanskrit Poetics*, 2nd Ed. ii, p.271), only substituting Māṅgalya for Gāmbhīrya. Even if some of these qualities are apparently inconsistent with each other, they can reside without conflicting in Kṛṣṇa as a deity (p. 332). He is also free from eighteen great blemishes which are also enumerated, defined and illustrated (pp. 33f). Among his qualities (physical), his adolescence (Kaiśora) is extolled as the proper and principal (*dharmin*) age for contemplation.