Nowadays, I find myself increasingly cautious sending emails or pinging my friends on messengers. This is not because I am worried about privacy or security, but the dangers of misinterpretation. Occasionally, I have messed up my relationship with others because of reckless choice of words and inconsiderate presentation thoughts. Written communication is considered to be a serious form of communication. It’s archived, allowing us to revisit it in the future. But it’s limited, since it lacks the aid of one’s body language. Small grammatical or spelling mistakes can altogether change the meaning of sentences. And clarification of the written things may not be asked or available immediately.
The use of the emoticons and smileys over the internet has really made it possible to incorporate feelings or mood in a few key strokes. They are extremely popular and are literally everywhere. You just can’t avoid them. Instructions or critique with a smiley conveys it in a much lighter note, which could have otherwise risked feelings of provocation, enmity or worry. Someone appropriately said, “A smile confuses an approaching frown.” You may want somebody to act in a certain manner but do not want to push it on him or her. Sometimes you may be unsure about the authenticity of what you say about a person. Or when you want to say something and at the same time keep it light to trim down its seriousness, just add a smiley and it is all right. A famous comedienne Phyllis Diller once said, “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”
In this world also, whenever we please someone, that person smiles in reciprocation. You offer something nice to someone and he will smile. When you please someone, that person smiles, and that smile is so attractive. When someone wants to take you picture, you are asked to smile, because that smile can attract anyone. Big politicians or movie stars always have a smile on their faces, and we feel, “Oh! He is so nice, she is so beautiful!” When a woman wants to attract a man, all she has to do is smile, and the man becomes totally captivated: “O my God, she likes me, she loves me.” When a man smiles at a woman, she thinks, “Oh! How nice, he has recognized me.” Thus we see that the act of smiling has tremendous ability of affecting people within this existence. One may wonder where this ability originates from.
The Vedic texts explain that the origin of any tendency in this world is to be found in the original absolute truth, Lord Krishna . Janmady asya yato ’nvayad itaratas ca: “The origin of everything is the Supreme Brahman, or Lord Krishna .” We like to dance because Krishna likes to dance; we want to love and be loved because Krishna wants to love and be loved. Similarly this natural tendency to smile when we are pleased is because in originality it exists in Krishna — Krishna smiles when He is pleased.
Krishna ’s enamouring smile is celebrated in so many scriptures and songs of His devotees. Since Krishna is unlimited, His activities also can be explained in numerous ways. In the following paragraphs, I have explained Krishna ’s smile using the acronym S-M-I-L-E. S
– Satisfying: We being spiritual in nature, no material thing can satisfy our heats. The Bhagavad-gita explains its great austerity for mind to be satisfied. The more we try to find satisfaction by gratifying the senses, the more we get frustrated — the mind remains dissatisfied and continues to crave for greater varieties of sensory pleasures. But as soon as we turn our face towards Krishna in a devotional mood, we can immediately experience satisfaction. Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to srimad-Bhagavatam (3.28.33), “The exceptional beauty of the laughter of Lord Vishnu 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.”
M – Mystical for demons, motherly affection for devotees: Materialistic people are captivated by the glaring material energy and her various forms. Desiring to exploit her fully, people
with demonic mentality come up with various schemes and plans to fulfil their selfish enjoyment. This feature of Krishna ’s energy is described as Krishna ’s smile, which bewilders the demonic atheists. Haso janonmada-kari ca maya: “The most alluring illusory material energy is His smile” (Bhagavatam 2.1.31). Srila Prabhupada elaborates in his purport: “This material creation is the result of the Lord’s casting a glance over the material energy, which is described herein as the most alluring illusory energy. The conditioned souls who are allured by such materialism should know that the material temporary creation is simply an imitation of the reality and that those who are captivated by such alluring glances of the Lord are put under the direction of the controller of sinners called Yamaraja. The Lord smiles affectionately, displaying His teeth. The intelligent person who can grasp these truths about the Lord becomes a soul fully surrendered unto Him.”
One such intelligent person was Kuntidevi, who offered heartfelt prayers to Krishna when Krishna was about to depart to Dvaraka. Upon hearing those prayers, Lord Krishna smiled, showering Kunti with His mercy. “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.” Srila Prabhupada explains that Krishna ’s smile with affection for His devotees is like a mother’s affectionate smile for her baby, and that smile makes devotees happy and satisfied.
I – Infectious: Krishna ’s smile has an infectious nature — it can make His devotees smile even in the most trying situations of life.
hasam harer avanatakhila-loka-tivra-
sokasru-sagara-visosanam atyudaram
sammohanaya racitam nija-mayayasya
bhru-mandalam muni-krte makara-dhvajasya:
“A yogi should similarly meditate on the most benevolent smile of Lord sri Hari, a smile which, for all those who bow to Him, dries away the ocean of tears caused by intense grief” (Bhagavatam 3.28.32). The material world is a place of uncertainties, a place where there is danger at every step. One can feel lost and hopeless on many occasions. In such a state, looking at Krishna ’s smile can revive us completely from all miserable situations of life. When Arjuna felt perplexed before the beginning of the Mahabharata war, Lord Krishna smiled at him compassionately, indicating that no problem is big enough that Arjuna cannot cross.
L – Lasting forever: Compared to the plastic smiles that we see on televisions and commercials, Krishna ’s smile is always available to shower the highest mercy upon His devotees. Krishna feels indebted to His devotees for the service rendered by them, and in acknowledgement to that service He smiles in the most enchanting manner that captivates the devotee’s hearts. By looking at that smile, the devotee becomes more enlivened to please Krishna more. In this way, there is a continuous transcendental competition between the Lord and His devotees to please each other.
In our conditioned state of existence, we are unable to see Krishna ’s smile in His spiritual form. Therefore He agrees to come as the arca-vigraha, the Deity form in the temple, which is always smiling at the devotees visiting the temple. That smile has the power to touch our hearts and satisfy all our desires completely.
E – Enchanting: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu considered Krishna ’s smile to be the most attractive feature of His existence.
krsnanga — lavanya-pura, madhura haite sumadhura,
tate yei mukha sudhakara
madhura haite sumadhura, taha ha-ite sumadhura,
tara yei smita jyotsna-bhara
“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 non devotees too.
Let us try to mediate on this most beautiful smile of Krishna so that we are not captivated by the illusory smiles of this world that can never give us the happiness and satisfaction we are hankering for.
Tushar Mundada is a resident monk at ISKCON Pune. He teaches Krishna consciousness to college students.