Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 9
The Lord Appears as a Beautiful Woman to Distribute the Nectar
This chapter describes how the demons, being enchanted by the beauty of the Mohinī form, agreed to hand over the container of nectar to Mohinīdevī, who tactfully delivered it to the demigods.
When the demons got possession of the container of nectar, an extraordinarily beautiful young woman appeared before them. All the demons became captivated by the young woman's beauty and became attached to Her. Now, because the demons were fighting among themselves to possess the nectar, they selected this beautiful woman as a mediator to settle their quarrel. Taking advantage of their weakness in this regard, Mohinī, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, got the demons to promise that whatever decision She might give, they would not refuse to accept it. When the demons made this promise, the beautiful woman, Mohinī-mūrti, had the demigods and demons sit in different lines so that She could distribute the nectar. She knew that the demons were quite unfit to drink the nectar. Therefore, by cheating them She distributed all the nectar to the demigods. When the demons saw this cheating of Mohinī-mūrti, they remained silent. But one demon, named Rāhu, dressed himself like a demigod and sat down in the line of the demigods. He sat beside the sun and the moon. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead understood how Rāhu was cheating, He immediately cut off the demon's head. Rāhu, however, had already tasted the nectar, and therefore although his head was severed, he remained alive. After the demigods finished drinking the nectar, the Supreme Personality of Godhead assumed His own form. Śukadeva Gosvāmī ends this chapter by describing how powerful is the chanting of the holy names, pastimes and paraphernalia of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
8.9.1
harantas tyakta-sauhṛdāḥ
kṣipanto dasyu-dharmāṇa
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'As they, the Asuras, among themselves were snatching the nectar from one another tossing it to and fro and thus, behaving like thieves, grew very inimical, saw they [the Lord in the form of] a very beautiful woman [called Mohinî-mûrti] coming towards them.
8.9.2
(2) 'What a body, what a luster and what a beauty of youth She has!' so they said, in their hearts lusting to sleep with her as they hurried for her attention.
8.9.3
kuto vā kiḿ cikīrṣasi
(3) 'Who are you with your lotus petal eyes and whence and why did you come here; to whom, o beautiful thighs upsetting our minds, do you belong, please tell us!
The demons inquired from the wonderfully beautiful girl, "To whom do You belong?" A woman is supposed to belong to her father before her marriage, to her husband after her marriage, and to her grown sons in her old age. In regard to this inquiry, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that the question "To whom do You belong?" means "Whose daughter are You?" Since the demons could understand that the beautiful girl was still unmarried, every one of them desired to marry Her. Thus they inquired, "Whose daughter are You?"
8.9.4
nāspṛṣṭa-pūrvāḿ jānīmo
(4) Nor we, nor any godly person, demon, perfected one, creature of heaven or venerable one has ever laid hands on you and known you, not to mention any local master of the human society.
Even the asuras observed the etiquette that no one should address a married woman with lust. The great analyst Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, mātṛvat para-dāreṣu: one should consider another's wife to be one's mother. The asuras, the demons, took it for granted that the beautiful young woman, Mohinī-mūrti, who had arrived before them, was certainly not married. Therefore they assumed that no one in the world, including the demigods, the Gandharvas, the Cāraṇas and the Siddhas, had ever touched Her. The demons knew that the young girl was unmarried, and therefore they dared to address Her. They supposed that the young girl, Mohinī-mūrti, had come there to find a husband among all those present (the Daityas, the demigods, the Gandharvas and so on).
8.9.5
preṣitāsi śarīriṇām
(5) We may thank providence, o beautiful eyebrows, for sending you; isn't your mercy there to bring what pleases the senses and minds of all who are of flesh and blood?
8.9.6
(6) O smashing lady, could you be our luck to settle the mounting differences between us who as family members are more and more of enmity over this one issue [of the nectar], o slim beauty?
8.9.7
(7) Make it so that you with all of us, able and competent brothers that are the descendants of Kas'yapa, are sure to divide [the nectar] justly without any partiality.'
8.9.8
ity upāmantrito daityair
prahasya rucirāpāńgair
(8) As a mature woman looking at them with an enchanting smile, addressed the illusion of feminine beauty that was an incarnation of the Lord, thus the Daityas who were urging for it.
8.9.9
(9) The Supreme Lord said: 'How can it be that you all, descendants of Kas'yapa, put faith in associating with an eye-catcher like Me; to be enamoured with women is something one never finds with the wise!
Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the great politician and moral instructor, said, viśvāso naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca: "Never put your faith in a woman or a politician." Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was pretending to be a woman, warned the demons against putting so much faith in Her, for She had appeared as an attractive woman ultimately to cheat them. Indirectly disclosing the purpose for which She had appeared before them, She said to the sons of Kaśyapa, "How is this? You were all born of a great ṛṣi, yet you are putting your faith in a woman who is loitering here and there like a prostitute, unprotected by father or husband. Women in general should not be trusted, and what to speak of a woman loitering like a prostitute?" The word kāminī is significant in this connection. Women, especially beautiful young women, invoke the dormant lusty desires of a man. Therefore, according to Manu-saḿhitā, every woman should be protected, either by her husband, by her father or by her grown sons. Without such protection, a woman will be exploited. Indeed, women like to be exploited by men. As soon as a woman is exploited by a man, she becomes a common prostitute. This is explained by Mohinī-mūrti, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
8.9.10
sakhyāny āhur anityāni
(10) They all agree that monkeys and dogs, o enemies of the Suras, and especially independent women, are fickle in their relationships, always looking for a newer and newer mate.'
8.9.11
jahasur bhāva-gambhīraḿ
daduś cāmṛta-bhājanam
(11) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus sporting with them made She all the Asuras laugh who, despite of her serious demeanor cherished her in their minds, and so they handed over the jar of nectar.
The Personality of Godhead in His form of Mohinī was certainly not joking but talking seriously, with gravity. The demons, however, being captivated by Mohinī-mūrti's bodily features, took Her words as a joke and confidently delivered the container of nectar into Her hands. Thus Mohinī-mūrti resembles Lord Buddha, who appeared sammohāya sura-dviṣām [SB 1.3.24] — to cheat the asuras. The word sura-dviṣām refers to those who are envious of the demigods or devotees. Sometimes an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cheats the atheists. Thus we see here that although Mohinī-mūrti was speaking factually to the asuras, the asuras took Her words to be facetious. Indeed, they were so confident of Mohinī-mūrti's honesty that they immediately delivered the container of nectar into Her hands, as if they would allow Her to do with the nectar whatever She liked, whether She distributed it, threw it away or drank it Herself without giving it to them.
8.9.12
tato gṛhītvāmṛta-bhājanaḿ harir
yady abhyupetaḿ kva ca sādhv asādhu vā
(12) Next taking hold of the amrit container spoke the Lord with a painted smile to all His beauty and words: 'If you promise to accept whatever I may do, honest or not, then I'll give each his share of this nectar.' 8.9.13
ity abhivyāhṛtaḿ tasyā
ākarṇyāsura-puńgavāḥ
apramāṇa-vidas tasyās
tat tathety anvamaḿsata
(13) Having heard her consented they, the chiefs of the Asuras all full of her, to the words thus spoken and said they: 'So be it!'
8.9.14-15
yathopajoṣaḿ vāsāḿsi
paridhāyāhatāni te
prāg-agreṣv abhibhūṣitāḥ
(14-15) They then observed a fast, bathed, offered oblations of ghee into the fire, were of charity towards the cows, the brahmins and each and everyone, performed they ceremonies according the brahmin precept, dressed they up to their taste with the newest and finest and sat they all in full ornate down on kus'a seats that all faced the east.
The Vedas enjoin that for every ritualistic ceremony one must first become clean by bathing either in the water of the Ganges or Yamunā or in the sea. Then one may perform the ritualistic ceremony and offer clarified butter into the fire. In this verse the words paridhāya āhatāni are especially significant. A sannyāsī or a person about to perform a ritualistic ceremony should not dress himself in clothing sewn with a needle.
8.9.16-17
prāń-mukheṣūpaviṣṭeṣu
dhūpāmodita-śālāyāḿ
(16-17) With all the Suras and Daityas, with their faces thus sitting to the east, all dressed up with garlands and with lamps in an arena full of incense smoke, entered there and then, o ruler of man, holding the container, she, with her youthful, restless eyes, the sounds of her tinkling ankle bells and jugs of breasts, striding slowly with a beautiful sari around her wide hips and elephant trunk like thighs.
O King, as the demigods and demons sat facing east in an arena fully decorated with flower garlands and lamps and fragrant with the smoke of incense, that woman, dressed in a most beautiful sari, Her ankle bells tinkling, entered the arena, walking very slowly because of Her big, low hips. Her eyes were restless due to youthful pride, Her breasts were like water jugs, Her thighs resembled the trunks of elephants, and She carried a waterpot in Her hand.
8.9.18
saḿvīkṣya sammumuhur utsmita-vīkṣaṇena
(18) Looking at Her, the Lord Supreme who with golden earrings, charming ears, nose, cheeks and face posed as a girlfriend of the Goddess, were they all enchanted the way she with a smile glanced at them while her sari was slightly waving over her breasts.
Here that Mohinī-mūrti is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in a feminine form and that the goddess of fortune is Her associate. This form assumed by the Personality of Godhead challenged the goddess of fortune. The goddess of fortune is beautiful, but if the Lord accepts the form of a woman, He surpasses the goddess of fortune in beauty. It is not that the goddess of fortune, being female, is the most beautiful. The Lord is so beautiful that He can excel any beautiful goddess of fortune by assuming a female form.
8.9.19
(19) Considering it a miscalculation of giving milk to snakes to hand out the nectar to the bunch of vile natured demons, delivered the Infallible One not a drop of it.
It is said, sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ sarpāt krūrataraḥ khalaḥ: "The snake is very crooked and envious, and so also is a person like a demon." Mantrauṣadhi-vaśaḥ sarpaḥ khalaḥ kena nivāryate: "One can bring a snake under control with mantras, herbs and drugs, but an envious and crooked person cannot be brought under control by any means." Considering this logic, the Supreme Personality of Godhead thought it unwise to distribute nectar to the demons.
8.9.20
kalpayitvā pṛthak pańktīr
tāḿś copaveśayām āsa
(20) Arranging different lines for the both of them had the master of the Universe each of them orderly seated at his own side.
8.9.21
vañcayann upasañcaraiḥ
(21) The Lord with the nectar who with sweet words beguiled the Daityas, made the ones sitting opposite of them drink of the nectar that would free them from old age, death and disability.
Mohinī-mūrti, the Personality of Godhead, gave the demigods seats at a distance. Then She approached the demons and spoke with them very graciously, so that they thought themselves very fortunate to talk with Her. Since Mohinī-mūrti had seated the demigods at a distant place, the demons thought that the demigods would get only a little of the nectar and that Mohinī-mūrti was so pleased with the demons that She would give the demons all the nectar. The words vañcayann upasañcaraiḥ indicate that the Lord's whole policy was to cheat the demons simply by speaking sweet words. The Lord's intention was to distribute the nectar only to the demigods.
8.9.22
(22) the Asuras, because of what they had promised, kept themselves in check, o King and remained silent, considering it an abomination to fight a woman.
8.9.23
tasyāḿ kṛtātipraṇayāḥ
praṇayāpāya-kātarāḥ
(23) Not to break the bond of friendship with her felt they, moved by the greatest respect and honor, all obliged and said they not the slightest that would displease her.
The demons were so captivated by the tricks and friendly words of Mohinī-mūrti that although the demigods were served first, the demons were pacified merely by sweet words. The Lord said to the demons, "The demigods are very miserly and are excessively anxious to take the nectar first. So let them have it first. Since you are not like them you can wait a little longer. You are all heroes and are so pleased with Me. It is better for you to wait until after the demigods drink."
8.9.24
praviṣṭaḥ somam apibac
(24) He who darkens the luminaries [Râhu] dressed himself up as one of the godly and sat among the godconscious to drink from the nectar but was, by sun and moon, quickly detected.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mohinī-mūrti, was able to bewilder all the demons, but Rāhu was so clever that he was not bewildered. Rāhu could understand that Mohinī-mūrti was cheating the demons, and therefore he changed his dress, disguised himself as a demigod, and sat down in the assembly of the demigods. Here one may ask why the Supreme Personality of Godhead could not detect Rāhu. The reason is that the Lord wanted to show the effects of drinking nectar. This will be revealed in the following verses. The moon and sun, however, were always alert in regard to Rāhu. Thus when Rāhu entered the assembly of the demigods, the moon and sun immediately detected him, and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead also became aware of him.
8.9.25
sudhayāplāvito 'patat
(25) The moment he drank the nectar was the head of Râhu cut off by the Lord His razor sharp cakra, but the decapitated body, which was not touched by the nectar, fell dead to the ground.
When the Personality of Godhead, Mohinī-mūrti, severed Rāhu's head from his body, the head remained alive although the body died. Rāhu had been drinking nectar through his mouth, and before the nectar entered his body, his head was cut off. Thus Rāhu's head remained alive whereas the body died. This wonderful act performed by the Lord was meant to show that nectar is miraculous ambrosia.
8.9.26
(26) The head that thus had attained immortality was by Lord Brahmâ recognized as a planet and it is that very Râhu that during eclipses [or with lunar phases] inimically represses the sun and the moon [see also 5.24: 1-3, 6.6: 37 and 6.18: 12-14].
8.9.27
paśyatām asurendrāṇāḿ
(27) When the godly were almost done drinking from the nectar revealed the Supreme Lord Hari, the well-wisher of all the worlds, in the presence of all the Asuras and their leaders His original form.
8.9.28
(28) Even though the Suras and Asuras were thus unified in respect of the same place, time, objective, cause, activities and ambition, were they not as equal in the result they achieved; the God-minded easily achieved the nectar with it because theirs was the benediction of the saffron dust of the lotus feet, but that was not the case with the Daityas [compare B.G. 4: 11].
In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) it is said, ye yathā māḿ prapadyante tāḿs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme judge who rewards or punishes different persons according to their surrender unto His lotus feet. Therefore it can actually be seen that although karmīs and bhaktas may work in the same place, at the same time, with the same energy and with the same ambition, they achieve different results. The karmīs transmigrate through different bodies in the cycle of birth and death, sometimes going upward and sometimes downward, thus suffering the results of their actions in the karma-cakra, the cycle of birth and death. The devotees, however, because of fully surrendering at the lotus feet of the Lord, are never baffled in their attempts. Although externally they work almost like the karmīs, the devotees go back home, back to Godhead, and achieve success in every effort. The demons or atheists have faith in their own endeavors, but although they work very hard day and night, they cannot get any more than their destiny. The devotees, however, can surpass the reactions of karma and achieve wonderful results, even without effort. It is also said, phalena paricīyate: one's success or defeat in any activity is understood by its result. There are many karmīs in the dress of devotees, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead can detect their purpose. The karmīs want to use the property of the Lord for their selfish sense gratification, but a devotee endeavors to use the Lord's property for God's service. Therefore a devotee is always distinct from the karmīs, although the karmīs may dress like devotees. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (3.9), yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaḿ karma-bandhanaḥ. One who works for Lord Viṣṇu is free from this material world, and after giving up his body he goes back home, back to Godhead. A karmī, however, although externally working like a devotee, is entangled in his nondevotional activity, and thus he suffers the tribulations of material existence. Thus from the results achieved by the karmīs and devotees, one can understand the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who acts differently for the karmīs and jñānīs than for the devotees. The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta therefore says:
kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta'
The karmīs who desire sense gratification, the jñānīs who aspire for the liberation of merging into the existence of the Supreme, and the yogīs who seek material success in mystic power are all restless, and ultimately they are baffled. But the devotee, who does not expect any personal benefit and whose only ambition is to spread the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is blessed with all the auspicious results of bhakti-yoga, without hard labor.
8.9.29
dehātmajādiṣu nṛbhis tad asat pṛthaktvāt
(29) Whatever that is done for the sake of one's own life and welfare, all those human activities, ideas and words in relation to one's body and family, are all transient [asat, 'untrue', they are all of separation], but the same indeed becomes factual and permanent when it is not done in separation - it then grows into that which is the watering of the root that is beneficial for everyone [see 8.5: 49].'
This is the distinction between materialistic activities and activities performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The entire world is active, and this includes the karmīs, the jñānīs, the yogīs and the bhaktas. However, all activities except those of the bhaktas, the devotees, end in bafflement and a waste of time and energy. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha jñānā vicetasaḥ: [Bg. 9.12] if one is not a devotee, his hopes, his activities and his knowledge are all baffled. A nondevotee works for his personal sense gratification or for the sense gratification of his family, society, community or nation, but because all such activities are separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are considered asat. The word asat means bad or temporary, and sat means permanent and good. Activities performed for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa are permanent and good, but asat activity, although sometimes celebrated as philanthropy, altruism, nationalism, this "ism" or that "ism," will never produce any permanent result and is therefore all bad. Even a little work done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a permanent asset and is all-good because it is done for Kṛṣṇa, the all-good Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is everyone's friend (suhṛdaḿ sarva-bhūtānām). The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only enjoyer and proprietor of everything (bhoktāraḿ yajña-tapasāḿ sarva-loka-maheśvaram [Bg. 5.29]). Therefore any activity performed for the Supreme Lord is permanent. As a result of such activities, the performer is immediately recognized. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ [Bg. 18.69]. Such a devotee, because of full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is immediately transcendental, although he may superficially appear to be engaged in materialistic activities. The only distinction between materialistic activity and spiritual activity is that material activity is performed only to satisfy one's own senses whereas spiritual activity is meant to satisfy the transcendental senses of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By spiritual activity everyone factually benefits, whereas by materialistic activity no one benefits and instead one becomes entangled in the laws of karma.
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swamyjis, Philosophers, Scholars and Knowledge Seekers for the collection)
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