Chapter Nine
The Lord Incarnates as Mohinī-Mūrti
TEXT 12
tato gṛhītvāmṛta-bhājanaṁ harir
babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śobhayā girā
yady abhyupetaṁ kva ca sādhv asādhu vā
kṛtaṁ mayā vo vibhaje sudhām imām
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter; gṛhītvā—taking possession of; amṛta-bhājanam—the pot containing the nectar; hariḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, in the form of Mohinī; babhāṣa—spoke; īṣat—slightly; smita-śobhayā girā—with smiling beauty and by words; yadi—if; abhyupetam—promised to be accepted; kva ca—whatever it may be; sādhu asādhu vā—whether honest or dishonest; kṛtam mayā—is done by Me; vaḥ—unto you; vibhaje—I shall give you the proper share; sudhām—nectar; imām—this.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having taken possession of the container of nectar, smiled slightly and spoke in attractive words. She said: My dear demons, if you accept whatever I may do, whether honest or dishonest, then I can take responsibility for dividing the nectar among you.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot abide by anyone’s dictation. Whatever He does is absolute. The demons, of course, were deluded by the illusory potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus Mohinī-mūrti got them to promise that whatever She would do they would accept.
TEXT 13
ity abhivyāhṛtaṁ tasyā
ākarṇyāsura-puṅgavāḥ
apramāṇa-vidas tasyās
tat tathety anvamaṁsata
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; abhivyāhṛtam—the words that were spoken; tasyāḥ—Her; ākarṇya—after hearing; asura-puṅgavāḥ—the chiefs of the demons; apramāṇa-vidaḥ—because they were all foolish; tasyāḥ—of Her; tat—those words; tathā—let it be so; iti—thus; anvamaṁsata—agreed to accept.
TRANSLATION
The chiefs of the demons were not very expert in deciding things. Upon hearing the sweet words of Mohinī-mūrti, they immediately assented. “Yes,” they answered. “What You have said is all right.” Thus the demons agreed to accept Her decision.
TEXTS 14–15
athopoṣya kṛta-snānā
hutvā ca haviṣānalam
dattvā go-vipra-bhūtebhyaḥ
kṛta-svastyayanā dvijaiḥ
yathopajoṣaṁ vāsāṁsi
paridhāyāhatāni te
kuśeṣu prāviśan sarve
prāg-agreṣv abhibhūṣitāḥ
SYNONYMS
atha—thereafter; upoṣya—observing a fast; kṛta-snānāḥ—performing bathing; hutvā—offering oblations; ca—also; haviṣā—with clarified butter; analam—into the fire; dattvā—giving in charity; go-vipra-bhūtebhyaḥ—unto the cows, brāhmaṇas and living beings in general; kṛta-svastyayanāḥ—performing ritualistic ceremonies; dvijaiḥ—as dictated by the brāhmaṇas; yathā-upajoṣam—according to one’s taste; vāsāṁsi—garments; paridhāya—putting on; āhatāni—first-class and new; te—all of them; kuśeṣu—on seats made of kuśa grass; prāviśan—sitting on them; sarve—all of them; prāk-agreṣu—facing east; abhibhūṣitāḥ—properly decorated with ornaments.
TRANSLATION
The demigods and demons then observed a fast. After bathing, they offered clarified butter and oblations into the fire and gave charity to the cows and to the brāhmaṇas and members of the other orders of society, namely the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras, who were all rewarded as they deserved. Thereafter, the demigods and demons performed ritualistic ceremonies under the directions of the brāhmaṇas. Then they dressed themselves with new garments according to their own choice, decorated their bodies with ornaments, and sat facing east on seats made of kuśa grass.
PURPORT
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.
TEXTS 16–17
prāṅ-mukheṣūpaviṣṭeṣu
sureṣu ditijeṣu ca
dhūpāmodita-śālāyāṁ
juṣṭāyāṁ mālya-dīpakaiḥ
tasyāṁ narendra karabhorur uśad-dukūla-
śroṇī-taṭālasa-gatir mada-vihvalākṣī
sā kūjatī kanaka-nūpura-śiñjitena
kumbha-stanī kalasa-pāṇir athāviveśa
SYNONYMS
prāk-mukheṣu—facing east; upaviṣṭeṣu—were sitting on their respective seats; sureṣu—all the demigods; diti-jeṣu—the demons; ca—also; dhūpa-āmodita-śālāyām—in the arena, which was full of the smoke of incense; juṣṭāyām—fully decorated; mālya-dīpakaiḥ—with flower garlands and lamps; tasyām—in that arena; nara-indra—O King; karabha-ūruḥ—having thighs resembling the trunks of elephants; uśat-dukūla—dressed with a very beautiful sari; śroṇī-taṭa—because of big hips; alasa-gatiḥ—stepping very slowly; mada-vihvala-akṣī—whose eyes were restless because of youthful pride; sā—She; kūjatī—tinkling; kanaka-nūpura—of golden ankle bells; śiñjitena—with the sound; kumbha-stanī—a woman whose breasts were like water jugs; kalasa-pāṇiḥ—holding a waterpot in Her hand; atha—thus; āviveśa—entered the arena.
TRANSLATION
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.
TEXT 18
tāṁ śrī-sakhīṁ kanaka-kuṇḍala-cāru-karṇa-
nāsā-kapola-vadanāṁ para-devatākhyām
saṁvīkṣya sammumuhur utsmita-vīkṣaṇena
devāsurā vigalita-stana-paṭṭikāntām
SYNONYMS
tām—unto Her; śrī-sakhīm—appearing like a personal associate of the goddess of fortune; kanaka-kuṇḍala—with golden earrings; cāru—very beautiful; karṇa—ears; nāsā—nose; kapola—cheeks; vadanām—face; para-devatā-ākhyām—the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, appearing in that form; saṁvīkṣya—looking at Her; sammumuhuḥ—all of them became enchanted; utsmita—slightly smiling; vīkṣaṇena—glancing over them; deva-asurāḥ—all the demigods and demons; vigalita-stana-paṭṭika-antām—the border of the sari on the breasts moved slightly.
TRANSLATION
Her attractive nose and cheeks and Her ears, adorned with golden earrings, made Her face very beautiful. As She moved, Her sari’s border on Her breasts moved slightly aside. When the demigods and demons saw these beautiful features of Mohinī-mūrti, who was glancing at them and slightly smiling, they were all completely enchanted.
PURPORT
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks 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.
TEXT 19
asurāṇāṁ sudhā-dānaṁ
sarpāṇām iva durnayam
matvā jāti-nṛśaṁsānāṁ
na tāṁ vyabhajad acyutaḥ
SYNONYMS
asurāṇām—of the demons; sudhā-dānam—giving of the nectar; sarpāṇām—of snakes; iva—like; durnayam—miscalculation; matvā—thinking like that; jāti-nṛśaṁsānām—of those who are by nature very envious; na—not; tām—the nectar; vyabhajat—delivered the share; acyutaḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who never falls down.
TRANSLATION
Demons are by nature crooked like snakes. Therefore, to distribute a share of the nectar to them was not at all feasible, since this would be as dangerous as supplying milk to a snake. Considering this, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who never falls down, did not deliver a share of nectar to the demons.
PURPORT
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.
TEXT 20
kalpayitvā pṛthak paṅktīr
ubhayeṣāṁ jagat-patiḥ
tāṁś copaveśayām āsa
sveṣu sveṣu ca paṅktiṣu
SYNONYMS
kalpayitvā—after arranging; pṛthak paṅktīḥ—different seats; ubhayeṣām—of both the demigods and the demons; jagat-patiḥ—the master of the universe; tān—all of them; ca—and; upaveśayām āsa—seated; sveṣu sveṣu—in their own places; ca—also; paṅktiṣu—all in order.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead as Mohinī-mūrti, the master of the universe, arranged separate lines of sitting places and seated the demigods and demons according to their positions.
TEXT 21
daityān gṛhīta-kalaso
vañcayann upasañcaraiḥ
dūra-sthān pāyayām āsa
jarā-mṛtyu-harāṁ sudhām
SYNONYMS
daityān—the demons; gṛhīta-kalasaḥ—the Lord, who bore the container of nectar; vañcayan—by cheating; upasañcaraiḥ—with sweet words; dūra-sthān—the demigods, who were sitting at a distant place; pāyayām āsa—made them drink; jarā-mṛtyu-harām—which can counteract invalidity, old age and death; sudhām—such nectar.
TRANSLATION
Taking the container of nectar in Her hands, She first approached the demons, satisfied them with sweet words and thus cheated them of their share of the nectar. Then She administered the nectar to the demigods, who were sitting at a distant place, to make them free from invalidity, old age and death.
PURPORT
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.
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