Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Fourteen

Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening

SB3.14.1

TEXT 1

sri-suka uvaca

nisamya kausaravinopavarnitam

hareh katham karana-sukaratmanah

punah sa papraccha tam udyatanjalir

na catitrpto viduro dhrta-vratah

SYNONYMS

sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; nisamya—after hearing; kausaravina—by the sage Maitreya; upavarnitam—described; hareh—of the Personality of Godhead; katham—narrations; karana—for the reason of lifting the earth; sukara-atmanah—of the boar incarnation; punah—again; sah—he; papraccha—inquired; tam—from him (Maitreya); udyata-anjalih—with folded hands; na—never; ca—also; ati-trptah—very much satisfied; vidurah—Vidura; dhrta-vratah—taken to a vow.

TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami said: After hearing from the great sage Maitreya about the Lord’s incarnation as Varaha, Vidura, who had taken a vow, begged him with folded hands to please narrate further transcendental activities of the Lord, since he [Vidura] did not yet feel satisfied.

SB3.14.2

TEXT 2

vidura uvaca

tenaiva tu muni-srestha

harina yajna-murtina

adi-daityo hiranyakso

hata ity anususruma

SYNONYMS

vidurah uvaca—Sri Vidura said; tena—by Him; eva—certainly; tu—but; muni-srestha—O chief among the sages; harina—by the Personality of Godhead; yajna-murtina—the form of sacrifices; adi—original; daityah—demon; hiranyaksah—by the name Hiranyaksa; hatah—slain; iti—thus; anususruma—heard in succession.

TRANSLATION

Sri Vidura said: O chief amongst the great sages, I have heard by disciplic succession that Hiranyaksa, the original demon, was slain by the same form of sacrifices, the Personality of Godhead [Lord Boar].

PURPORT

As referred to previously, the boar incarnation was manifested in two millenniums—namely Svayambhuva and Caksusa. In both millenniums there was a boar incarnation of the Lord, but in the Svayambhuva millennium He lifted the earth from within the water of the universe, whereas in the Caksusa millennium He killed the first demon, Hiranyaksa. In the Svayambhuva millennium He assumed the color white, and in the Caksusa millennium He assumed the color red. Vidura had already heard about one of them, and he proposed to hear about the other. The two different boar incarnations described are the one Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB3.14.3

TEXT 3

tasya coddharatah ksaunim

sva-damstragrena lilaya

daitya-rajasya ca brahman

kasmad dhetor abhun mrdhah

SYNONYMS

tasya—His; ca—also; uddharatah—while lifting; ksaunim—the earth planet; sva-damstra-agrena—by the edge of His tusks; lilaya—in His pastimes; daitya-rajasya—of the king of demons; ca—and; brahman—O brahmana; kasmat—from what; hetoh—reason; abhut—there was; mrdhah—fight.

TRANSLATION

What was the reason, O brahmana, for the fight between the demon king and Lord Boar while the Lord was lifting the earth as His pastime?

SB3.14.4

TEXT 4

sraddadhanaya bhaktaya

bruhi taj-janma-vistaram

rse na trpyati manah

param kautuhalam hi me

SYNONYMS

sraddadhanaya—unto a faithful person; bhaktaya—unto a devotee; bruhi—please narrate; tat—His; janma—appearance; vistaram—in detail; rse—O great sage; na—not; trpyati—become satisfied; manah—mind; param—very much; kautuhalam—inquisitive; hi—certainly; me—my.

TRANSLATION

My mind has become very inquisitive, and therefore I am not satisfied with hearing the narration of the Lord’s appearance. Please, therefore, speak more and more to a devotee who is faithful.

PURPORT

One who is actually faithful and inquisitive is qualified to hear the transcendental pastimes of the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vidura was a suitable candidate to receive such transcendental messages.

SB3.14.5

TEXT 5

maitreya uvaca

sadhu vira tvaya prstam

avatara-katham hareh

yat tvam prcchasi martyanam

mrtyu-pasa-visatanim

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; sadhu—devotee; vira—O warrior; tvaya—by you; prstam—inquired; avatara-katham—topics on the incarnation of the Lord; hareh—of the Personality of Godhead; yat—that which; tvam—your good self; prcchasi—asking me; martyanam—of those who are destined for death; mrtyu-pasa—the chain of birth and death; visatanim—source of liberation.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya said: O warrior, the inquiry made by you is just befitting a devotee because it concerns the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead. He is the source of liberation from the chain of birth and death for all those who are otherwise destined to die.

PURPORT

The great sage Maitreya addressed Vidura as a warrior not only because Vidura belonged to the Kuru family but because he was anxious to hear about the chivalrous activities of the Lord in His incarnations of Varaha and Nrsimha. Because the inquiries concerned the Lord, they were perfectly befitting a devotee. A devotee has no taste for hearing anything mundane. There are many topics of mundane warfare, but a devotee is not inclined to hear them. The topics of the warfare in which the Lord engages do not concern the war of death but the war against the chain of maya which obliges one to accept repeated birth and death. In other words, one who takes delight in hearing the war topics of the Lord is relieved from the chains of birth and death. Foolish people are suspicious of Krsna’s taking part in the Battle of Kuruksetra, not knowing that His taking part insured liberation for all who were present on the battlefield. It is said by Bhismadeva that all who were present on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained their original spiritual existences after death. Therefore, hearing the war topics of the Lord is as good as any other devotional service.

SB3.14.6

TEXT 6

yayottanapadah putro

munina gitayarbhakah

mrtyoh krtvaiva murdhny anghrim

aruroha hareh padam

SYNONYMS

yaya—by which; uttanapadah—of King Uttanapada; putrah—son; munina—by the sage; gitaya—being sung; arbhakah—a child; mrtyoh—of death; krtva—placing; eva—certainly; murdhni—on the head; anghrim—feet; aruroha—ascended; hareh—of the Personality of Godhead; padam—to the abode.

TRANSLATION

By hearing these topics from the sage [Narada], the son of King Uttanapada [Dhruva] was enlightened regarding the Personality of Godhead, and he ascended to the abode of the Lord, placing his feet over the head of death.

PURPORT

While quitting his body, Maharaja Dhruva, the son of King Uttanapada, was attended by personalities like Sunanda and others, who received him in the kingdom of God. He left this world at an early age, as a young boy, although he had attained the throne of his father and had several children of his own. Because he was due to quit this world, death was waiting for him. He did not care for death, however, and even with his present body he boarded a spiritual airplane and went directly to the planet of Visnu because of his association with the great sage Narada, who had spoken to him the narration of the pastimes of the Lord.

SB3.14.7

TEXT 7

athatrapitihaso ’yam

sruto me varnitah pura

brahmana deva-devena

devanam anuprcchatam

SYNONYMS

atha—now; atra—in this matter; api—also; itihasah—history; ayam—this; srutah—heard; me—by me; varnitah—described; pura—years ago; brahmana—by Brahma; deva-devena—the foremost of the demigods; devanam—by the demigods; anuprcchatam—asking.

TRANSLATION

This history of the fight between the Lord as a boar and the demon Hiranyaksa was heard by me in a year long ago as it was described by the foremost of the demigods, Brahma, when he was questioned by the other demigods.

SB3.14.8

TEXT 8

ditir daksayani ksattar

maricam kasyapam patim

apatya-kama cakame

sandhyayam hrc-chayardita

SYNONYMS

ditih—Diti; daksayani—the daughter of Daksa; ksattah—O Vidura; maricam—the son of Marici; kasyapam—Kasyapa; patim—her husband; apatya-kama—desirous of having a child; cakame—longed for; sandhyayam—in the evening; hrt-saya—by sex desires; ardita—distressed.

TRANSLATION

Diti, daughter of Daksa, being afflicted with sex desire, begged her husband, Kasyapa, the son of Marici, to have intercourse with her in the evening in order to beget a child.

SB3.14.9

TEXT 9

istvagni-jihvam payasa

purusam yajusam patim

nimlocaty arka asinam

agny-agare samahitam

SYNONYMS

istva—after worshiping; agni—fire; jihvam—tongue; payasa—by oblation; purusam—unto the Supreme Person; yajusam—of all sacrifices; patim—master; nimlocati—while setting; arke—the sun; asinam—sitting; agni-agare—in the sacrificial hall; samahitam—completely in trance.

TRANSLATION

The sun was setting, and the sage was sitting in trance after offering oblations to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, whose tongue is the sacrificial fire.

PURPORT

Fire is considered to be the tongue of the Personality of Godhead Visnu, and oblations of grains and clarified butter offered to the fire are thus accepted by Him. That is the principle of all sacrifices, of which Lord Visnu is the master. In other words, the satisfaction of Lord Visnu includes the satisfaction of all demigods and other living beings.

SB3.14.10

TEXT 10

ditir uvaca

esa mam tvat-krte vidvan

kama atta-sarasanah

dunoti dinam vikramya

rambham iva matangajah

SYNONYMS

ditih uvaca—beautiful Diti said; esah—all these; mam—unto me; tvat-krte—for you; vidvan—O learned one; kamah—Cupid; atta-sarasanah—taking his arrows; dunoti—distresses; dinam—poor me; vikramya—attacking; rambham—banana tree; iva—like; matam-gajah—mad elephant.

TRANSLATION

In that place the beautiful Diti expressed her desire: O learned one, Cupid is taking his arrows and distressing me forcibly, as a mad elephant troubles a banana tree.

PURPORT

Beautiful Diti, seeing her husband absorbed in trance, began to speak loudly, not attempting to attract him by bodily expressions. She frankly said that her whole body was distressed by sex desire because of her husband’s presence, just as a banana tree is troubled by a mad elephant. It was not natural for her to agitate her husband when he was in trance, but she could not control her strong sexual appetite. Her sex desire was like a mad elephant, and therefore it was the prime duty of her husband to give her all protection by fulfilling her desire.

SB3.14.11

TEXT 11

tad bhavan dahyamanayam

sa-patninam samrddhibhih

prajavatinam bhadram te

mayy ayunktam anugraham

SYNONYMS

tat—therefore; bhavan—your good self; dahyamanayam—being distressed; sa-patninam—of the co-wives; samrddhibhih—by the prosperity; praja-vatinam—of those who have children; bhadram—all prosperity; te—unto you; mayi—unto me; ayunktam—do unto me, in all respects; anugraham—favor.

TRANSLATION

Therefore you should be kind towards me by showing me complete mercy. I desire to have sons, and I am much distressed by seeing the opulence of my co-wives. By performing this act, you will become happy.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita sexual intercourse for begetting children is accepted as righteous. A person sexually inclined for simple sense gratification, however, is unrighteous. In Diti’s appeal to her husband for sex, it was not exactly that she was afflicted by sex desires, but she desired sons. Since she had no sons, she felt poorer than her co-wives. Therefore Kasyapa was supposed to satisfy his bona fide wife.

SB3.14.12

TEXT 12

bhartary aptorumananam

lokan avisate yasah

patir bhavad-vidho yasam

prajaya nanu jayate

SYNONYMS

bhartari—by the husband; apta-urumananam—of those who are beloved; lokan—in the world; avisate—spreads; yasah—fame; patih—husband; bhavat-vidhah—like your good self; yasam—of those whose; prajaya—by children; nanu—certainly; jayate—expands.

TRANSLATION

A woman is honored in the world by the benediction of her husband, and a husband like you will become famous by having children because you are meant for the expansion of living entities.

PURPORT

According to Rsabhadeva, one should not become a father or mother unless one is confident that he can beget children whom he can deliver from the clutches of birth and death. Human life is the only opportunity to get out of the material scene, which is full of the miseries of birth, death, old age and diseases. Every human being should be given the opportunity to take advantage of his human form of life, and a father like Kasyapa is supposed to beget good children for the purpose of liberation.

SB3.14.13

TEXT 13

pura pita no bhagavan

dakso duhitr-vatsalah

kam vrnita varam vatsa

ity aprcchata nah prthak

SYNONYMS

pura—in days long ago; pita—father; nah—our; bhagavan—the most opulent; daksah—Daksa; duhitr-vatsalah—affectionate to his daughters; kam—unto whom; vrnita—you want to accept; varam—your husband; vatsah—O my children; iti—thus; aprcchata—inquired; nah—us; prthak—separately.

TRANSLATION

In days long ago, our father, the most opulent Daksa, who was affectionate to his daughters, asked each of us separately whom we would prefer to select as our husband.

PURPORT

It appears from this verse that free selection of a husband was allowed by the father, but not by free association. The daughters were asked separately to submit their selection of a husband who was famous for his acts and personality. The ultimate selection depended on the choice of the father.

SB3.14.14

TEXT 14

sa viditvatmajanam no

bhavam santana-bhavanah

trayodasadadat tasam

yas te silam anuvratah

SYNONYMS

sah—Daksa; viditva—understanding; atma-janam—of the daughters; nah—our; bhavam—indication; santana—children; bhavanah—well-wisher; trayodasa—thirteen; adadat—handed over; tasam—of all of them; yah—those who are; te—your; silam—behavior; anuvratah—all faithful.

TRANSLATION

Our well-wishing father, Daksa, after knowing our intentions, handed over thirteen of his daughters unto you, and since then we have all been faithful.

PURPORT

Generally the daughters were too shy to express their opinions before their father, but the father would accept the daughters’ intentions through someone else, such as a grandmother to whom the grandchildren had free access. King Daksa collected the opinions of his daughters and thus handed over thirteen to Kasyapa. Every one of Diti’s sisters was a mother of children. Therefore, since she was equally faithful to the same husband, why should she remain without children?

SB3.14.15

TEXT 15

atha me kuru kalyanam

kamam kamala-locana

artopasarpanam bhumann

amogham hi mahiyasi

SYNONYMS

atha—therefore; me—unto me; kuru—kindly do; kalyanam—benediction; kamam—desire; kamala-locana—O lotus-eyed one; arta—of the distressed; upasarpanam—the approaching; bhuman—O great one; amogham—without failure; hi—certainly; mahiyasi—to a great person.

TRANSLATION

O lotus-eyed one, kindly bless me by fulfilling my desire. When someone in distress approaches a great person, his pleas should never go in vain.

PURPORT

Diti knew well that her request might be rejected because of the untimely situation, but she pleaded that when there is an emergency or a distressful condition, there is no consideration of time or situation.

SB3.14.16

TEXT 16

iti tam vira maricah

krpanam bahu-bhasinim

pratyahanunayan vaca

pravrddhananga-kasmalam

SYNONYMS

iti—thus; tam—unto her; vira—O hero; maricah—the son of Marici (Kasyapa); krpanam—unto the poor; bahu-bhasinim—too talkative; pratyaha—replied; anunayan—pacifying; vaca—by words; pravrddha—highly agitated; ananga—lust; kasmalam—contaminated.

TRANSLATION

O hero [Vidura], Diti, being thus afflicted by the contamination of lust, and therefore poor and talkative, was pacified by the son of Marici in suitable words.

PURPORT

When a man or woman is afflicted by the lust of sex desire, it is to be understood as sinful contamination. Kasyapa was engaged in his spiritual activities, but he did not have sufficient strength to refuse his wife, who was thus afflicted. He could have refused her with strong words expressing impossibility, but he was not as spiritually strong as Vidura. Vidura is addressed here as a hero because no one is stronger in self-control than a devotee of the Lord. It appears that Kasyapa was already inclined to have sexual enjoyment with his wife, and because he was not a strong man he tried to dissuade her only with pacifying words.

SB3.14.17

TEXT 17

esa te ’ham vidhasyami

priyam bhiru yad icchasi

tasyah kamam na kah kuryat

siddhis traivargiki yatah

SYNONYMS

esah—this; te—your request; aham—I; vidhasyami—shall execute; priyam—very dear; bhiru—O afflicted one; yat—what; icchasi—you are desiring; tasyah—her; kamam—desires; na—not; kah—who; kuryat—would perform; siddhih—perfection of liberation; traivargiki—three; yatah—from whom.

TRANSLATION

O afflicted one, I shall forthwith gratify whatever desire is dear to you, for who else but you is the source of the three perfections of liberation?

PURPORT

The three perfections of liberation are religiosity, economic development and sense gratification: For a conditioned soul, the wife is considered to be the source of liberation because she offers her service to the husband for his ultimate liberation. Conditional material existence is based on sense gratification, and if someone has the good fortune to get a good wife, he is helped by the wife in all respects. If one is disturbed in his conditional life, he becomes more and more entangled in material contamination. A faithful wife is supposed to cooperate with her husband in fulfilling all material desires so that he can then become comfortable and execute spiritual activities for the perfection of life. If, however, the husband is progressive in spiritual advancement, the wife undoubtedly shares in his activities, and thus both the wife and the husband profit in spiritual perfection. It is essential, therefore, that girls as well as boys be trained to discharge spiritual duties so that at the time of cooperation both will be benefited. The training of the boy is brahmacarya, and the training of the girl is chastity. A faithful wife and spiritually trained brahmacari are a good combination for advancement of the human mission.

SB3.14.18

TEXT 18

sarvasraman upadaya

svasramena kalatravan

vyasanarnavam atyeti

jala-yanair yatharnavam

SYNONYMS

sarva—all; asraman—social orders; upadaya—completing; sva—own; asramena—by the social orders; kalatra-van—a person living with a wife; vyasana-arnavam—the dangerous ocean of material existence; atyeti—one can cross over; jala-yanaih—with seagoing vessels; yatha—as; arnavam—the ocean.

TRANSLATION

As one can cross over the ocean with seagoing vessels, one can cross the dangerous situation of the material ocean by living with a wife.

PURPORT

There are four social orders for cooperation in the endeavor for liberation from material existence. The orders of brahmacarya, or pious student life, household life with a wife, retired life and renounced life all depend for successful advancement on the householder who lives with a wife. This cooperation is essential for the proper functioning of the institution of the four social orders and the four spiritual orders of life. This Vedic varnasrama system is generally known as the caste system. The man who lives with a wife has a great responsibility in maintaining the members of the other social orders—the brahmacaris, vanaprasthas and sannyasis. Except for the grhasthas, or the householders, everyone is supposed to engage in the spiritual advancement of life, and therefore the brahmacari, the vanaprastha and the sannyasi have very little time to earn a livelihood. They therefore collect alms from the grhasthas, and thus they secure the bare necessities of life and cultivate spiritual understanding. By helping the other three sections of society cultivate spiritual values, the householder also makes advancement in spiritual life. Ultimately every member of society automatically becomes spiritually advanced and easily crosses the ocean of nescience.

SB3.14.19

TEXT 19

yam ahur atmano hy ardham

sreyas-kamasya manini

yasyam sva-dhuram adhyasya

pumams carati vijvarah

SYNONYMS

yam—the wife who; ahuh—is said; atmanah—of the body; hi—thus; ardham—half; sreyah—welfare; kamasya—of all desires; manini—O respectful one; yasyam—in whom; sva-dhuram—all responsibilities; adhyasya—entrusting; puman—a man; carati—moves; vijvarah—without anxiety.

TRANSLATION

O respectful one, a wife is so helpful that she is called the better half of a man’s body because of her sharing in all auspicious activities. A man can move without anxiety entrusting all responsibilities to his wife.

PURPORT

By the Vedic injunction, the wife is accepted as the better half of a man’s body because she is supposed to be responsible for discharging half of the duties of the husband. A family man has a responsibility to perform five kinds of sacrifices, called panca-yajna, in order to get relief from all kinds of unavoidable sinful reaction incurred in the course of his affairs. When a man becomes qualitatively like the cats and dogs, he forgets his duties in cultivating spiritual values, and thus he accepts his wife as a sense gratificatory agency. When the wife is accepted as a sense gratificatory agency, personal beauty is the main consideration, and as soon as there is a break in personal sense gratification, there is disruption or divorce. But when husband and wife aim at spiritual advancement by mutual cooperation, there is no consideration of personal beauty or the disruption of so-called love. In the material world there is no question of love. Marriage is actually a duty performed in mutual cooperation as directed in the authoritative scriptures for spiritual advancement. Therefore marriage is essential in order to avoid the life of cats and dogs, who are not meant for spiritual enlightenment.

SB3.14.20

TEXT 20

yam asrityendriyaratin

durjayan itarasramaih

vayam jayema helabhir

dasyun durga-patir yatha

SYNONYMS

yam—whom; asritya—taking shelter of; indriya—senses; aratin—enemies; durjayan—difficult to conquer; itara—other than the householders; asramaih—by orders of society; vayam—we; jayema—can conquer; helabhih—easily; dasyun—invading plunderers; durga-patih—a fort commander; yatha—as.

TRANSLATION

As a fort commander very easily conquers invading plunderers, by taking shelter of a wife one can conquer the senses, which are unconquerable in the other social orders.

PURPORT

Of the four orders of human society—the student, or brahmacari order, the householder, or grhastha order, the retired, or vanaprastha order, and the renounced, or sannyasi order—the householder is on the safe side. The bodily senses are considered plunderers of the fort of the body. The wife is supposed to be the commander of the fort, and therefore whenever there is an attack on the body by the senses, it is the wife who protects the body from being smashed. The sex demand is inevitable for everyone, but one who has a fixed wife is saved from the onslaught of the sense enemies. A man who possesses a good wife does not create a disturbance in society by corrupting virgin girls. Without a fixed wife, a man becomes a debauchee of the first order and is a nuisance in society—unless he is a trained brahmacari, vanaprastha or sannyasi. Unless there is rigid and systematic training of the brahmacari by the expert spiritual master, and unless the student is obedient, it is sure that the so-called brahmacari will fall prey to the attack of sex. There are so many instances of falldown, even for great yogis like Visvamitra. A grhastha is saved, however, because of his faithful wife. Sex life is the cause of material bondage, and therefore it is prohibited in three asramas and is allowed only in the grhastha-asrama. The grhastha is responsible for producing first-quality brahmacaris, vanaprasthas and sannyasis.

SB3.14.21

TEXT 21

na vayam prabhavas tam tvam

anukartum grhesvari

apy ayusa va kartsnyena

ye canye guna-grdhnavah

SYNONYMS

na—never; vayam—we; prabhavah—are able; tam—that; tvam—unto you; anukartum—do the same; grha-isvari—O queen of the home; api—in spite of; ayusa—by duration of life; va—or (in the next life); kartsnyena—entire; ye—who; ca—also; anye—others; guna-grdhnavah—those who are able to appreciate qualities.

TRANSLATION

O queen of the home, we are not able to act like you, nor could we repay you for what you have done, even if we worked for our entire life or even after death. To repay you is not possible, even for those who are admirers of personal qualities.

PURPORT

So much glorification of a woman by her husband indicates that he is henpecked or is talking lightly in joke. Kasyapa meant that householders living with wives enjoy the heavenly blessings of sense enjoyment and at the same time have no fear of going down to hell. The man in the renounced order of life has no wife and may be driven by sex desire to seek another woman or another’s wife and thus go to hell. In other words, the so-called man of the renounced order, who has left his house and wife, goes to hell if he again desires sexual pleasure, knowingly or unknowingly. In that way the householders are on the side of safety. Therefore husbands as a class cannot repay their debt to women either in this life or in the next. Even if they engage themselves in repaying the women throughout their whole lives, it is still not possible. Not all husbands are as able to appreciate the good qualities of their wives, but even though one is able to appreciate these qualities, it is still not possible to repay the debt to the wife. Such extraordinary praises by a husband for his wife are certainly in the mode of joking.

SB3.14.22

TEXT 22

athapi kamam etam te

prajatyai karavany alam

yatha mam natirocanti

muhurtam pratipalaya

SYNONYMS

atha api—even though (it is not possible); kamam—this sex desire; etam—as it is; te—your; prajatyai—for the sake of children; karavani—let me do; alam—without delay; yatha—as; mam—unto me; na—may not; atirocanti—reproach; muhurtam—a few seconds; pratipalaya—wait for.

TRANSLATION

Even though it is not possible to repay you, I shall satisfy your sex desire immediately for the sake of begetting children. But you must wait for only a few seconds so that others may not reproach me.

PURPORT

The henpecked husband may not be able to repay his wife for all the benefits that he derives from her, but as for begetting children by fulfilling sexual desire, it is not at all difficult for any husband unless he is thoroughly impotent. This is a very easy task for a husband under normal conditions. In spite of Kasyapa’s being very eager, he requested her to wait for a few seconds so that others might not reproach him. He explains his position as follows.

SB3.14.23

TEXT 23

esa ghoratama vela

ghoranam ghora-darsana

caranti yasyam bhutani

bhutesanucarani ha

SYNONYMS

esa—this time; ghora-tama—most horrible; vela—period; ghoranam—of the horrible; ghora-darsana—horrible looking; caranti—move; yasyam—in which; bhutani—ghosts; bhuta-isa—the lord of the ghosts; anucarani—constant companions; ha—indeed.

TRANSLATION

This particular time is most inauspicious because at this time the horrible-looking ghosts and constant companions of the lord of the ghosts are visible.

PURPORT

Kasyapa has already told his wife Diti to wait for a while, and now he warns her that failure to consider the particular time will result in punishment from the ghosts and evil spirits who move during this time, along with their master, Lord Rudra.

SB3.14.24

TEXT 24

etasyam sadhvi sandhyayam

bhagavan bhuta-bhavanah

parito bhuta-parsadbhir

vrsenatati bhutarat

SYNONYMS

etasyam—in this period; sadhvi—O chaste one; sandhyayam—at the junction of day and night (evening); bhagavan—the Personality of God; bhuta-bhavanah—the well-wisher of the ghostly characters; paritah—surrounded by; bhuta-parsadbhih—by ghostly companions; vrsena—on the back of the bull carrier; atati—travels; bhuta-rat—the king of the ghosts.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva, the king of the ghosts, sitting on the back of his bull carrier, travels at this time, accompanied by ghosts who follow him for their welfare.

PURPORT

Lord Siva, or Rudra, is the king of the ghosts. Ghostly characters worship Lord Siva to be gradually guided toward a path of self-realization. Mayavadi philosophers are mostly worshipers of Lord Siva, and Sripada Sankaracarya is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Siva for preaching godlessness to the Mayavadi philosophers. Ghosts are bereft of a physical body because of their grievously sinful acts, such as suicide. The last resort of the ghostly characters in human society is to take shelter of suicide, either material or spiritual. Material suicide causes loss of the physical body, and spiritual suicide causes loss of the individual identity. Mayavadi philosophers desire to lose their individuality and merge into the impersonal spiritual brahmajyoti existence. Lord Siva, being very kind to the ghosts, sees that although they are condemned, they get physical bodies. He places them into the wombs of women who indulge in sexual intercourse regardless of the restrictions on time and circumstance. Kasyapa wanted to impress this fact upon Diti so that she might wait for a while.

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