The History of Pradyumna

Matsya Purana explains why Mayavati was waiting for Kamadeva to take a new body. When Kamadeva was burned to ashes by Siva, his wife Rati worshipped Siva so that he could get a new body. Sambara also came to Siva for some benediction. Pleasing Siva, Siva said to him first, “Please choose your boon.” Sambara. seeing rati there, asked Siva for her. Siva comforted the weeping Rati by saying “ Go with him, and your desire will be fulfilled.”

Rati then bewildered Sambara and remained in his house with the name Mayavati, without being touched by him.

Rati expressed conjugal attraction to him by the movement of her eyebrows. Here is the truth about this. She was considering that either today or tomorrow (sometime in the future) she would reveal the whole truth of his identity to him and then she would display full conjugal love for him. However, unpredictably, before she could even reveal everything in private to him, her conjugal feelings spontaneously manifested because of her coming under the influence of desire.

Though endowed with qualities like omniscience (bhagavan), by the will of Krsna, the ocean of pastimes, his omniscience was covered over and thus he spoke in this way. The real meaning of his words however should be “There should be no other tendency than this conjugal mood you are displaying, because you surpass the level of vatsalya bhava and are actually my lover in conjugal rasa.”

Considered him to be Kamadeva. she said, “ I am your wife.” Pradyumna made her (who was forermly the material wife of material Kamadeva) his wife by touching her, just as a touchstone transforms objects by contact. However, she is actually his eternal sakti , the mother of Aniruddha, according to the Vaisnava Tosani. (Rukmavati was the actual mother.)

Throwing the club, he produced sound as sharp as thunder striking. Nadam vyanadat (he sounded a sound) is a valid statement in the same way as vacanam avocat (he made a statement).

Sambara, moving in the sky (vaihayasah), released weapons on Kamadeva.

22.Kamadeva used sattvika weapons. The verb of the sentence prayunkte is found in the next verse.

Understanding (avadharya) that he (tam from the previous verse) was not Krsna by his differing characteristics, they approached him.

Whose son (kasya) is this best among men (nara vaidurya)?

My son, who was taken by some a bala graham demon (seizer of children), would be the same age.

This verse describes the beauty of Pradyumna. On seeing him Rukmini thought of (bhava) her own master Krsna, because his beauty was equal to that of his father, Krsna. As verse 33 says she was thinking “How is it that he looks exactly like Krsna?” This verse refers to Rukmini, though mother (tan matarah) is in the plural to show her respect. She showed parental affection (rudha bhavah) in the privacy of her chambers (raha), because other wives did not enter those chambers. She exhibited this affection even before knowing who he was, as indicated in verse 34. Concluding that he must be her lost son, but still doubtful, she then received him (abhajan) by inspecting his limbs, smelling his head, and stroking his body with her hands. It is not astonishing for her to act in this way with Pradyumna. Why? Because he was the abode of all splendor (ramaspadam), the very likeness of Krsna, incomparable to anyone in the three worlds. And she had it confirmed by words that he was Krsna’s son, and she had realized that herself as well. But only his mother Rukmini manifested such love of Pradumya, and not other women. This is expressed in the last line. Kama deva is called smara because from him one gets remembrance of ones beloved. Even without his presence there is arousal of lust because of remembering. What to speak then of his being present there? Can any other women behave like her towards Pradyumna, who is kamadeva, who aroused lust just by remembrance of him, what to speak of his very presence? No, they could not, for they would become disturbed by lust.