50 verses
Maitreya said: After her parents departed, Devahūti, understanding the suggestions of her husband, served him constantly with affection, just as Parvatī served Śiva.
O Vidura! She served with trust, purity, respect, sense control, menial duties, friendship and sweet words.
Devoid of lust, cheating, hatred, greed, sin and pride, always working with attention and diligence, she pleased her powerful husband.
kālena bhūyasā kṣāmāṁ karśitāṁ vrata-caryayā prema-gadgadayā vācā pīòitaḥ kṛpayābravīt
Kardama, the best of sages, overcome with compassion, pained on seeing the condition of his wife who had become thin and weak over a long time from following vows and who desired a son from her husband who could change destiny, spoke to her in a choked voice.
Kardama was stronger than destiny (daivat garīyasaḥ). He could change destiny. There is another meaning. She had given up all desire, but after some time, by the impetus of the Lord (daivāt) she desired some objects of pleasure. Pained on seeing her thin body, with compassion he spoke to her.
Kardama said: Daughter of Manu! I am pleased today with you, who give respect to me, for your excellent service and utmost devotion. You have neglected your body, which is dear to those possessing bodies, preferring to make it thin in order to serve me.
You do not care for your body (na avekṣitaḥ). You do not care whether it remains or is destroyed. It is suitable (samucitaḥ) for you, to make your body thin in service to me, since you are highly devoted to your husbands vows.
Behold the objects of enjoyment, not subject to fear and lamentation, given by the Lord, attained rightfully by your service to me, which have been attained through concentration of advanced meditation and worship. I will give you the vision.
There is nothing suitable to give you to repay the debt of your selfless service to me. That service is very rare. See those things attained by concentration of advanced meditation and worship (samādhi-vidyā), which are rightly attained by you. I give you divine vision by which you will directly see them now. Or another meaning is By my mercy see directly this sight, without shyness. Let there be no obstacle to both enjoyment and liberation by those things given by the Lord through meditation on the Lord mixed with svadharma or austerities! Thus Kardama promises fearlessness and no lamentation.
What is the use of attaining other enjoyments, which are destroyed by the movement of the Lords brow? You have become successful. Enjoy these extraordinary objects, attained by your service to me--unattainable by men who identify themselves as kings.
The objects of Svarga enjoyed by Indras wife are filled with fear and lamentation. Are they all not insignificant? These have been attained by your loyalty to your husband (nija-dharma-dohān). They are hard to obtain for those who disfigure themselves with identity as king or queen.
Hearing the words of her husband, who was expert in all worship and yogic powers, Devahūti became relieved. With shining a smile and a slightly bashful glance on her face, she spoke words choked with humility and love.
He was expert in all worship and powers arising from yoga. She considered in her mind, My husband is giving me a wealth of enjoyment and liberation beyond my experience of the present world. This is not ordinary pleasure. Thus she was agitated with humility (saṁpraśraya) and love. In this state she approached her husband. She spoke by means of her slightly bashful glance and a face shining with a smile. She found it impossible to speak with her mouth in the next two verses because of the contrary taste in praying for material enjoyment from her husband, and because she was the crest jewel among all women. Therefore to speak, she used a glance infused with an embarrassing smile as her mouth. Her humility and love made her voice choke up. Thus she clearly stated her intentions in the two following verses, but without using her mouth. She remained silent.
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Devahūti said: O best of brāhmaṇas! O great one! O husband! I know that all this has been achieved by you since you are the master of infallible powers of yoga. Let us unite once, according to the verbal contact made. Bearing progeny through a great husband is a praiseworthy quality for a woman.
Devahūti speaks, but actually through her glances. O best of brāhmaṇas! You have achieved this power. I know that. But the contract spoke by you should be fulfilled once. We should associate until one child is born, since the quality of chaste women is producing progeny through an excellent husband (garīyasi). Women are criticized as barren if they do not have children. Another version has guṇa-prasavaḥ: the qualities of the father will be born in the offspring through chaste women. Let there be good offspring from you!
O master! Do what is necessary according to the scriptures for our union, by which my body, agitated by the desire for pleasure, will capable of enjoyment, since I am pained by desire stimulated by your presence. Please consider also a house suitable for that pleasure.
Enter the leaf hut, and do what you desire! No. This cannot be accomplished by a thin, soiled body like this, in such a leaf hut, with such clothing. Please make arrangements without violating the methods mentioned in scriptures written by Vātsyayana.1 The understanding should come from yourself, since you alone know the methods of love making. Expertly prepare unguents, foods, and drinks which stimulate desire, made from suitable materials, by which my body agitated by the desire for union will be capable of giving enjoyment. I am pained by lust arising from seeing you. Now I am poor. Therefore, O master, it is possible to create all of this by your powers of yoga. Consider a house suitable for such pleasure.
O Vidura! Fulfilling the desire of his dear wife, Kardama situated himself in yoga and created at that moment an airplane which moved freely in the air.
Whatever Devahūti had indicated silently by her eyes, Kardama supplied while he also remained silent. He did not give an answer. The place was not imperfect in pleasure like the creations of devatās or humans.
That heavenly vehicle, fulfilling all desires, increasing in wealth at all times, was covered with jewels, and ornamented with jeweled pillars.
It did not decay with time like ordinary airplanes. Rather it increased in its qualities.
sragbhir vicitra-mālyābhir mañju-śiñjat-ṣaò-aḍghribhiḥ dukūla-kṣauma-kauśeyair nānā-vastrair virājitam
It was equipped with attractive paraphernalia which gave constant pleasure and was decorated with colorful small and large flags. It was radiant with various cloths made of silk, linen and dukūla and garlands interwoven with other garland of various colors which attracted sweetly humming bees.
It was not subject to occasional discomforts of heat or cold. Its pleasure was constant. Pattikas are small flags and patākas are bigger flags. There were long garlands of flowers attached to the wood framework, threaded with other garlands of various colors such as red and yellow. Dukūla is silk cloth made from small cocoons. Kṣauma is linen. Kauśeya is silk made from big cocoons.
It appeared charming with separately arranged beds, couches, fans and seats in rooms arranged one above the other.
There were rectangular beds with cotton covers.
It was made beautiful with various sculptures placed here and there and with emerald floors and coral platforms.
The doorframes were coral and the bolts were made of diamonds. On sapphire towers there were situated gold kalaśas.
The door bolts were made of diamond and the door frames were made of coral. On the tops of the towers of the palace were gold kalaśas.
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It was equipped with gold festoons, with various valuable canopies made of choicest rubies which were like eyes, set in surfaces of diamonds.
There were gold festoons and canopies studded with rubies set against diamonds.
The airplane reverberated with the sounds of flocks of swans and doves which flew towards flocks of artificial birds situated there, thinking the artificial birds were real.
Swans and doves flew to meet artificial birds, thinking them to be real, while making ardent cries.
Designed pleasurably with amusement areas, bed rooms, yards, and courtyards, it seemed to cause astonishment even to Kardama.
There were areas for recreation, resting rooms, bedrooms, yards around the house, and courtyards beyond the walls. Yathopajoṣam means pleasurably. Because Kardama built the place, he has not actually astonished. Thus the word iva is used.
Devahūti was not too pleased on seeing that abode. Kardama, knowing the hearts of all beings, then spoke to her.
She was not too pleased because her body was dirty and she did not have servants.
O fearful wife! After bathing in this lake created by Viṣṇu, which grants all desires to men, ascend this airplane.
The lake was Bindu Sarovara. Yāpakam means gives.
aḍgaṁ ca mala-paḍkena sañchannaṁ śabala-stanam āviveśa sarasvatyāḥ saraḥ śiva-jalāśayam
Following the words of her husband, the lotus eyed Devahūti, with matted locks of hair and wearing dirty clothing, whose breasts were discolored, being covered with dirt, entered the lake of auspicious water filled by the Sarasvatī River.
Samādāya means respecting.
In the lake she saw a thousand young girls, all youthful and fragrant as lotuses, residing in a house.
Seeing her, the women quickly stood up, and with folded hands said, We are your maidservants. Please tell us what we can do for you.
We are your servants, for you (tubhyam). Or please tell us what service we can do for you (tubhyam).
bhūṣaṇāni parārdhyāni varīyāṁsi dyumanti ca annaṁ sarva-guṇopetaṁ pānaṁ caivāmṛtāsavam
After bathing the cheerful Devahūti using valuable, fragrant oils, the respectful girls gave her fine, new clothing, valuable, praiseworthy, sparkling ornaments, food with all good qualities and sweet drinks.
With the bath there were suitable oils. They gave her clothing to wear. They gave her food and drinks.
snātaṁ kṛta-śiraḥ-snānaṁ sarvābharaṇa-bhūṣitam niṣka-grīvaṁ valayinaṁ kūjat-kāñcana-nūpuram
In a mirror, she saw that her body was made auspicious and clean, tended carefully by the girls, adorned with a garland and clean cloth, bathed fully including the head, and decorated with all ornaments, with a niṣka around her neck, armlets, and jingling, gold anklets.
She saw herself in a mirror. The verb saw should be supplied. Some women of the western provinces do not bath the head. To defeat that idea, here it is stated that her head was bathed.
She was decorated with a gold belt with many jewels on her waist, by a precious necklace and by auspicious substances.
She had a belt on her hips. Her body was also decorated with auspicious substances (rucakena). Viśva-kośa says that rucaka means auspicious substance, an ornament for the neck, or a tooth.
Her face shone with beautiful teeth, beautiful brows, charming eyes with tender glances, defeating lotus buds, and black locks of hair.
Teeth and eyebrows are in the singular to represent a type. Ślakṣṇa means attractive. Her eyes which had affectionate glances defeated lotus buds in beauty.
When she thought of her husband, best among the sages, she immediately arrived at the spot where her husband was standing along with her servant maids
Seeing herself in this condition, and judging herself fit for enjoyment with her husband, she then thought of him. Immediately she appeared where he was, seated with him on one seat.
Seeing herself surrounded by thousands of maids in the presence of her husband, she was surprised at his powers of yoga.
His power of yoga was that without even using her feet, she came from the water. Seeing the power of his yoga, she was surprised, thinking How amazing this is!
vidyādharī-sahasreṇa sevyamānāṁ suvāsasam jāta-bhāvo vimānaṁ tad ārohayad amitra-han
O conqueror of lust! Kardama, struck with love for his wife, who was now cleansed, shining, beautiful as she was previously, with covered, charming breasts, fine robes, served by thousands of young girls, placed her in the airplane.
She was as radiant as she was previously before her marriage. Saṁvīta means covered. If sthanam is in the neuter then it modifies rūpam.
The sage of undiminished glory, whose body was served by the girls and who was attached to his wife, shone in the airplane like the moon in the sky surrounded by charming stars while possessing many blossoming lotuses in the form of their eyes.
The sage, his body served (upacīrṇa) by the girls, shone in that airplane. He possessed many blossoming lotuses. Apīvyaḥ means very beautiful. The sage was like the full moon. The airplane was the sky. The women were like the stars. Their eyes were like lotuses.
Using that airplane, praised by the Siddhas, Kardama, surrounded by damsels like Kuvera, enjoyed for a long time in the valleys of Meru Mountain, the pleasure ground of the deities of the eight directions, with its pleasant breezes, the companions of Cupid, and which reverberated with the sound of auspicious water walls of the Gaḍgā.
He enjoyed with the airplane. Kulacalendra is Mount Meru. Dyudhuni is Gaḍgā. The valleys had auspicious sound as the Gaḍgā water fell from high above. He was surrounded by many women like Kuvera.
Pleased with his wife, he enjoyed in Vaiśrambhaka, Surasana, Nandana, Puṣpabhadraka, Mānasa Sarovara and Caitrarathya.
These are gardens of the devatās. Mānasa means Mānasa-sarovara.
He surpassed the devatās with their airplanes as he traveled like the air to other planets on his giant, glowing vehicle propelled by his desire.
Atyaśeta means he surpassed.
What is difficult to achieve for those with full absorbed minds, who take shelter of the feet of the Supreme Lord, which destroy all misfortune?
Their minds are not attached to anything except the Lords lotus feet (uddama-cetasam).
After showing his wife the greatly amazing territory of the earth with its structure, the great yogī returned to his hermitage.
Golam here means territory (maṇòala). Sva-saṁsthayā means with its composition of islands and continents.
Dividing himself in nine parts and delighting his wife, daughter of Manu, whose desired amorous pleasure, he enjoyed for many years, which passed like a moment.
Kardama divided himself up into nine forms.
Situated on an excellent bed which stimulated desire in that airplane, she did not notice that time had passed.
As the couple enjoyed, eager with desire, by the power of yoga, a hundred autumns passed in a few moments.
Manak means as if in a short time.
The powerful Kardama, knower of all desires, knower of the soul by his intelligence, thinking of his wife, divided his form into nine, and deposited his semen in her.
By thinking of a woman at the time of impregnation, a female child will be produced. Kardama knew that his wife desired daughters. He was a knower of the soul by his intelligence. Thus he was detached. Because his desire was less, his semen was less, and thus female children were produced. Pumān puṁso dhike śukre strī bhaved adhike striyā: a male is born when the man is stronger, and a female is born when the female is stronger. Nodhā means nine times. He was the knower of all desires. He knew that his wife had a desire for many children. He was powerful (vibhuḥ), capable of fulfilling her desires.
At one time, she gave birth to female children, all with beautiful limbs and with the fragrance of red lotuses.
Sadyaḥ means all in one day.
likhanty adho-mukhī bhūmiṁ padā nakha-maṇi-śriyā uvāca lalitāṁ vācaṁ nirudhyāśru-kalāṁ śanaiḥ
Seeing her husband leaving the home, the beautiful Devahuti smiled outwardly, but with a heart disturbed and pained, she looked down, writing on the earth with her jewel-like toe nails, and, suppressing her tears, slowly spoke charming words.
She smiled since that was natural on seeing her husband, but actually her heart was filled with worry and agitation.
Devahūti said: O master! You have accomplished what you promised to me. But you should also give fearlessness to me, who am surrendered to you.
Upovāha means accomplished.
O brāhmaṇa! Your daughters will find qualified husbands for themselves. But who will solace me when you depart to the forest?
Tubhyam here means your. I am not worried about their marriage. I should have a qualified son from you for removing my lamentation. Be merciful and stay a few more days with me.
O master! So much time has passed uselessly in sense pleasure, without thoughts of the Supreme Lord.
By your clever words, do you want more material pleasure from me? In shyness she replies. I have wasted so much time in sense pleasure, since I have rejected the Supreme Lord. This means that time has been wasted.
I have associated with you, while being attached to enjoyment and not knowing your superior condition as a devotee with great detachment. Still, you should give me fearlessness.
People are delivered by even a moments association with you, a great devotee. There are two reasons why I did not get deliverance even after many years of association with you. I was attached to sense pleasure and I did not know your supreme position-- you have great detachment and are a great devotee of the Lord. Since you are inclined to give up all possessiveness in an instant, give mercy to me, an offender.
Association with materialists done in ignorance is a cause of bondage and association with devotees done in ignorance leads to liberation.
Association with devotees such as you should not at all be in vain. In ignorance should be applied to both phrases.
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A person whose actions do not lead to dharma, to detachment and to service of the Lords feet, though living, is actually dead.
What are you requesting? You have such wealth. Enjoy those objects! He whose actions are not for the purpose of dharma, detachment and service, concerned only with body and senses, is already dead.
I have been cheated by the illusory energy of the Lord because, having attained you, who give liberation, I did not desire liberation from bondage.
I am an example of such a dead person. I am the living person who is dead (sāham). I did not desire liberation (na mumukseya). She speaks with tears in her eyes and choked voice.
Thus ends the commentary on Twenty-third Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Twenty-third Chapter describes the request of Devahūti and the enjoyment of Kardama after creating heavenly wealth desired by her.