27 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The demons, having the nature of thieves, had given up friendship with one another and were snatching and throwing the pot. They then saw the woman approach.
"Alas, how wonderful is her beauty, how wonderful is the luster of her body, and how wonderful is the beauty of her youth!" Speaking in this way, they pursued her, and, with lust in their hearts, inquire from her.
O girl with beautiful thighs! You have such nice eyes, resembling the petals of a lotus flower. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your purpose in coming here, and whose daughter are you? You are agitating our minds.
Whose daughter are you (kasya asi)?
What to speak of human beings, even the devatās, demons, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Cāraṇas and the various directors of the universe, the Prajāpatis, have never touched you before. It is not that we are unable to understand this.
It is not that we do not know that you have not been touched by the devatās and others. We know that. They imply, Have you come here for choosing a husband?
O beautiful girl with beautiful eyebrows! Has not destiny, by its mercy, sent you to please the senses and minds of all beings?
What is the necessity of knowing her intention? We have become successful just by seeing her.
We, of one family, have become inimical to each other, competing because of this pot. O thin-waisted, esteemed woman! Please create auspiciousness for us.
Your intentions can be settled later. Now, please act to please us.
All of us are descendents of Kaśyapa, and thus we are brothers. But now we are exhibiting our prowess against each other. Please divide the nectar among us justly so there will no quarrel.
Divide the nectar among us demons.
Requested by the demons, the Supreme Lord, who had assumed the form of a woman, smiling and looking at them with attractive glances, spoke as follows.
The Lord said: O descendents of Kaśyapa! Why do you associate with me, a prostitute? A learned person never puts his faith in women.
You say that you are the sons of the sage Kaśyapa. How then have you become so lusty? This is a joke to bewilder them. We cannot be controlled by our emotions through any woman. But we have been conquered by your purity. But I am just a prostitute. Shall we praise the limits of your lack of desire? You have not even smelled the scent of a man from childhood. You are speaking like this to hide yourself. Prostitutes among women claim they are pure. We desire to give everything to you, because you are without duplicity, which is very unique among women. With a steady gaze produced out of astonishment at their mental words, she then spoke. O wise men! Do not put faith in me if you desire your own good! What I speak externally has the opposite meaning internally. Since I understand that you are learned, you should do what is proper. One should understand there is an internal meaning in the previous and later events. Though you think that I am pure, one should know that internally I have lust since youth. Being filled with lust and being a woman, and not having the protection of a husband or sons, how could I not become a prostitute? Therefore you should not trust me at all.
O demons! Jackals and prostitutes are unsteady in their friendship and think of newer and newer friends every day. This is the opinion of learned scholars.
Then what should we do? Please listen to the conclusion. Sālavṛka means a monkey, jackal or dog according to Amara-koṣa.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Their minds comforted by the joking words of Mohinī, the demons laughed in a mysterious manner, and delivered the container of nectar to her.
They were pacified by her joking (kṣevelitaiḥ). They laughed in such a way that their intentions could not be understood by the unintelligent (bhāva-gambhiram). They thought as follows. O woman with all qualities! Are you testing us? We are not faithless and impure in heart. Take the pot of nectar. Divide it and give it to us. Or drink it. Or throw it somewhere else. Do as you please. Know that we have become yours, because of your good qualities.
Thereafter, the Lord, having taken the container of nectar, spoke with slightly joking words. If you accept whatever I may do, whether right or wrong, then I will divide the nectar.
If you accept what I do, whether it is right or wrong, I will divide the nectar. I know my own ignorance. That is why I say this first.
Upon hearing the words of Mohinī, the chiefs of the demons, being foolish, immediately assented.
yathopajoṣaṁ vāsāṁsi paridhāyāhatāni te kuśeṣu prāviśan sarve prāg-agreṣv abhibhūṣitāḥ
The devatās and demons then observed a fast, and after bathing, they offered clarified butter into the fire and gave charity to the cows, to the brāhmaṇas and to other living entities, as they deserved. Thereafter, the devatās and demons performed ritualistic ceremonies under the directions of the brāhmaṇas. Then they dressed themselves with new garments, decorated their bodies with ornaments, and sat on seats made of kuśa grass with tips facing east.
They fasted before drinking the nectar, which was an auspicious act. They did this after quarrelling, seeing Mohinī, and then discussing with her. They then took bath. According to their liking they put on new (āhatāni) clothing. Āhata means cloth fresh from the loom. This is best for all auspicious occasions. They sat on kūśa with tips facing east.
tasyāṁ narendra karabhorur uśad-dukūla- śroṇī-taṭālasa-gatir mada-vihvalākṣī sā kūjatī kanaka-nūpura-śiñjitena kumbha-stanī kalasa-pāṇir athāviveśa
O King! As the devatās and demons sat facing east in an arena fully decorated with flower garlands and lamps, and fragrant with incense, that woman, dressed in a most beautiful sari, her ankle bells tinkling, entered the arena, walking very slowly because of her large hips. Her eyes were restless due to youthful pride, her breasts were like water jugs, and her thighs were slender. She carried the pot in her hand.
Instead of uśad another version has lasad. According to Amara-koṣa the word karabha means the length from the wrist to the root of the little finger.
Gazing at this form of the Lord, resembling a friend of Lakṣmī, whose face had beautiful ears, nose and cheeks, gold earrings, with the cloth falling from her breast, the devatās and demons become enchanted by her smiling glance.
Though the Lord is the friend of Lakṣmī, he became her female friend. Though Nārāyaṇa is most beautiful among males, you, Lakṣmī, should not become proud and think that you are the most beautiful among women. I, the Supreme lord, am also the most beautiful among women. To prove this to Lakṣmī, he showed this form. She had golden earrings and beautiful nose.
Considering that it would be improper to give the nectar to the demons who were cruel like snakes, the Lord did not give a share of nectar to them.
The demons had instructed Mohinī to divide the nectar justly. Not giving the nectar to them was the best justice.
The master of the universe arranged separate lines of sitting places for the devatās and demons and seated them according to their positions.
They were assigned to rows according to who would get the nectar.
Taking the container of nectar in her hands, she first approached the demons, and cheated them by her bewildering gestures. Then she administered the nectar which destroys old age and death to the devatās, who were sitting at a distant place.
She cheated them by slowly moving close to them (upa) while moving her cloth, ornaments and ankle bells, covering her face, smiling shyly and moving her eyebrows. They thought she would give a little to the devatās to satisfy them and give most to the demons. This is how she cheated them. They concluded in their mind, We are now drinking nectar with our ears, eyes and mind. The nectar from the milk ocean cannot be more than this. What is the use of the nectar? We desire simply to please her. She then gave nectar to the devatās who were seated far off.
O King! The demons, to keep the agreement, because of having great affection for her, remained silent at what she did, with abhorrence for quarrelling with a woman.
They had agreed to let her divide the nectar as she like, without protesting. They disliked quarrelling with a woman.
Because of great attachment to her, fear of losing her friendship, and being restrained by great respect for her, they said nothing which would displease her.
They were restrained because of great respect for her, since she said Let these weak devatās drink a little, and you strong heroes wait a moment. They said nothing at all to displease her for these six reasons, starting with keeping the agreement. They remained silent.
Rāhu, having covered himself with the dress of a devatā, entered the assembly of the devatās and drank nectar. The sun and the moon devatās revealed that he was a demon.
All the demons were bewildered and cheated by Mohinī, but Rāhu was not bewildered in order to broadcast the glory of the nectar (by making his head immortal). He immediately understood the intentions of Mohinī and entered the line of the devatās. At first the devatās could not recognize him. The sun and moon however recognized him when he sat down. Because they feared him, they could not say Sit in another row. But when he got the nectar and drank it, they raised their brows to indicate This is a demon.
The Supreme Lord, using his sharp disc, cut off Rāhu's head, while he was drinking. The body, being untouched by the nectar, fell down.
The form of Ajita (not Mohinī) cut off his head. The body, not completely (ā) inundated with nectar, fell down.
Lord Brahmā made Rāhu's head which had become immortal by the nectar into a planet. With animosity, he still pursues the moon and sun.
The head became free of death by drinking the nectar. The effect of the nectar is shown: Brahmā made the head into a planet like the sun and moon.
When the devatās had almost finished drinking the nectar, the Lord, the maintainer of the worlds, disclosed his form to the chiefs of the demons.
Though the place, time, cause, materials, the activity and the determination were the same for both the devatās and the demons, there were different results. Because the devatās took shelter of the dust of the Lord's lotus feet, they could very easily drink the nectar. The demons, however, not having taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord, did not obtain the nectar.
Though the material conditions were the same for both parties, the devotees achieved success and the demons did not. The moral of the story is here stated. The place was the same: the milk ocean. The time was the same at every moment for both parties. The means was the same: using Mandara Mountain as the churning rod. The materials were the various herbs thrown in the ocean. The activity was churning the ocean. The determination was desire to attain nectar. But in attaining the result there was alternatives: attaining nectar and not attaining nectar. Among them (tatra) the devatās attained the result, because they took shelter of the Lords feet. The demons did not attain the result since they did not take shelter of the Lords feet. The meaning of the incident is that everyone should serve the Lord.
Utilizing ones prāṇa, wealth, actions, mind and words for maintaining ones body, sons and others is not proper since this endeavor is separate from the Lord. Utilizing these same things for service to the Lord is proper, since this endeavor is not separate from the Lord. This is service to all beings since it is watering the root.
This verse gives the conclusion. Whatever is used for the body or sons by ones prāṇa, wealth, actions, mind or words is temporary. Using the senses, mind and wealth simply for the body is useless. Why? This is because it is separate, like watering the branches of a tree. Just as one thinks the branches are separate from the root and waters the branches instead of the root, the fool serves the body instead of serving the Lord. Using the prāṇas, wealth and senses for the Lord is correct. Why? It is not separate from the Lord. It is like watering the root. Just as one waters the root, understanding that the branch is not separate from the root, so one serves the Lord. This service (tat) is actually service to all beings from Brahmā to non-moving beings (sarvasya), because this is watering the root (yat mūla-nisecanam).
Thus ends the commentary on the Ninth Chapter of the Eighth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas
The Ninth Chapter describes how Mohinī bewilders and cheats the demons, gives the nectar to the devatās to drink, and how Rāhu is beheaded.