SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 8

S'rî S'uka said: 'As they, the Asuras, among themselves were snatching the nectar from one another tossing it to and fro and thus, behaving like thieves, grew very inimical, saw they [the Lord in the form of] a very beautiful woman [called Mohinî-mûrti] coming towards them.

S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: Thereafter, the demons became inimical toward one another. Throwing and snatching the container of nectar, they gave up their friendly relationship. Meanwhile, they saw a very beautiful young woman coming forward toward them. (Vedabase)

Text 2

'What a body, what a luster and what a beauty of youth She has!' so they said, in their hearts lusting to sleep with her as they hurried for her attention.

Upon seeing the beautiful woman, the demons said, "Alas, how wonderful is Her beauty, how wonderful the luster of Her body, and how wonderful the beauty of Her youthful age!" Speaking in this way, they quickly approached Her, full of lusty desires to enjoy Her, and began to inquire from Her in many ways. (Vedabase)

Text 3

'Who are you with your lotus petal eyes and whence and why did you come here; to whom, o beautiful thighs upsetting our minds, do you belong, please tell us!

O wonderfully beautiful girl, 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 to whom do You belong? O You whose thighs are extraordinarily beautiful, our minds are becoming agitated simply because of seeing You. (Vedabase)

Text 4

Nor we, nor any godly person, demon, perfected one, creature of heaven or venerable one has ever laid hands on you and known you, not to mention any local master of the human society.

What to speak of human beings, even the demigods, demons, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Câranas and the various directors of the universe, the Prajâpatis, have never touched You before. It is not that we are unable to understand Your identity. (Vedabase)

Text 5

We may thank providence, o beautiful eyebrows, for sending you; isn't your mercy there to bring what pleases the senses and minds of all who are of flesh and blood?

O beautiful girl with beautiful eyebrows, certainly Providence, by His causeless mercy, has sent You to please the senses and minds of all of us. Is this not a fact? (Vedabase)

Text 6

O smashing lady, could you be our luck to settle the mounting differences between us who as family members are more and more of enmity over this one issue [of the nectar], o slim beauty?

We are now all engaged in enmity among ourselves because of this one subject matter - the container of nectar. Although we have been born in the same family, we are becoming increasingly inimical. O thin-waisted woman, who are so beautiful in Your prestigious position, we therefore request You to favor us by settling our dispute. (Vedabase)

Text 7

Make it so that you with all of us, able and competent brothers that are the descendants of Kas'yapa, are sure to divide [the nectar] justly without any partiality.'

All of us, both demons and demigods, have been born of the same father, Kas'yapa, and thus we are related as brothers. But now we are exhibiting our personal prowess in dissension. Therefore we request You to settle our dispute and divide the nectar equally among us. (Vedabase)

Text 8

As a mature woman looking at them with an enchanting smile, addressed the illusion of feminine beauty that was an incarnation of the Lord, thus the Daityas who were urging for it.

Having thus been requested by the demons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had assumed the form of a beautiful woman, began to smile. Looking at them with attractive feminine gestures, She spoke as follows. (Vedabase)

Text 9

The Supreme Lord said: 'How can it be that you all, descendants of Kas'yapa, put faith in associating with an eye-catcher like Me; to be enamoured with women is something one never finds with the wise!

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the form of Mohinî, told the demons: O sons of Kas'yapa Muni, I am only a prostitute. How is it that you have so much faith in Me? A learned person never puts his faith in a woman. (Vedabase)

Text 10

They all agree that monkeys and dogs, o enemies of the Suras, and especially independent women, are fickle in their relationships, always looking for a newer and newer mate.'

O demons, as monkeys, jackals and dogs are unsteady in their sexual relationships and want newer and newer friends every day, women who live independently seek new friends daily. Friendship with such a woman is never permanent. This is the opinion of learned scholars. (Vedabase)

Text 11

S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus sporting with them made She all the Asuras laugh who, despite of her serious demeanor cherished her in their minds, and so they handed over the jar of nectar.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: After the demons heard the words of Mohinî-mûrti, who had spoken as if jokingly, they were all very confident. They laughed with gravity, and ultimately they delivered the container of nectar into Her hands. (Vedabase)

Text 12

Next taking hold of the amrit container spoke the Lord with a painted smile to all His beauty and words: 'If you promise to accept whatever I may do, honest or not, then I'll give each his share of this nectar.'

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. (Vedabase)

Text 13

Having heard her consented they, the chiefs of the Asuras all full of her, to the words thus spoken and said they: 'So be it!'

The chiefs of the demons were not very expert in deciding things. Upon hearing the sweet words of Mohinî-mûrti, they immediately assented. "Yes," they answered. "What You have said is all right." Thus the demons agreed to accept Her decision. (Vedabase)

Text 14-15

They then observed a fast, bathed, offered oblations of ghee into the fire, were of charity towards the cows, the brahmins and each and everyone, performed they ceremonies according the brahmin precept, dressed they up to their taste with the newest and finest and sat they all in full ornate down on kus'a seats that all faced the east.

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 brâhmanas and members of the other orders of society, namely the kshatriyas, vais'yas and s'ûdras, who were all rewarded as they deserved. Thereafter, the demigods and demons performed ritualistic ceremonies under the directions of the brâhmanas. 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 kus'a grass. (Vedabase)

Text 16-17

When the Suras and Daityas, all with their faces turned to the east sat down, all dressed up with garlands and with lamps in an arena full of incense smoke, entered there and then, o ruler of man, holding the container, she, with her youthful, restless eyes, the sounds of her tinkling ankle bells and jugs of breasts, striding slowly with a beautiful sari around her wide hips and elephant trunk like thighs.

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. (Vedabase)

Text 18

Looking at Her, the Lord Supreme who with golden earrings, charming ears, nose, cheeks and face posed as a girlfriend of the Goddess, were they all enchanted the way she with a smile glanced at them while her sari was slightly waving over her breasts.

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 Mohinî-mûrti, who was glancing at them and slightly smiling, they were all completely enchanted. (Vedabase)

Text 19

Considering it a miscalculation of giving milk to snakes to hand out the nectar to the bunch of vile natured demons, delivered the Infallible One not a drop of it.

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. (Vedabase)

Text 20

Arranging different lines for the both of them had the master of the Universe each of them orderly seated at his own side.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead as Mohinî-mûrti, the master of the universe, arranged separate lines of sitting places and seated the demigods and demons according to their positions. (Vedabase)

Text 21

The Lord with the nectar who with sweet words beguiled the Daityas, made the ones sitting opposite of them drink of the nectar that would free them from old age, death and disability.

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. (Vedabase)

Text 22

The Asuras, according their promise, kept themselves in check, o King and remained silent, considering it an abomination to fight a woman.

O King, since the demons had promised to accept whatever the woman did, whether just or unjust, now, to keep this promise, to show their equilibrium and to save themselves from fighting with a woman, they remained silent. (Vedabase)

Text 23

Not to break the bond of friendship with her felt they, moved by the greatest respect and honor, all obliged and said they not the slightest that would displease her.

The demons had developed affection for Mohinî-mûrti and a kind of faith in Her, and they were afraid of disturbing their relationship. Therefore they showed respect and honor to Her words and did not say anything that might disturb their friendship with Her. (Vedabase)

Text 24

He who darkens the luminaries [Râhu] dressed himself up as one of the godly and sat among the godconscious to drink from the nectar but was, by sun and moon, quickly detected.

Râhu, the demon who causes eclipses of the sun and moon, covered himself with the dress of a demigod and thus entered the assembly of the demigods and drank nectar without being detected by anyone, even by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The moon and the sun, however, because of permanent animosity toward Râhu, understood the situation. Thus Râhu was detected. (Vedabase)

Text 25

The moment he drank the nectar was the head of Râhu cut off by the Lord His razor sharp cakra, but the decapitated body, which was not touched by the nectar, fell dead to the ground.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, using His disc, which was sharp like a razor, at once cut off Râhu's head. When Râhu's head was severed from his body, the body, being untouched by the nectar, could not survive. (Vedabase)

Text 26

The head that thus had attained immortality was by Lord Brahmâ recognized as a planet and it is that very Râhu that during eclipses [or with lunar phases] inimically represses the sun and the moon [see also 5.24: 1-3, 6.6: 37 and 6.18: 12-14].

Râhu's head, however, having been touched by the nectar, became immortal. Thus Lord Brahmâ accepted Râhu's head as one of the planets. Since Râhu is an eternal enemy of the moon and the sun, he always tries to attack them on the nights of the full moon and the dark moon. (Vedabase)

Text 27

When the godly were almost done drinking from the nectar revealed the Supreme Lord Hari, the well-wisher of all the worlds, in the presence of of all the asuras and their leaders His original form.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the best friend and well-wisher of the three worlds. Thus when the demigods had almost finished drinking the nectar, the Lord, in the presence of all the demons, disclosed His original form. (Vedabase)

Text 28

Even though the Suras and Asuras were thus unified in respect of the same place, time, objective, cause, activities and ambition, were they not as equal in the result they achieved; the God-minded easily achieved the nectar with it because theirs was the benediction of the saffron dust of the lotus feet, but that was not the case with the Daityas [compare B.G. 4: 11].

The place, the time, the cause, the purpose, the activity and the ambition were all the same for both the demigods and the demons, but the demigods achieved one result and the demons another. Because the demigods are always under the shelter of the dust of the Lord's lotus feet, they could very easily drink the nectar and get its result. The demons, however, not having sought shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord, were unable to achieve the result they desired. (Vedabase)

Text 29

Whatever that is done for the sake of one's own life and welfare, all those human activities, ideas and words in relation to one's body and family, are all transient [asat, 'untrue', they are all of separation], but the same indeed becomes factual and permanent when it is not done in separation - it then grows into that which is the watering of the root that is beneficial for everyone [see 8.5: 49].

In human society there are various activities performed for the protection of one's wealth and life by one's words, one's mind and one's actions, but they are all performed for one's personal or extended sense gratification with reference to the body. All these activities are baffled because of being separate from devotional service. But when the same activities are performed for the satisfaction of the Lord, the beneficial results are distributed to everyone, just as water poured on the root of a tree is distributed throughout the entire tree. (Vedabase)