The Razor Hearts of Men and Women

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The Razor Hearts of Men and Women - 28 March 2017 - Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.18 śrī-śuka uvāca hata-putrā ditiḥ śakra- pārṣṇi-grāheṇa viṣṇunā manyunā śoka-dīptena jvalantī paryacintayat kadā nu bhrātṛ-hantāram indriyārāmam ulbaṇam aklinna-hṛdayaṁ pāpaṁ ghātayitvā śaye sukham Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.18.23-24 Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Just to help Lord Indra, Bhagavan Viṣṇu killed the twin brothers Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu. Resultantly, Diti, their mother, overwhelmed with anger and lamentation, thought as follows: “Indra is attached to sense gratification and has killed the two brothers Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu—my sons—by the means of Viṣṇu. He is cruel, hardhearted, and sinful. When will I, having arranged his death, rest with a pacified mind?” The mother of the asuras had lost control of her mind. All she desired now was arrange the death of Indra. Indra was also the son of Kasyap, Diti’s husband. āśāsānasya tasyedaṁ dhruvam unnaddha-cetasaḥ mada-śoṣaka indrasya bhūyād yena suto hi me iti bhāvena sā bhartur ācacārāsakṛt priyam śuśrūṣayānurāgeṇa praśrayeṇa damena ca bhaktyā paramayā rājan manojñair valgu-bhāṣitaiḥ mano jagrāha bhāva-jñā sasmitāpāṅga-vīkṣaṇaiḥ Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.18.26-28 Diti thought, “Indra thinks that his body is eternal. Thus, he has become unrestrained. I desire to have a son who will put an end to Indra's madness. Let me adopt some means by which my desire will be fulfilled.” Thinking in this way, Diti began to constantly act to please Kaśyapa by sweet and affectionate behavior. O Maharaja, Diti carried out Kaśyapa's orders faithfully and continuously and with affectionate seva, humility, disciplined behavior, sweet words, smiles and loving glances at him, Diti attracted his mind until it was brought under her control. Kasyapa was pleased by Diti’s service. Generally, men are not as pleased with service from another man as they are with service done to them by women. Women also are more pleased by the service of a man than by another woman. Sukadeva Gosvami explains that in the early stages of creation, Brahmaji noticed that the inhabitants of this world were detached from each other. For the purpose of increasing the population, he created women, who have the power to steal men’s minds. Now in a state of bewilderment Kasyapa said: “My dear Diti, you have made me very happy with your service. Now ask me for a boon.” Diti thought, “Yes, now my husband is under my control. He will help me now to obtain my desired goal.” Then she said to Kasyapa, “O great one, you know that Indra killed my two sons. If you wish to give me a boon then give me a son who cannot die that will kill Indra.” Kasyapa was disturbed to hear these words. Indra was his son. What father could arrange the death of his son? “How can I give her this boon?” he thought. “Alas, I have been controlled by my wife like a person who is not in control of his senses. Ladies’ faces are like soft lotuses and their words are very sweet, but their hearts are like razors. How can this woman desire the death of Her own sister’s son?” añjasā svāśiṣātmanām patiṁ putraṁ bhrātaraṁ vā ghnanty arthe ghātayanti ca Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.18.42 For the sake of satisfying their own interests, women interact with men as if the men were very dear to them but really no one is dear to them. They seem to be saintly, but for their selfish interests they can kill even their husbands, sons or brothers, or cause them to be killed by others. Kasyapa thought, “What will I do now? I must find a way to fulfill her boon but save Indra.” The sage then concluded, “I will have to engage her in a vrata of worshiping Visnu. Only that will work.” Somewhat angry with his wife, and frustrated with himself, Kasyapa told Diti, “You will have to follow a vrata for one year, after which a son will be born to you for the purpose of killing Indra. However, if you make a mistake in the execution of the rules of this vrata, that son will become Indra’s friend and follower.” Diti was happy and ready to follow his instructions. “Please tell me the rules of the vrata,” she said. Before repeating the condition that if any rules were broken her son would be Indra’s friend and not his killer, Kasyapa described the rules of the vrata (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.18.47-54) śrī-kaśyapa uvāca na hiṁsyād bhūta-jātāni na śapen nānṛtaṁ vadet na chindyān nakha-romāṇi na spṛśed yad amaṅgalam Kaśyapa Muni said: My dear wife, to follow this vow, do not be violent or cause harm to anyone. Do not curse anyone, and do not speak lies. Do not cut your nails and hair, and do not touch impure things like skulls and bones. nāpsu snāyān na kupyeta na sambhāṣeta durjanaiḥ na vasītādhauta-vāsaḥ srajaṁ ca vidhṛtāṁ kvacit Kaśyapa Muni continued: My dear gentle wife, never enter the water while bathing, never be angry, and do not even speak or associate with wicked people. Never wear clothes that have not been properly washed, and do not put on a garland that has already been worn. nocchiṣṭaṁ caṇḍikānnaṁ ca sāmiṣaṁ vṛṣalāhṛtam bhuñjītodakyayā dṛṣṭaṁ piben nāñjalinā tv apaḥ Never eat leftover food, never eat prasāda offered to the goddess Kālī [Durgā], and do not eat anything contaminated by flesh or fish. Do not eat anything brought or touched by a śūdra nor anything seen by a woman in her menstrual period. Do not drink water by joining your palms. nocchiṣṭāspṛṣṭa-salilā sandhyāyāṁ mukta-mūrdhajā anarcitāsaṁyata-vāk nāsaṁvītā bahiś caret After eating, you should not go out to the street without having washed your mouth, hands and feet. You should not go out in the evening or with your hair loose, nor should you go out unless you are properly decorated with ornaments. You should not leave the house unless you are very grave and are sufficiently covered. nādhauta-pādāprayatā nārdra-pādā udak-śirāḥ śayīta nāparāṅ nānyair na nagnā na ca sandhyayoḥ You should not lie down without having washed both of your feet or without being purified, nor with wet feet or with your head pointed west or north. You should not lie naked, or with other women, or during the sunrise or sunset. dhauta-vāsā śucir nityaṁ sarva-maṅgala-saṁyutā pūjayet prātarāśāt prāg go-viprāñ śriyam acyutam Putting on washed clothing, being always pure and being adorned with turmeric, sandalwood pulp and other auspicious items, before breakfast one should worship the cows, the brāhmaṇas, the goddess of fortune and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. striyo vīravatīś cārcet srag-gandha-bali-maṇḍanaiḥ patiṁ cārcyopatiṣṭheta dhyāyet koṣṭha-gataṁ ca tam With flower garlands, sandalwood pulp, ornaments and other paraphernalia, a woman following this vow should worship women who have sons and whose husbands are living. The pregnant wife should worship her husband and offer him prayers. She should meditate upon him, thinking that he is situated in her womb. Diti happily agreed to follow these rules. Before long she became pregnant. As she carefully followed the vrata mentioned to her by her husband, Indra, understanding her intentions, began to serve her in all kinds of ways. He aided her in her worship by bringing flowers, kusa grass, and so on at the appropriate times as well as wood for yajna. As a hunter uses deerskin to disguise himself and lure deer close to him, so Indra put on a show of sincere and selfless service while really he was looking for the smallest fault in Diti’s practice so he could ruin her plans. Diti’s vrata was almost complete but somehow or another, one evening, she took rest forgetting to wash her mouth, hands, and feet after eating. Indra saw his chance and with mystic power entered her womb. In the womb of Diti, Indra found an effulgent baby. He immediately cut the baby into seven pieces with his thunderbolt. To his surprise those seven parts all became separate entities and began to cry. “Be quiet,” he said, “or your mother will wake.” And he cut each of those seven beings into seven parts again. Now all 49 parts addressed him in distress, “Dear Indra, we are your brothers. Why are you trying to kill us?” Recognizing that the Maruts (the 49 sons of Diti that now occupied her womb) were sincere and friendly to him, Indra stopped his attack. Sukadeva Gosvami continued: O Pariksit, just as you were saved from death while in the womb of your mother by Srinivasa, the Supreme Lord, the child in the womb of Diti did not die when cut into 49 pieces by the thunderbolt of Indra. As a plant can be separated into many parts and planted in the earth, each resulting in fully existing separated plants, in the same way, the 49 cut parts of Diti’s son were embodied by different souls when they became separated. It is well known that only a small amount of worship offered to the Supreme Lord can result in liberation. It is therefore not surprising that Diti, after worshiping Visnu for almost a year, gave birth to special children who, although born in the asura lineage, became equal to the demigods. Diti’s heart was purified after following the vrata. She woke to find that she had 49 effulgent sons before Her. When she saw them and Indra in front of Her she inquired, “My dear son Indra, I prayed for one son. How is it that I have been given 49?” Indra answered, “Mother, I am very selfish.” And he explained how he came to help her with his secret intentions of finding a mistake in her execution of her vrata so that he could prevent his killer from being born. “I cut your child into pieces inside your womb, but when I saw that he did not die and, in fact, all the pieces became individuals, I understood that they were maha-purusas born of your worship to Sri Hari. The Lord must be pleased with you. Therefore, he gave you these immortal sons.” Indra glorified the Supreme Lord. He said, “A person might desire visaya-sukha, but Sri Hari mercifully gives only what is helpful for him. How amazing the Lord’s mercy is! Although I cut your child to pieces, by the Lord’s grace He did not die. O mother, I am foolish. Kindly forgive me.” śrī-śuka uvāca indras tayābhyanujñātaḥ śuddha-bhāvena tuṣṭayā marudbhiḥ saha tāṁ natvā jagāma tri-divaṁ prabhuḥ Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.18.77 Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Indra, having satisfied Diti with his good behavior, offered his aunt respects and repeated pranama. With her permission he went back to the heavenly planets accompanied by his brothers the Maruts.