Guest guest Posted August 30, 2000 Report Share Posted August 30, 2000 Piet van Veldhuizen wrote: >My interest is in the theme of a man and a woman meeting at a water-well, or >source or pond or river. A pitcher or water-jar may be involved. If you want a fully detailed text for the following you can try the library to get for you the copy of the Srimad Bhagavatam below I have only included partial text--because its too long. Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 9 chapter 18 text 18 Translation by His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada TEXT 18 TEXT tasyam gatayam sva-grham yayatir mrgayam caran prapto yadrcchaya kupe jalarthi tam dadarsa ha SYNONYMS tasyam--when she; gatayam--went; sva-grham--to her home; yayatih--King Yayati; mrgayam--hunting; caran--wandering; praptah--arrived; yadrcchaya--by chance; kupe--in the well; jala-arthi--desiring to drink water; tam--her (Devayani); dadarsa--saw; ha--indeed. TRANSLATION After throwing Devayani into the well, Sarmistha went home. Meanwhile, King Yayati, while engaged in a hunting excursion, went to the well to drink water and by chance saw Devayani. TEXT 19 TEXT dattva svam uttaram vasas tasyai raja vivasase grhitva panina panim ujjahara daya-parah SYNONYMS dattva--giving; svam--his own; uttaram--upper; vasah--cloth; tasyai--unto her (Devayani); raja--the King; vivasase--because she was naked; grhitva--catching; panina--with his hand; panim--her hand; ujjahara--delivered; daya-parah--being very kind. TRANSLATION Seeing Devayani naked in the well, King Yayati immediately gave her his upper cloth. Being very kind to her, he caught her hand with his own and lifted her out. TEXTS 20-21 TEXT tam viram ahausanasi prema-nirbharaya gira rajams tvaya grhito me panih para-puranjaya hasta-graho 'paro ma bhud grhitayas tvaya hi me esa isa-krto vira sambandho nau na paurusah SYNONYMS tam--unto him; viram--Yayati; aha--said; ausanasi--the daughter of Usana Kavi, Sukracarya; prema-nirbharaya--saturated with love and kindness; gira--by such words; rajan--O King; tvaya--by you; grhitah--accepted; me--my; panih--hand; para-puranjaya--the conqueror of the kingdoms of others; hasta-grahah--he who accepted my hand; aparah--another; ma--may not; bhut--become; grhitayah--accepted; tvaya--by you; hi--indeed; me--of me; esah--this; isa-krtah--arranged by providence; vira--O great hero; sambandhah--relationship; nau--our; na--not; paurusah--anything man-made. TRANSLATION With words saturated with love and affection, Devayani said to King Yayati: O great hero, O King, conqueror of the cities of your enemies, by accepting my hand you have accepted me as your married wife. Let me not be touched by others, for our relationship as husband and wife has been made possible by providence, not by any human being. PURPORT While taking Devayani out of the well, King Yayati must certainly have appreciated her youthful beauty, and therefore he might have asked her which caste she belonged to. Thus Devayani would have immediately replied, "We are already married because you have accepted my hand." Uniting the hands of the bride and bridegroom is a system perpetually existing in all societies. Therefore, as soon as Yayati accepted Devayani's hand, they could be regarded as married. Because Devayani was enamored with the hero Yayati, she requested him not to change his mind and let another come to marry her. TEXT 22 TEXT yad idam kupa-magnaya bhavato darsanam mama na brahmano me bhavita hasta-graho maha-bhuja kacasya barhaspatyasya sapad yam asapam pura SYNONYMS yat--because of; idam--this; kupa-magnayah--fallen in the well; bhavatah--of your good self; darsanam--meeting; mama--with me; na--not; brahmanah--a qualified brahmana; me--my; bhavita--will become; hasta-grahah--husband; maha-bhuja--O great mighty-armed one; kacasya--of Kaca; barhaspatyasya--the son of the learned brahmana and celestial priest Brhaspati; sapat--because of the curse; yam--whom; asapam--I cursed; pura--in the past. TRANSLATION Because of falling in the well, I met you. Indeed, this has been arranged by providence. After I cursed Kaca, the son of the learned scholar Brhaspati, he cursed me by saying that I would not have a brahmana for a husband. Therefore, O mighty-armed one, there is no possibility of my becoming the wife of a brahmana. PURPORT Kaca, the son of the learned celestial priest Brhaspati, had been a student of Sukracarya, from whom he had learned the art of reviving a man who has died untimely. This art, called mrta-sanjivani, was especially used during wartime. When there was a war, soldiers would certainly die untimely, but if a soldier's body was intact, he could be brought to life again by this art of mrta-sanjivani. This art was known to Sukracarya and many others, and Kaca, the son of Brhaspati, became Sukracarya's student to learn it. Devayani desired to have Kaca as her husband, but Kaca, out of regard for Sukracarya, looked upon the guru's daughter as a respectable superior and therefore refused to marry her. Devayani angrily cursed Kaca by saying that although he had learned the art of mrta-sanjivani from her father, it would be useless. When cursed in this way, Kaca retaliated by cursing Devayani never to have a husband who was a brahmana. Because Devayani liked Yayati, who was a ksatriya, she requested him to accept her as his bona fide wife. Although this would be pratiloma-vivaha, a marriage between the daughter of a high family and the son of a lower family, she explained that this arrangement was made by providence. TEXT 23 TEXT yayatir anabhipretam daivopahrtam atmanah manas tu tad-gatam buddhva pratijagraha tad-vacah SYNONYMS yayatih--King Yayati; anabhipretam--not liked; daiva-upahrtam--brought about by providential arrangements; atmanah--his personal interest; manah--mind; tu--however; tat-gatam--being attracted to her; buddhva--by such intelligence; pratijagraha--accepted; tat-vacah--the words of Devayani. TRANSLATION Sukadeva Gosvami continued: Because such a marriage is not sanctioned by regular scriptures, King Yayati did not like it, but because it was arranged by providence and because he was attracted by Devayani's beauty, he accepted her request. PURPORT According to the Vedic system, the parents would consider the horoscopes of the boy and girl who were to be married. If according to astrological calculations the boy and girl were compatible in every respect, the match was called yotaka and the marriage would be accepted. Even fifty years ago, this system was current in Hindu society. Regardless of the affluence of the boy or the personal beauty of the girl, without this astrological compatibility the marriage would not take place. A person is born in one of three categories, known as deva-gana, manusya-gana and raksasa-gana. In different parts of the universe there are demigods and demons, and in human society also some people resemble demigods whereas others resemble demons. If according to astrological calculations there was conflict between a godly and a demoniac nature, the marriage would not take place. Similarly, there were calculations of pratiloma and anuloma. The central idea is that if the boy and girl were on an equal level the marriage would be happy, whereas inequality would lead to unhappiness. Because care is no longer taken in marriage, we now find many divorces. Indeed, divorce has now become a common affair, although formerly one's marriage would continue lifelong, and the affection between husband and wife was so great that the wife would voluntarily die when her husband died or would remain a faithful widow throughout her entire life. Now, of course, this is no longer possible, for human society has fallen to the level of animal society. Marriage now takes place simply by agreement. Dampatye 'bhirucir hetuh (Bhag. 12.2.3). The word abhiruci means "agreement." If the boy and girl simply agree to marry, the marriage takes place. But when the Vedic system is not rigidly observed, marriage frequently ends in divorce. TEXT 24 TEXT gate rajani sa dhire tatra sma rudati pituh nyavedayat tatah sarvam uktam sarmisthaya krtam SYNONYMS gate rajani--after the departure of the King; sa--she (Devayani); dhire--learned; tatra sma--returning to her home; rudati--crying; pituh--before her father; nyavedayat--submitted; tatah--thereafter; sarvam--all; uktam--mentioned; sarmisthaya--by Sarmistha; krtam--done. TRANSLATION Thereafter, when the learned King returned to his palace, Devayani returned home crying and told her father, Sukracarya, about all that had happened because of Sarmistha. She told how she had been thrown into the well but was saved by the King. TEXT 25 TEXT durmana bhagavan kavyah paurohityam vigarhayan stuvan vrttim ca kapotim duhitra sa yayau purat SYNONYMS durmanah--being very unhappy; bhagavan--the most powerful; kavyah--Sukracarya; paurohityam--the business of priesthood; vigarhayan--condemning; stuvan--praising; vrttim--the profession; ca--and; kapotim--of collecting grains from the field; duhitra--with his daughter; sah--he (Sukracarya); yayau--went; purat--from his own residence. TRANSLATION As Sukracarya listened to what had happened to Devayani, his mind was very much aggrieved. Condemning the profession of priesthood and praising the profession of uncha-vrtti [collecting grains from the fields], he left home with his daughter. PURPORT When a brahmana adopts the profession of a kapota, or pigeon, he lives by collecting grains from the field. This is called uncha-vrtti. A brahmana who takes to this uncha-vrtti profession is called first class because he depends completely on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and does not beg from anyone. Although the profession of begging is allowed for a brahmana or sannyasi, one does better if he can avoid such a profession and completely depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead for maintenance. Sukracarya was certainly very sorry that because of his daughter's complaint he had to go to his disciple to beg some mercy, which he was obliged to do because he had accepted the profession of priesthood. In his heart, Sukracarya did not like his profession, but since he had accepted it, he was obliged to go unwillingly to his disciple to settle the grievance submitted by his daughter. TEXT 26 TEXT vrsaparva tam ajnaya pratyanika-vivaksitam gurum prasadayan murdhna padayoh patitah pathi SYNONYMS vrsaparva--the King of the demons; tam ajnaya--understanding the motive of Sukracarya; pratyanika--some curse; vivaksitam--desiring to speak; gurum--his spiritual master, Sukracarya; prasadayat--he satisfied immediately; murdhna--with his head; padayoh--at the feet; patitah--fell down; pathi--on the road. TRANSLATION King Vrsaparva understood that Sukracarya was coming to chastise or curse him. Consequently, before Sukracarya came to his house, Vrsaparva went out and fell down in the street at the feet of his guru and satisfied him, checking his wrath. TEXT 27 TEXT ksanardha-manyur bhagavan sisyam vyacasta bhargavah kamo 'syah kriyatam rajan nainam tyaktum ihotsahe SYNONYMS ksana-ardha--lasting only a few moments; manyuh--whose anger; bhagavan--the most powerful; sisyam--unto his disciple, Vrsaparva; vyacasta--said; bhargavah--Sukracarya, the descendant of Bhrgu; kamah--the desire; asyah--of this Devayani; kriyatam--please fulfill; rajan--O King; na--not; enam--this girl; tyaktum--to give up; iha--in this world; utsahe--I am able. TRANSLATION The powerful Sukracarya was angry for a few moments, but upon being satisfied he said to Vrsaparva: My dear King, kindly fulfill the desire of Devayani, for she is my daughter and in this world I cannot give her up or neglect her. PURPORT Sometimes a great personality like Sukracarya cannot neglect sons and daughters, for sons and daughters are by nature dependent on their father and the father has affection for them. Although Sukracarya knew that the quarrel between Devayani and Sarmistha was childish, as Devayani's father he had to side with his daughter. He did not like to do this, but he was obliged to because of affection. He plainly admitted that although he should not have asked the King for mercy for his daughter, because of affection he could not avoid doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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