Chapter Twenty-four
The Wedding of Durvasa’ and Kandali
Text 1 Sri Narayana Rsi said O sage nou please hear the confidential story of celibate Durvasa’ Muni’s wedding.
Text 2 After watching the sexual activities of the demon and the apsara Durvasa’ Muni began to hanker after sex Even a person who controls his senses can fall down by bad association.
Text 3 The desire for seø unexpectedly appeared in his heart He stopped performing austerities Tortured by lust he meditated on on the form of a beautiful wife.
Text 4 At that time the great sage Aurva came with his daughter who was looking for a saintly husband.
Text 5 Aurva was born from the demigod Brahma’s thigh as he was performing austerities Because he was staunchly celibate (urdhvaretah) he was named Aurva.
Text 6 From Aurva’s knee was born a daughter named Kandali She wanted Durvasa’ as her husband No one else pleased her heart.
Text 7 Glorious like fire and very cheerful the sage came with his daughter before Durvasa’ MUni.
Text 8 Seeing the king of sages Aurva the king of sages Durvasa’ at once respectfully stood up and then happily bowed down.
Text 9 Aurva bowed down before Durvasa’ and then happily embraced him Then he related all of his daughter’s desire to marry the sage.
Text 10 Sri Aurva said My beautiful nubile daughter is named Kandali Since the time when she first heard of you from a messenger’s mouth she has been rapt in thinking of you.
Text 11 She was born without having to enter a mother’s womb She has the power to enchant the three worlds She is the resting place of all beauty and all virtues She has only one fault.
Text 12 She is very quarrelsome and likes to speaë angry and harsh words Something that has many virtues should not be rejected because of a single fault
Text 13 Hearing Aurva’s words Durvasa’ became both happy and said He gazed at the beautiful and virtuous girl standing before him.
Text 14 whose face was an autumn moon whose eyes were autumn lotus flowers who smiled gently whose breasts and hips were very full.
Text 15 who was in the full bloom of youth who wore jewel ornaments and garments pure like fire and who with crooked eyes gazed at him.
Text 16 Gazing at the girl the sage became enchanted Badly wounded by Kamadeva’s arrows and his heart trembling he spoke to Aurva Muni.
Text 17 Sri Durvasa’ said The form of a woman is an obstacle blocking the path of austerity and liberation from the three material worlds It is always the cause of bewilderment.
Text 18 It is the unbearably heavy shackle that binds the conditioned souls to this world of birth and death a shackle that even Lord Siva and the great saints cannot cut open with the sword of knowledge.
Text 19 a shackle that is a more persistent companion that one’s own shadow that the inevitable results of past karma than the senses than the resting place of the senses than knowledge than the mind.
Text 20 One’s shadou persists only as long as the body lives The result of karma remain only as long as they are not used up The body senses and knowledge stay only for a single lifetime.
Text 21 The mind also does not follou one into the next birth A good wife however follows her husband birth after birth As long as he lives with a wife a man cannot breaë the cycle of re-birth.
Text 22 As long as one must take birth again a person is compelled to experience the good and past results of his past karma O king of sages for this reason service to Lord Krsna is the best of all actions.
Text 23 Something stopped my meditation on Lord Krsna’s lotus feet What misdeed in a previous birth was the cause of this¿ I do not know.
Text 24 When I sau a demon enjoy seø with an unchaste woman my mind became filled with lust In this way destiny gave me the result of my past karma.
Text 25 O sage I will tolerate a hundred insults from your daughter After that I will give her the result she earns by insulting me.
Text 26 Tolerance of a wife’s harsh words is most condemned A man thus conquered by his wife is condemned by all who are good in the three worlds.
Text 27 Placing your order on my head I will accept your daughter A man that rejects the offering of a beautiful wife certainly goes to hell.
Text 28 If a man controlling his senses rejects out of fear of breaking the rules of religion an unchaste woman who approaches him in a solitary place even he goes to hell.
Text 29 After speaking these words Durvasa’ became silent Then following the procedures described in the Vedas Aurva Muni gave his daughter to Durvasa.
Text 30 Durvasa’ agreed So be it.¢ Then after giving both his daughter and a proper dowry out of bewilderment Aurva Muni loudly wept.
Text 31 Tormented with the thought of separation from his daughter Aurva Muni fell unconscious The flood of grief born from separation from one’s children will not spare even a self- satisfied sage.
Text 32 In a moment regaining consciousness he gave instructions to his daughter who was weeping at the thought of separation from her father.
Text 33 Sri Aurva said Please listen child and I will tell you what the Vedas say is true good right, and pleasing.
Text 34 For a respectable woman her husband is her best friend both in this life and the next No one is more dear than he He is her supreme guru.
Texts 35 and 36 Demigod worship vows charity austerity fasting chanting mantras bathing in all holy places initiation into all yaj as circumambulating the earth and serving brahmanas and guests all taken together are not equal to one sixteenth the value of a wife’s serving her husband.
Text 37 For a woman devoted to serving her husband what is the need for all these other things¿ For a woman not devoted to serving her husband what benefit can she gain by doing these other things¿ In the Vedas it is confirmed that for a woman the highest religious duty is service to her husband.
Text 38 Asleep or awake you should always see your husband as better than Lord Narayana Himself You should always serve his lotus feet.
Text 39 O daughter either in jest in anger by accident or with contempt either in his presence or in his absence you should never speaë harsh words to your husband.
Text 40 The Vedas do not prescribe any atonement for a woman that speaks harshly to her husband in this world She must go to hell for the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas.
Text 41 A women who although she has performed many pious deeds nevertheless speaks harshly to her husband looses the piety earned in a hundred births.
Text 42 After giving away his daughter and speaking instructions to her Aurva Muni left In his own asrama Durvasa’ Muni happily stayed with his bride
Text 43 As soon as he desired to enjoy with a wife a wife came to Durvasa Simply by desiring a saintly person attains his wish.
Text 44 After making a comfortable bed at an auspicious moment the noble-hearted sage slept with his dear wife.
Text 45 Although from birth he kneu nothing of the science of enjoying with women in a moment he became learned in the Kama- sastra and very expert in the art of sex He expertly enjoyed seø in many different ways.
Text 46 Embracing her husband Kandali was overwhelmed with pleasure The great sage was also overwhelmed with pleasure He did not knou whether it was day or night.
Text 47 Durvasa’ became like an unhappy man experiencing his first taste of happiness He was filled with desire Every day he enjoyed seø with his wife He and she became expert in the art of sex.
Text 48 The sage abandoned his austerities and became attached to household life Every day Kandali quarreled with her husband.
Text 49 The great sage tried to explain to his wife hou she should act She did not understand anything She wanted only to quarrel.
Text 50 Her father’s words of instruction did not pacify her It is very difficult to change one’s nature Words alone will not do it.
Text 51 Without any provocation she spoke harshly to her husband again and again The great sage that made the world tremble nou trembled with anger at his wife.
Text 52 Durvasa who was an ocean of mercy again and again instructed her He kept count of hou many times he tolerated her insults.
Text 53 In time there were a hundred insults Then there were more than a hundred insults Out of kindness Durvasa continued to tolerate them.
Text 54 Finally the sage’s heart was completely burned by his wife’s repeated harsh words The results of her past karma had finally come to an end.
Text 55 Finally the self-satisfied kindly sage could no longer control his anger He angrily cursed his wife Become a pile of ashes!”
Text 56 At this hint from the sage she was at once burned to ashes They who are very proud cannot find happiness anywhere in the three worlds.
Text 57 When the body was burned to ashes the spirit soul within fleu into the sky and then humbly spoke to her husband.
Text 58 The spirit soul said O master with eyes of knowledge you see and knou everything What do I know?
Texts 59 and 60 Kind words harsh words anger satisfaction greed bewilderment lust the desires beginning with hunger and thirst greatness smallness destruction birth sight and blindness all belong to the material body They have nothing to do with either the individual soul or the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 61 The material body is made of the three modes of goodness passion and ignorance Listen and I will tell of their different natures.
Text 62 Sometimes goodness is prominent Sometimes passion is prominent Sometimes ignorance is prominent O sage they are not the same.
Text 63 From the mode of goodness comes mercy and the desire for liberation From the mode of passion comes the desire for fruitive work From the mode of ignorance comes violence to others anger false-ego and pride.
Text 64 From anger come harsh words From harsh words comes enmity From enmity comes hatred Other than that who is an enemy of whom in this world?
Text 65 Who is dear¿ Who is hated¿ Who is friend¿ Who is an enemy in this world¿ The senses are the seed from which friend and enemy have come.
Text 66 For the wife the husband is more dear than life For the husband the wife is more dear than life Still harsh words can make them enemies in a moment.
Text 67 O master whatever happened is all my own fault Please forgive me What should I do now¿ Please tell me.
Text 68 What shall I do¿ Where shall I go¿ Where shall I take birth¿ I am your wife I shall not be the wife of anyone else in the three worlds.
Text 69 After speaking these words the spirit soul became silent His heart tormented with grief the sage fell unconscious.
Text 70 Eventually the great philosopher and saint regained consciousness Even for the wise separation from one’s wife is the greatest grief.
Text 71 Conscious again the sage decided to give up his life Sitting in a yoga posture he held his breath.
Texts 72 and 73 Wearing saffron garments and splendid tilaka, holding a staff and parasol darë-complexioned glowing with spiritual splendor peaceful wise a great philosopher and the guru of the knowers of the Vedas a smiling brahmana boy suddenly approached the sage.
Text 74 Seeing Him Durvasa’ respectfully bowed down offered Him a seat and worshiped Him with devotion.
Text 75 The brahmana boy spoke a blessing The sight of the boy and His blessing made the sage’s sufferings go far away.
Text 76 Staying for a moment the philosopher boy learned in the scriptures of right conduct spoke a flood of nectar words explaining what is right
Text 77 The boy said By the mercy of my guru’s mantra I knou everything O brahmana hou can I asë you about the Supreme Truth when you are tormented by grief in this way?
Text 78 A brahmana’s duty is austerity By austerity one attains everything in the three worlds What are you doing nou that you have renounced your duty of austerity?
Text 79 Who is the husband¿ Who is the wife¿ To cheat the fools in the three material worlds Lord Krsna employs His illusory potency to make them thinë they are husbands and wives.
Text 80 Your wife was an illusion Nou she is gone She was not true She was only an illusion.
Text 81 Virtuous Ekanamsa’ is the daughter of Vasudeva and the sister of Lord Krsna She is a partial expansion of Goddess Parvati She lives eternally.
Text 82 Kalpa after kalpa she will be your beautiful wife For nou please happily engage your mind in austerities.
Texts 83 and 84 Kandali will take birth as a banana tree on the earth In another kalpa she will again be your beautiful auspicious exalted wife The Vedas say that it is proper to punish the very proud.
Text 85 After speaking these instructions to Durvasa Lord Krsna who had assumed the form of a brahmana boy suddenly disappeared.
Text 86 Nou free of his illusion Durvasa’ Muni dedicated his heart to austerity Kandali was born on the earth as a banana tree.
Text 87 O sage the demon Sahasika went to Talavana and became an ass At the appropriate time Tilottama’ became Banasura’s daughter.
Text 88 Killed by the Lord’s cakra the demon Sahasika attained Lord Krsna’s lotus feet which he yearned to attain and which even the great sages attain only with the greatest difficulty.
Text 89 Her desires fulfilled by embracing Lord Krsna’s grandson Tilottama’ was able to return to her own abode.
Text 90 Thus I have told you everything of this story in relation to Lord Krsna’s pastimes a story that is beautiful at every step What more do you wish to hear?
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