How the Lusty Demons Were Bewildered by the Supreme Lord as Mohinī-mūrti

This article presents a thematic survey of the demons' bewilderment, uncontrolled lust, and ultimate foolishness. It organizes the verses found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by the Demons.

The recorded words of the demons (asuras) in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam vividly illustrate their fatal flaw: becoming completely bewildered and losing all intelligence in the presence of female beauty. This recurring weakness is captured in two distinct narratives. First, in the Third Canto, when Lord Brahmā sheds his body and it transforms into the beautiful evening twilight (Sandhyā), the demons are immediately overcome by lust, graphicly praising her physical features. The majority of their quotes, however, come from the Eighth Canto during the famous churning of the milk ocean. After the demons forcibly take the jug of nectar, their intense greed causes a bitter internal quarrel. To trick them, the Supreme Lord appears as the breathtakingly beautiful Mohinī-mūrti. The demons are instantly captivated. Driven by lust, they foolishly ask this unknown woman to settle their dispute and distribute the nectar. Blinded by Her sweet words and attractive gestures, the chiefs of the demons completely surrender their judgment, blindly agreeing to Her terms and thus losing the nectar of immortality forever.

The Demons are the 90th top speakers of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with 14 verses at Vanisource. They speak only in the 3rd (4 verses) and 8th canto (10 verses).

Bewildered by Sandhyā

In the Third Canto, Lord Brahmā creates the demons from his buttocks. Shortly after, he sheds that body, which transforms into the evening twilight in the form of a stunningly beautiful young woman named Sandhyā.

Agitated by a Bouncing Ball

The demons, deeply conditioned by the lower modes of nature, are immediately overcome by passion. Seeing her playing with a bouncing ball, they approach her with lusty desires, extensively praising her physical form and begging to know why she is tantalizing them.

"The demons praised her: Oh, what a beauty! What rare self-control! What a budding youth! In the midst of us all, who are passionately longing for her, she is moving about like one absolutely free from passion."
"Who are you, O pretty girl? Whose wife or daughter are you, and what can be the object of your appearing before us? Why do you tantalize us, unfortunate as we are, with the priceless commodity of your beauty?"
"Whosoever you may be, O beautiful girl, we are fortunate in being able to see you. While playing with a ball, you have agitated the minds of all onlookers."
"O beautiful woman, when you strike the bouncing ball against the ground with your hand again and again, your lotus feet do not stay in one place. Oppressed by the weight of your full-grown breasts, your waist becomes fatigued, and your clear vision grows dull, as it were. Pray braid your comely hair."

The Quarrel Over the Nectar

During the great churning of the milk ocean in the Eighth Canto, Dhanvantari emerges carrying the jug of nectar. Because the demons are physically powerful but lack self-control and religious principles, they immediately snatch the jug away from the demigods.

Me First, Not You

However, the demons cannot enjoy their prize. Driven by intense greed and envy, they turn on each other. The stronger demons try to drink it all themselves, while the weaker demons suddenly invoke "eternal religious systems" to demand equal shares, creating total chaos.

"O King, a quarrel then arose among the demons over who would get the nectar first. Each of them said, "You cannot drink it first. I must drink it first. Me first, not you!""
"Some of the demons said, "All the demigods have taken part in churning the ocean of milk. Now, as everyone has an equal right to partake in any public sacrifice, according to the eternal religious system it is befitting that the demigods now have a share of the nectar." O King, in this way the weaker demons forbade the stronger demons to take the nectar."

Bewildered by Mohinī-mūrti

Observing the demons fighting among themselves, the Supreme Lord orchestrates a brilliant illusion to reclaim the nectar for the demigods. He assumes the form of Mohinī-mūrti, an extraordinarily beautiful, enchanting woman.

Captivated by Her Form

Just as they reacted to Sandhyā, the demons immediately drop their hostilities with one another and become completely infatuated with Mohinī-mūrti. They crowd around Her, praising Her lotus-like eyes and beautiful eyebrows, convinced that Providence has sent Her simply to satisfy their senses.

"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."
"What to speak of human beings, even the demigods, 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 Your identity."
"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?"

The Foolish Surrender

Blinded by their lusty desires, the demon chiefs commit a fatal strategic error. They admit to this unknown, beautiful woman that they are fighting amongst themselves over the container of nectar, despite being brothers born of the same father, Kaśyapa.

The Supreme Lord's Deception

The demons request Mohinī-mūrti to act as the arbitrator and divide the nectar equally. Smiling and using attractive feminine gestures, the Lord easily deceives the expert demons. They foolishly assent to Her decision, sealing their own fate.

"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."
"All of us, both demons and demigods, have been born of the same father, Kaśyapa, 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."
"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."
"The chiefs of the demons were not very expert in deciding things. Upon hearing the sweet words of Mohinī-mūrti, they immediately assented. "Yes," they answered. "What You have said is all right." Thus the demons agreed to accept Her decision."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by the Demons. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.