Thread by @DefiledGod

--- Thread on Veśya Dharma in Matsya Purāṇa – Pt 1---

Matsya P describes dharma for prostitutes so they may attain sat-gati, in the form of brahmā asking his son, the omniscient mahādeva.+

#Hinduism #SanatanaDharma #Sanatani #SanatanDharm #Vedas #Hindus #Purana

Why would the son discourse to the father? Just as vyāsa considers his son suka to be worthy of reverence, brahmā regards the opinions of rudra very highly. This discourse contains a story of how the 16000 wives of Krishna became prostitutes later+

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The story – these devīs were apsarās in a previous life. They were playing in the water (jalakrīḍā), when nārada happened to come. As they disrespected nārada, he cursed them that they would become prostitutes. I reproduce key aspects of that dialogue here+

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apraṇamyāvalepena paripṛṣṭaḥ sa yogavit /kathaṃ nārāyaṇo 'smākaṃ bhartā syād ityupādiśa //

[You ladies sporting in water didn't offer respects to nārada who is a knower of the means to attain Vishnu. You asked him, “How can nārāyaṇa become our husband”]+

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Note: “apsara” means that which moves in waters signifying sense objects. “jalakrīḍā” signifies same thing. The ladies were jīvās sunk in sense gratification, without knowledge. Their Q to nārada about the Lord was not sincere; it was a mocking nārada’s reputation+

#Hinduism

They were proud of their beauty that attracted men & therefore regarded even nārāyaṇa as someone attainable (avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā – the fools think I am human). So, they were mocking both nārada and the Lord, being content in sense gratification.+

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As Ajāmila attained sat-gati for just saying Lord’s name, a mocking request here sufficed for his grace to act on these jīvās. So, nārada said nārāyaṇa would be their husband (bhartā nārāyaṇo nūnaṃ bhaviṣyatyanyajanmani), but cursed them to become prostitutes.+

#Hinduism

yadakṛtvā praṇāmaṃ me rūpasaubhāgyamatsarāt / paripṛṣṭo 'smi tenāśu viyogo vo bhaviṣyati / caurairapahṛtāḥ sarvā veśyātvaṃ samavāpsyatha /

[Due to attachment to your beautiful form (body that is vehicle for pleasure) & as you didn't respect me, a guru...]+

#Hindus

[...Before asking me (for the Lord to become your husband), you will become prostitutes after being carried away by thieves (in the form of karmas).]+

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Beauty of body is metaphor for pleasant experience of sense objects by controlling the body. A prostitute loses control of her body, similarly, those experiences are cursed to become pain. “caurairapahṛtāḥ” – “caura” is one who steals knowledge, refers to karmas.+

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Now, is this predetermination or free will? Acharya Ramanuja explains in his srī bhāśya, that jīva has free will. It can make a decision (prathama pravrtti), & the Lord is merely the permitter of the decision, good or bad. So, no predetermination in the true sense.+

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Yet, how did this curse come to pass? Lord Krishna saved these women from naraka & married them, as per the boon. But one day, when Lord was absent, these ladies desired Sāmba, his son. Krishna cursed them, ie, he spelled out nārada’s curse & they became prostitutes+

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Study the words of the Lord here:

tadāvekṣya jagannāthaḥ sarvato jñānacakṣuṣā /śāpaṃ vakṣyati tāḥ sarvā vo hariṣyanti dasyavaḥ / matparokṣaṃ yataḥ kāma-laulyādīdṛgvidhaṃ kṛtam //+

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The Lord of the Universe, knowing the desires of these women for his son Sāmba with his divine vision, cursed them saying, “As you had ardent longing for enjoyment, or Sāmba (kāma) in my absence, you will be taken away by thieves, ie, karmas.+

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Study his words. He says, “As you desired Sāmba in my absence (matparokṣaṃ)". Can a normal husband say it is not right to think about another man in *his absence*? The words are strange as a wife shouldn’t think about other men in the husband’s presence too!+ 😄

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“matparokṣaṃ” also means, “in the absence of me in your minds”. Ie, “If you had desired for Sāmba while meditating on me, I, who satisfies the desires of all, would have given him to you…”+

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“…But since you desired Sāmba (signifying sense objects) in my absence, ie, not meditating on me, and as meditation on me was the only thing halting the effects of nārada’s curse, you will be taken away from me by your karmas”+

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Lord is not a wordly husband & they were not his wordly wives. He himself says those who seek him for material desires are also mahātmās (gīta 7.16). So he considers himself competent to grant their desire of Sāmba, if only they had resorted to him mentally for it!+

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But unfortunately, they were indulging in lust by forgetting Lord as the granter of even that object of lust. This again wouldn’t warrant such a huge punishment, but they had already incurred a curse from earlier transgressions, so even a minor slip was impermissible+

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Krishna was the only one who was keeping that curse of nārada on hold. He had taken their mockery of “give us nārāyaṇa as our husband” as an excuse to shower his grace on them and nullify the curse as long as they were with him.+

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But because they had accumulated pāpās due to prior transgressions, which were kept in check by the Lord’s company, those pāpās had to come to fruition when they forgot about him. Hence, it was their own fault that the curse came to fruition+

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And even despite succumbing to their fate, the Lord did not forsake them, but bade them go to Rṣi Dālbhya to understand how to practice dharma in their fallen state+

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The jīva makes the first choice (free will). So, the ladies were culpable for not meditatung on the Lord. Lord permits. So, Krishna by speaking the curse, was echoing what they had already earned from nārada. It wasn’t Krishna’s curse, so he is blameless+

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Lord is dispenser of good even to undeserving. Krishna granted their mocking request and became their husband. He dispenses bad fruits, but indirectly; that is by the jīva’s own actions. So Krishna echoed a curse, which was in reality earned by the ladies previously.+

#Hinduism

Bhagavān laments "I do good to the jīvās, even if they do not deserve it. I impartially grant fruits of bad actions of the jīvās, & I am not culpable. Yet, the jīvās curse me, who am ever devoted to their welfare, as the one responsible for their misery! (gīta 4.14)+

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Thus, this incident beautifully summarizes the free-will of the jīva & the Lord’s role in taking the slightest of excuses to grace the jīva, and his reluctant bestowal of fruits for of the jīva. His impartiality comes out by this.+

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In part 2 of this write-up, I will discuss the salient points of Dālbhya’s discourse on dharma to these grieving women.//

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