cupid

Cupid throws his arrow upon the living beings to make them mad after the opposite sex, whether the party is actually beautiful or not. Cupid's provocations are going on, even among beastly societies who are all ugly-looking

Although the queens' beautiful smiles and furtive glances were all spotless and exciting, and although they could conquer Cupid himself by making him give up his bow in frustration, and although even the tolerant Siva could fall victim to them, still, despite all their magical feats and attractions, they could not agitate the senses of the Lord. (More...)

The path of salvation or the path of going back to Godhead always forbids the association of women, and the complete sanatana-dharma or varnasrama-dharma scheme forbids or restricts association with women. How, then, can one be accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is addicted to more than sixteen thousand wives? This question may be relevantly raised by inquisitive persons really anxious to know about the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord. And to answer such questions, the sages at Naimisaranya have discussed the transcendental character of the Lord in this and in following verses. It is clear herein that the feminine attractive features which can conquer Cupid or even the supermost tolerant Lord Siva could not conquer the senses of the Lord. Cupid's business is to invoke mundane lust. The whole universe is moving being agitated by Cupid's arrow. The activities of the world are being carried on by the central attraction of male and female. A male is searching after a mate to his liking, and the female is looking after a suitable male. That is the way of material stimulus. And as soon as a male is combined with a female, the material bondage of the living being is at once tightly interlocked by sex relation, and as a result of this, both the male and female's attraction for sweet home, motherland, bodily offspring, society and friendship and accumulation of wealth become the illusory field of activities, and thus a false but indefatigable attraction for the temporary material existence, which is full of miseries, is manifest. Those who are, therefore, on the path of salvation for going back home and back to Godhead are especially advised by all scriptural instruction to become free from such paraphernalia of material attraction. And that is possible only by the association of the devotees of the Lord who are called the mahatmas. Cupid, therefore, throws his arrow upon the living beings to make them mad after the opposite sex, whether the party is actually beautiful or not. Cupid's provocations are going on, even among beastly societies who are all ugly-looking in the estimation of the civilized nations. Thus Cupid's influence is exerted even amongst the ugliest forms, and what to speak of the most perfect beauties. Lord Siva, who is considered to be most tolerant, was also struck by Cupid's arrow because he also became mad after the Mohini incarnation of the Lord and acknowledged himself to be defeated. Cupid, however, was himself captivated by the grave and exciting dealings of the goddesses of fortune, and he voluntarily gave up his bow and arrow in a spirit of frustration. Such was the beauty and attraction of the queens of Lord Krsna. Yet they could not disturb the transcendental senses of the Lord. This is because the Lord is all-perfect atmarama, or self-sufficient. He does not require anyone's extraneous help for His personal satisfaction. Therefore, the queens could not satisfy the Lord by their feminine attractiveness, but they satisfied Him by their sincere affection and service. Only by unalloyed transcendental loving service could they satisfy the Lord, and the Lord was pleased to treat them as wives in reciprocation. Thus being satisfied by their unalloyed service only, the Lord reciprocated the service just like a devout husband. Otherwise He had no business to become the husband of so many wives. He is the husband of everyone, but to one who accepts Him as such, He reciprocates. This unalloyed affection for the Lord is never to be compared to mundane lust. It is purely transcendental. And the grave dealings, which the queens displayed in natural feminine ways, were also transcendental because the feelings were expressed out of transcendental ecstasy. It is already explained in the previous verse that the Lord appeared like a mundane husband, but factually His relation with His wives was transcendental, pure and unconditioned by the modes of material nature. (More...)

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Everyone has lusty desires within, and as soon as one is agitated by the movement of a beautiful woman's eyebrows, the cupid within immediately throws his arrow at the heart. Thus one is quickly conquered by the eyebrows of a beautiful woman. When one is agitated by lusty desires, his senses are attracted by all kinds of visaya (enjoyable things like sound, touch, form, smell and taste). These attractive sense objects oblige one to come under the control of a woman. In this way the conditional life of a living entity begins. Conditional life means being under the control of a woman, and certainly the living entity is always at the mercy of a woman or a man. Thus living entities live in bondage to one another, and thus they continue this conditional material life illusioned by maya. (More...)

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So therefore sastra says, "Here, this material world, we are entangled. We are encaged in this material world only for this sex life." That is Cupid. Cupid is the god of sex life, Madana. Unless one is, what is called, induced by Madana, the Cupid, he cannot be, I mean to say, engladdened in sex life. And Krsna's name is Madana-mohana. Madana-mohana means that one who is attracted to Krsna, he'll forget the pleasure derived from sex life. This is the test. Therefore His name is Madana-mohana. Here is Madana-mohana. Sanatana Gosvami worshiped Madana-mohana. Madana or Madana. Madana means to become mad. And Madana, the Cupid. (More...)

So to a devotee... Just like Haridasa Thakura. You know the story of Haridasa Thakura. Haridasa Thakura was young man, and the Maya, and a prostitute, they came, young prostitute, nicely dressed, and proposed her desire. Haridasa Thakura said, "Yes, please sit down. I shall fulfill your desire. Let me finish my chanting." Just see. At dead of night, a young man, Haridasa Thakura; in front, there is a beautiful young girl; there is nobody else, and she's proposing. But still, he's steady, chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. So Cupid cannot pierce. This is the example. (More...)

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In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan, purusam sasvatam adyam [Bg 10.1 2]. Krsna, the Lord, is described as purusa, and living entities are described as prakrti. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim para, jiva-bhūto maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat [Bg 7.5], Krsna has explained. There is material energy and spiritual energy. So jiva-bhūta. Jiva-bhūta, the living entities, they have been described as prakrti, and prakrti means female. And Krsna has been described as purusa. So purusa is the enjoyer, and prakrti is the enjoyed. Don't think that "enjoyed" means simply sex. No. "Enjoyed" means subordinate, to carry out the order of the purusa. This is the position of Krsna and ourself. We are part and parcel, just like the hands and legs are my part and parcel of the body. So the duty of the hands and legs are that carry out my order. I say my legs, "Carry me there." He will... It will do immediately. My hand-"Just take it." I'll take it. The hand will take it. So this is prakrti and purusa. The purusa orders, and the prakrti performs the duty. This is the example, not that as soon as we say prakrti and purusa, immediately there is question of sex. No. Means... Prakrti means obedient, obedient to the purusa. This is natural way. (More...)

The deluding energy or the material nature can act upon the living beings proportionately in terms of the living being's falling prey to the deluding attraction of Maya. The deluding attraction of Maya is displayed more appropriately in terms of brightness of light and the falling of the ants. The ants are captivated by the glaring brightness of light and thus become a prey to the fire. Similarly the deluding energy is always captivating the conditioned souls to become a prey to the fire of delusion and the Vedic scriptures warn the conditioned souls not to become a prey to the delusion but to get rid of it. The Vedas warn us not to go to the darkness of ignorance but go ahead on the progressive path of light. The Lord Himself also warns that the deluding power of material energy is too powerful to be overcome but one who completely surrenders unto the Lord can easily do so. But to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is also not very easy. Such surrender is possible by persons who have had cultured transcendental knowledge on the principles of austerity cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. These four priciples of advanced civilization were remarkable features in the age of Satya. In that age every human being was practically qualified Brahmin of the highest order and from the angle of social orders of life they were all Paramahansas or the topmen of the renounced order of life. By cultural standing, the human beings were not at all subjected to become prey to deluding energy. Such strong men of character were competent enough to get away from the clutches of Maya. But gradually as the basic principles of Brahminical culture namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness became curtailed by proportionate development of pride, too much attachment for women and intoxicating habit, of the people in general it became prominent that the path of salvation or the path of transcendental bliss became far and far away from the human society. With the increase of the Age of Kali people are becoming too much proud, too much attached to woman and too much victims of intoxicating habit. By the influence of the Age of Kali even a pauper is proud of his penny, the woman as a class is always dressed in an over attractive fashion for victimising the mind of man and the man is too much addicted to intoxicating habit in the matter of drinking wine, smoking, drinking tea and chewing pan etc. All these habits or so called advancement of civilization is the root cause of all irreligiosities and, therefore, it is not possible to check corruption, bribery and nepotism as are desired by the leaders to be rooted out. You cannot check all these evils of society simply by statutory acts of police vigilance but you have to cure the disease of mind by the proper medicine namely advocating the principles of Brahminical culture or the principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. Modern civilization of economic development, is creating a new situation of poverty and scarcity with the result of blackmailing the consumers commodities and if the leaders and the rich men of the society spend fifty percent of their accumulated wealth mercifully for the misled mass of people and educate them in the matter of God-consciousness or in the knowledge of Bhagwatam certainly the age will be defeated in its attempt to entrap the conditioned soul to become the victim of the Age of Kali. We must always remember that false pride or too much estimation of one's own values of life, undue attachment for woman or association with them and intoxicating habit of all major or description, will criple the human civilization from the path of factual peace however the people may go on clamouring for such peace of the world. The preaching of Bhagwatam principles will automatically render all men practised to austerity, become clean both inside and outside, merciful to the suffering men and truthful in daily behaviour. That is the way of correcting the flaws of human society very prominently exhibited at the present moment. (More...)

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Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that if an observer immediately remembers the holy name of Krsna upon seeing a Vaisnava, that Vaisnava should be considered a maha-bhagavata, a first-class devotee. Such a Vaisnava is always aware of his Krsna conscious duty, and he is enlightened in self-realization. He is always in love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and this love is without adulteration. Because of this love, he is always awake to transcendental realization. Because he knows that Krsna consciousness is the basis of knowledge and action, he sees everything connected with Krsna. Such a person is able to chant the holy name of Krsna perfectly. Such a maha-bhagavata Vaisnava has the transcendental eyes to see who is sleeping under the spell of maya, and he engages himself in awakening sleeping conditioned beings by spreading the knowledge of Krsna consciousness. He opens eyes that are closed by forgetfulness of Krsna. Thus the living entity is liberated from the dullness of material energy and is engaged fully in the service of the Lord. The madhyama-adhikari Vaisnava can awaken others to Krsna consciousness and engage them in duties whereby they can advance. It is therefore said in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, Chapter Six, verse 279): (More...)

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