Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 5 Chapter 24 Verse 16

Canto 5: The Creative Impetus | Chapter 24: The Subterranean Heavenly Planets

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.24.16

athātale maya-putro 'suro balo nivasati yena ha vā iha sṛṣṭāḥ ṣaṇ-ṇavatir māyāḥ kāścanādyāpi māyāvino dhārayanti yasya ca jṛmbhamāṇasya mukhatas trayaḥ strī-gaṇā udapadyanta svairiṇyaḥ kāminyaḥ puḿścalya iti yā vai bilāyanaḿ praviṣṭaḿ puruṣaḿ rasena hāṭakākhyena sādhayitvā sva-vilāsāvalokanānurāga-smita-saḿlāpopagūhanādibhiḥ svairaḿ kila ramayanti yasminn upayukte puruṣa īśvaro 'haḿ siddho 'ham ity ayuta-mahā-gaja-balam ātmānam abhimanyamānaḥ katthate madāndha iva

SYNONYMS

atha — now; atale — on the planet named Atala; maya-putraḥ asuraḥ — the demon son of Maya; balaḥ — Bala; nivasati — resides; yena — by whom; ha vā — indeed; iha — in this; sṛṣṭāḥ — propagated; ṣaṭ-ṇavatiḥ — ninety-six; māyāḥ — varieties of illusion; kāścana — some; adya api — even today; māyā-vinaḥ — those who know the art of magical feats (like manufacturing gold); dhārayanti — utilize; yasya — of whom; ca — also; jṛmbhamāṇasya — while yawning; mukhataḥ — from the mouth; trayaḥ — three; strī-gaṇāḥ — varieties of women; udapadyanta — were generated; svairiṇyaḥ — svairiṇī (one who only marries in her same class); kāminyaḥ — kāmiṇī (one who, being lusty, marries men from any group); puḿścalyaḥ — puḿścalī (one who wants to go from one husband to another); iti — thus; yāḥ — who; vai — certainly; bila-ayanam — the subterranean planets; praviṣṭam — entering; puruṣam — a male; rasena — by a juice; hāṭaka-ākhyena — made from an intoxicating herb known as hāṭaka; sādhayitvā — making sexually fit; sva-vilāsa — for their personal sense gratification; avalokana — by glances; anurāga — lustful; smita — by smiling; saḿlāpa — by talking; upagūhana-ādibhiḥ — and by embracing; svairam — according to their own desire; kila — indeed; ramayanti — enjoy sex pleasure; yasmin — which; upayukte — when used; puruṣaḥ — a man; īśvaraḥ aham — I am the most powerful person; siddhaḥ aham — I am the greatest and most elevated person; iti — thus; ayuta — ten thousand; mahā-gaja — of big elephants; balam — the strength; ātmānam — himself; abhimanyamānaḥ — being full of pride; katthate — they say; mada-andhaḥ — blinded by false prestige; iva — like.

TRANSLATION

My dear King, now I shall describe to you the lower planetary systems, one by one, beginning from Atala. In Atala there is a demon, the son of Maya Dānava named Bala, who created ninety-six kinds of mystic power. Some so-called yogīs and svāmīs take advantage of this mystic power to cheat people even today. Simply by yawning, the demon Bala created three kinds of women, known as svairiṇī, kāmiṇī and puḿścalī. The svairiṇīs like to marry men from their own group, the kāmiṇīs marry men from any group, and the puḿścalīs change husbands one after another. If a man enters the planet of Atala, these women immediately capture him and induce him to drink an intoxicating beverage made with a drug known as hāṭaka [cannabis indica]. This intoxicant endows the man with great sexual prowess, of which the women take advantage for enjoyment. A woman will enchant him with attractive glances, intimate words, smiles of love and then embraces. In this way she induces him to enjoy sex with her to her full satisfaction. Because of his increased sexual power, the man thinks himself stronger than ten thousand elephants and considers himself most perfect. Indeed, illusioned and intoxicated by false pride, he thinks himself God, ignoring impending death.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness