Srimad Bhagavatam #29: Kardama Muni and Devahuti
Srimad Bhagavatam #29: Kardama Muni and Devahuti
The genealogical tree of every human being, as well as every demigod or demon, can be traced back to these original personalities who have existed since the beginning of the universe.
In this part:
The story of Kardama Muni and Devahuti (chapter 3.21)
The Lord appears to Kardama Muni
Prayers of Kardama Muni
The Lord answers Kardama’s prayers
The Lord arranged everything
Manu offers his daughter in marriage (chapter 3.22)
The Marriage of Kardama Muni and Devahuti
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The story of Kardama Muni and Devahuti (chapter 3.21)
After hearing about the creation of Brahma in the previous chapter, culminating with the creation of the Manus, Vidura asks to hear more about the descendants of Svāyambhuva Manu.
Most of the narrations of the Srimad Bhagavatam revolve around the genealogical tree that started with Brahma and his sons. This succession started at the beginning of the current day, with the creation of the universe, and continues up to now. The genealogical tree of every human being, as well as every demigod or demon, can be traced back to these original personalities who have existed since the beginning of the universe.
We can see that although it is declared right in the first verses that the Srimad Bhagavatam deals only with pure topics connected with devotional service to the Lord and all forms of fruitive activities and materialistic religion are rejected (dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra), there is a lot of discussion about family life. In chapter 21 we will study the conversation between Manu and Kardama Muni, where Manu convinces him to accept his daughter Devahuti in marriage, in chapter 22 we hear about their marriage, in chapter 23 about their honeymoon, including details about their sexual life, and so on.
One may question what is the purpose of these descriptions being included in a book that speaks about pure devotional service to the Lord, and the answer is that the family life of Kardama Muni and Devahuti is not outside this scope. Their family life is a pure example of pure family life in Krsna Consciousness and is not outside the scope of devotional service. The proof is that the Lord came personally as their son to give us knowledge about devotional service in the form of the Sankhya philosophy described in the later chapters.
Pure devotees don’t appear out of thin air, they always appear in a family where the Lord is being served. The universe is composed of millions of species that generate millions of descendants every moment, but none of them are described in the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam. Instead, the book describes elevated families, where pure devotees appear. Our consciousness is largely formed by what we hear about. If we pass our time hearing about mundane love stories, we will become immersed in such lustful thoughts, and similarly, by hearing about the family life of pure devotees like Kardama Muni and Devahuti we can gradually become absorbed in similar thoughts of devotion to the Lord.
As Prabhupada mentions on 3.21.1:
“Regulated sex life to generate good population is worth accepting. Actually, Vidura was not interested in hearing the history of persons who merely engaged in sex life, but he was interested in the progeny of Svāyambhuva Manu because in that dynasty good devotee kings appeared who protected their subjects very carefully with spiritual knowledge. By hearing the history of their activities, therefore, one becomes more enlightened. An important word used in this connection is parama-sammataḥ, which indicates that the progeny created by Svāyambhuva Manu and his sons was approved of by great authorities. In other words, sex life for creating exemplary population is acceptable to all sages and authorities of Vedic scripture.”
For householders, such descriptions can help to become free from lust, anger, and attachment, the negative emotions that plague our relationships and keep us chained to the material platform, giving us the perfect example of how to conduct our family life in Krsna Consciousness. For renunciants, it can help by giving one a higher taste that can make one distasteful of lust and mundane relationships.
The Lord appears to Kardama Muni
Svāyambhuva Manu had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, who ruled the world at different times. He had also three daughters, who married Ruci, Dakṣa, and Kardama Muni. In the following chapters, we will study the story of Devahuti.
The story begins with Kardama Muni meditating on the bank of the river Sarasvatī. As we studied, Kardama is one of the mental sons of Brahma, and just like his brothers, he received the mission of begetting children and helping to populate the universe. Kardama was almost a pure devotee, but he accepted the order given by his father and started to meditate to purify himself and attract the mercy of the Lord. After meditating for 10,000 years, the Lord appeared personally to him:
“Kardama Muni saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is free from material contamination, in His eternal form, effulgent like the sun, wearing a garland of white lotuses and water lilies. The Lord was clad in spotless yellow silk, and His lotus face was fringed with slick dark locks of curly hair.
Adorned with a crown and earrings, He held His characteristic conch, disc and mace in three of His hands and a white lily in the fourth. He glanced about in a happy, smiling mood whose sight captivates the hearts of all devotees.
A golden streak on His chest, the famous Kaustubha gem suspended from His neck, He stood in the air with His lotus feet placed on the shoulders of Garuḍa.
When Kardama Muni actually realized the Supreme Personality of Godhead in person, he was greatly satisfied because his transcendental desire was fulfilled. He fell on the ground with his head bowed to offer obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord. His heart naturally full of love of God, with folded hands he satisfied the Lord with prayers. (SB 3.21.9-12)
At this point, Kardama Muni still has some vestige of material desire. His material desire was to obtain a wife so he could fulfill the mission of his father, beget a few children, and having this experience, progress into renounced life without obstructions. He was a great devotee, who had developed love of Godhead. His meditation was not just mechanical astanga-yoga, but devotional trance. That’s why the Lord agreed to appear to him.
Kardama Muni offered heartfelt prayers to the Lord, and finally revealed his desire:
“Your lotus feet are the true vessel to take one across the ocean of mundane nescience. Only persons deprived of their intelligence by the spell of the deluding energy will worship those feet with a view to attain the trivial and momentary pleasures of the senses, which even persons rotting in hell can attain. However, O my Lord, You are so kind that You bestow mercy even upon them.
Therefore, desiring to marry a girl of like disposition who may prove to be a veritable cow of plenty in my married life, to satisfy my lustful desire I too have sought the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the source of everything, for You are like a desire tree.” (SB 3.21.15)
Although Kardama Muni understands that an intelligent person will not approach the Lord to ask for temporary material benefits, still he honestly presents his situation. “Although I know that nothing material should be asked from You, I nevertheless desire to marry a girl of like disposition.” This is an interesting lesson for us. Although Kardama Muni is extremely advanced, he still has some material desire left, and thus he just admits this openly to the Lord, with humility.
There is a great difference between material blessings given by the Lord and ordinary material blessings given by demigods or things obtained through one’s karma or given by materially powerful people. When the Lord gives something, He gives it in a way that one doesn’t have to ask for the same thing again. In other words, He gives things in such a way that in the end one becomes purified of material desire and becomes ready to go back to Godhead. Dhruva Maharaja desired to be the king of the world, and the Lord organized for him to reign for 36,000 years, and in the end go back home, back to Godhead. Similarly, Kardama Muni had a desire for family life and the Lord arranged for him to have the most glorious family life and later return to his practice of austerities with a peaceful mind.
As it was declared earlier in the Srimad Bhagavatam, whether one is full of desires, has no desire, or desires liberation, one should worship the Supreme Lord. If we are at all going to ask someone, we should ask the Lord. As Prabhupada mentions, “The advantage of worshiping the Supreme Person is that even if one has desires for material enjoyment, if he worships Kṛṣṇa he will gradually become a pure devotee and have no more material hankering.”
This chapter is full of practical advice for family life. The first is that the spouses should have similar mental dispositions. In other words, they should have similar natures and goals. Marriage is a long-term commitment, and it is very dificult for two persons to remain together in the long run if they are not like-minded. Superficial attraction goes away quite fast, and if there are no other more tangible factors to hold a couple together, the marriage can fall apart quite fast.
As Prabhupada mentions:
“Formerly husband and wife used to live together peacefully throughout their whole lives, but nowadays it is a very difficult task.” Before marrying, one should select a wife of like disposition and not be enamored by so-called beauty or other attractive features for sense gratification. In the Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Canto, it is said that in the Kali-yuga marriage will be based on the consideration of sex life; as soon as there is deficiency in sex life, the question of divorce will arise.”
Prayers of Kardama Muni
Kardama Muni proceeds to offer very eloquent prayers to the Lord, that go from 3.21.16 to 3.21.21. These are the main points:
a) The Lord is the master of everyone. Because of His illusory energy, conditioned souls are engaged in trying to satisfy their desires under the influence of material time. No one is independent, and therefore everyone should worship Him. One can enjoy life according to his or her position, but such enjoyment should be conducted according to the recommendations of the scriptures, so one can gradually be elevated to the platform of liberation.
b) How can one become finally free from all bodily attachment? This becomes possible when one takes shelter in the Lord, hears about His qualities and pastimes, and discusses it amongst like-minded devotees. When we become fully occupied in the practice of Krsna Consciousness, we can finally give up all the stereotyped activities of this material world, transcend our material conditioning, and become situated in our original, eternal spiritual nature.
c) The Sudarsana chakra of the Lord is also called the Kala-chakra because its rotation diminishes the life duration of all conditioned souls engaged in material bodies. Time is divided in terms of years, seasons, months, etc. This invincible time factor, however, can’t take away the duration of life of those engaged in devotional service, because they live in the eternal platform, and are not going to the born again in this material world. Even while living in a material body, they are already living in their eternal spiritual identity.
This point (3.21.18) is similar to what was already stated in verse 2.3.17: “Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.”
d) The whole material creation is under the complete control of the Lord. He creates it, maintains it for some time, and eventually destroys it, bringing the material energy back inside himself, just like a spider creates a cobweb, plays with it for some time and later eats it back. The material creation is an effect of the external potency of the Lord, which in turn works under the internal potency of the Lord, the spiritual energy, or yoga-māyā. Mayavadis tries to make the Lord impersonal by stating that He has no form, no qualities, and no energies, but this is not supported in the scriptures. The Lord has different potencies, who work under His complete control. This in itself proves He is ultimately a person.
e) The ultimate purpose of the material world is to create conditions for the conditioned souls to gradually be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord and gradually return to their proper consciousness. To facilitate this, the Lord comes to this world in His different incarnations and plays His pastimes. Because of this, it is sometimes said the transcendental Lord enjoys this world, although the real purpose of His coming to this world is to bring us back. Anyone who engages in His transcendental service is quickly liberated from the cycle of birth and death.
The Lord answers Kardama’s prayers
The Lord knows everything, therefore he was aware of the desire of Kardama Muni even before he asked. As Prabhupada mentions, “He never disappoints a sincere devotee, regardless of what he wants, but He never allows anything which will be detrimental to the individual’s devotional service.”
As mentioned previously, material blessings given by Krsna have two special characteristics:
a) They are given in such a way a person has never to ask for the same thing again. In other words, not only do these blessings stick, but they lead one to ultimately become free from material desires.
b) These blessings are given in a way that doesn’t interfere with the devotee’s devotional service. For example, Dhruva Maharaja wanted to become the king of the seven islands, and the Lord eventually granted it, blessing him to become the king for 36,000 years. Normally, becoming a king is not such an auspicious position for a devotee, because it involves so many material allurements, but because of the association with the Lord, Dhruva was at this point so purified that he had become immune to these temptations. To give Dhruva additional assurance, the Lord blessed him to not become materially entangled. After his term as the king was finished, Dhruva was ready to go back home, back to Godhead.
Since the Lord had decided to arrange the marriage for Kardama Muni, his family life was certainly not going to be ordinary.
“The Supreme Lord said: Having come to know what was in your mind, I have already arranged for that for which you have worshiped Me well through your mental and sensory discipline.
The Lord continued: My dear ṛṣi, O leader of the living entities, for those who serve Me in devotion by worshiping Me, especially persons like you who have given up everything unto Me, there is never any question of frustration.” (SB 3.21.23-24)
The Lord then mentions Svāyambhuva Manu, who lives in Brahmāvarta and from there rules mahīm, the world with seven oceans. Mahīm is sometimes used to refer to our planet (which also has seven oceans and seven continents), or to the whole of Bhu-mandala, with its seven concentric islands and oceans. We can see that in his purports Srila Prabhupada sometimes goes with the first and sometimes with the latter. The reason appears to be the fact that the only visible part of Bhu-mandala for us is our planet, and therefore when we say “the world” it means just our planet since that’s the word for us. For higher beings, who have access to the whole of Bhu-mandala, however, “the world” means the whole thing. That’s surely the case of Svāyambhuva Manu. Therefore, mahīm, or “the world” is simultaneously our planet and the whole of Bhu-mandala, depending on the viewpoint.
If we speak from our point of view, Manu was living somewhere near Kuruksetra, in India, and from there ruling the rest of our planet. However, if we speak from the point of view of Manu, who had access to the higher dimensional realm, he was living in Bharata-Varsa, in the south of Jambūdvīpa, and from there ruling the whole Bhu-Mandala. As you can see because the universe described in the Vedas is multidimensional, reality is seen in different ways by different types of beings. The way we see the universe is different from the way evolved beings like the Manus and the demigods see it.
Another interesting detail, explained by Prabhupada in his purport, is that Brahmāvarta, the place where Svāyambhuva Manu lives is simultaneously a part of Brahmaloka and a geographical place on our planet, close to Kuruksetra. How is it possible? The point is that many places on our planet are multidimensional realms. Vrindavan is part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, but at the same time is situated in the spiritual sky, just like Mathura, Dvaraka, and other holy places. These places are like portals, where the two realities connect. In this way, Svāyambhuva Manu lived in Brahmaloka, and at the same time on our planet, from where he ruled the whole of Bhu-mandala. It’s just like having a door in your summer house that leads directly to your office.
The Lord arranged everything
Why is the Lord mentioning Svāyambhuva Manu? Because he has a grown-up daughter who is extraordinarily qualified and is searching for a good husband. The Lord informs Kardama that in two days, Svāyambhuva Manu will come to him, together with his wife Śatarūpā to offer his daughter in marriage.
It happens that before appearing, the Lord had already arranged the whole situation. Previously, in a visit to the court of Manu, Narada Muni started to describe the qualities of great personalities of the universe, including Kardama Muni. Devahuti became captivated by the qualities of the sage and desired to accept him as her husband. Manu came to understand the desire of his daughter, maybe by directly talking to her, or maybe through some other relative to who she could have revealed her mind, and considering Kardama Muni a suitable groom went to visit him to discuss the marriage.
This system where the father comes to offer his daughter in marriage to a suitable man she is attracted to is considered the most auspicious type of marriage, because it assures the wife will be able to properly perform her duties, being married to the man she loves. Being properly supported, the man will be able to properly take care of the family and guide them in spiritual principles. When a man chases a woman, it is not considered so auspicious, because it creates a dynamic where the man just tries to satisfy the woman materially, and forgets about higher goals in life.
Both Devahuti and Kardama Muni are great souls, and they are perfectly compatible, therefore the Lord decided to arrange their marriage. Narada Muni describing the qualities of Kardama Muni to Devahuti was not accidental, it was all part of the divine plan. The Lord said:
“That princess, O holy sage, will be just the type you have been thinking of in your heart for all these long years. She will soon be yours and will serve you to your heart’s content.
She will bring forth nine daughters from the seed sown in her by you, and through the daughters you beget, the sages will duly beget children.
With your heart cleansed by properly carrying out My command, resigning to Me the fruits of all your acts, you will finally attain to Me.
Showing compassion to all living entities, you will attain self-realization. Giving assurance of safety to all, you will perceive your own self as well as all the universes in Me, and Myself in you.
O great sage, I shall manifest My own plenary portion through your wife, Devahūti, along with your nine daughters, and I shall instruct her in the system of philosophy that deals with the ultimate principles or categories.” (SB 3.21.28-32)
Not only Kardama Muni was blessed with the most qualified wife, but he was also blessed beget many qualified daughters to assist his father in populating the universe, as desired. More than that, the Lord promised to come personally as his son Kapila, to reveal the Sankhya philosophy and thus benefit the whole universe.
Srila Prabhupada summarizes the whole pastime and its practical message to us in his purport:
“Only by God’s grace can one get a nice wife just as he desires. Similarly, it is only by God’s grace that a girl gets a husband suitable to her heart. Thus it is said that if we pray to the Supreme Lord in every transaction of our material existence, everything will be done very nicely and just suitable to our heart’s desire. In other words, in all circumstances we must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and depend completely on His decision. Man proposes, God disposes. The fulfillment of desires, therefore, should be entrusted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; that is the nicest solution. Kardama Muni desired only a wife, but because he was a devotee of the Lord, the Lord selected a wife for him who was the Emperor’s daughter, a princess. Thus Kardama Muni got a wife beyond his expectation. If we depend on the choice of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we will receive benedictions in greater opulence than we desire.”
Generally, in material life, we have to work very hard and face a lot of anxiety to achieve anything, and whatever we achieve can be lost at any moment. However, when the Lord decides to give something, it comes without effort and it stays with us. Neither Devahuti nor Kardama had to work hard to arrange their marriage. Devahuti desired him, and understanding the situation Manu organized their marriage. Kardama Muni also didn’t even have to leave his hermitage in search of a wife, the emperor himself came to him.
“Maitreya went on: Thus having spoken to Kardama Muni, the Lord, who reveals Himself only when the senses are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, departed from that lake called Bindu-sarovara, which was encircled by the river Sarasvatī.
While the sage stood looking on, the Lord left by the pathway leading to Vaikuṇṭha, a path extolled by all great liberated souls. The sage stood listening as the hymns forming the basis of the Sāma Veda were vibrated by the flapping wings of the Lord’s carrier, Garuḍa.
Then, after the departure of the Lord, the worshipful sage Kardama stayed on the bank of Bindu-sarovara, awaiting the time of which the Lord had spoken.” (SB 3.21.33-35)
Kardama Muni lived close to the Bindu-sarovara, a holy lake that was the shelter for many great sages. It is described that the lake received this name because when the Lord visited Kardama Muni, he shed tears in observing the devotional service of the great sage. This lake offers a very pleasant atmosphere with fruit and flower trees, different types of auspicious birds and animals, and so on.
“Entering that most sacred spot with his daughter and going near the sage, the first monarch, Svāyambhuva Manu, saw the sage sitting in his hermitage, having just propitiated the sacred fire by pouring oblations into it. His body shone most brilliantly; though he had engaged in austere penance for a long time, he was not emaciated, for the Lord had cast His affectionate sidelong glance upon him and he had also heard the nectar flowing from the moonlike words of the Lord. The sage was tall, his eyes were large, like the petals of a lotus, and he had matted locks on his head. He was clad in rags. Svāyambhuva Manu approached and saw him to be somewhat soiled, like an unpolished gem.” (SB 3.21.45-47)
Kardama Muni was young and extraordinarily beautiful, but because he was practicing penances, his body had been neglected and he was wearing torn clothes. This combination of beauty and neglect is compared to an unpolished gem. Even if a gem looks unpolished, it still shines.
It’s later described that although a princess, Devahuti was trained in the practice of mystic yoga, therefore she could understand and admire the qualities of the austerities performed by Kardama Muni. This is another important factor in a strong marriage. Kardama Muni was a great man, capable of performing admirable feats, and Devahuti admired these qualities. If the woman doesn’t see her husband as a great man, it will be dificult for her to perform her role as a wife. The problem of course is that in Kali-yuga such men are rare.
Although Svāyambhuva Manu was also a great personality, no less than Kardama Muni, he approached the sage with great respect, posing himself as Ksatriya and addressing the sage as a Brahmana. Kardama Muni on the other hand received Manu with great honor, as a great personality. He offered him a seat, blessings, and so on. This incident serves thus a perfect example of dealings between two advanced devotees.
As Manu sat down, Kardama Muni could immediately remember the words of the Lord. He started by saying some words of glorification, explaining the role of a saintly king, which are quite significant.
During the Middle Ages, kings all over the world abused their powers, and as a reaction monarchy was abolished in most of the world, but from the Vedas we get information that in the past people lived happily under the protection of saintly kings, who would act as representatives of the Lord, upholding religious principles and correcting injustices. Manu was such a pious ruler, therefore the glorification of Kardama Muni is more than appropriate. As Prabhupada mentions: “The Supreme Lord is always worshipable, regardless of whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya or a śūdra. As the representative of the Supreme Lord, the King deserved respectful obeisances from everyone.”
After saying some words of glorification, he inquired about the reason for the visit.
“In spite of all this, I ask you, O valiant King, the purpose for which you have come here. Whatever it may be, we shall carry it out without reservation.” (SB 3.21.56)
Manu offers his daughter in marriage (chapter 3.22)
Just like Kardama Muni glorified Manu, referring to him as a great king and representative of the Lord, Manu also glorifies Kardama, stating that the Lord created Ksatriyas from His arms just to protect the Brahmanas, who are full of austerity, knowledge, and mystic power and are averse to sense gratification have the mission of spreading the knowledge of the Vedas. The Brahmanas on the other hand protect the Ksatriyas by instructing them in Vedic knowledge and giving them good advice, and thus they protect each other. When they do so, the other social classes automatically flourish, and in this way the whole world becomes prosperous.
Manu is not just speaking out of politeness, he really values the association of Kardama Muni, seeing him as a saintly person, capable of helping him to achieve perfection. In his purport, Prabhupada relates the meeting with his own meeting with his spiritual master, stating that what is not possible to achieve in thousands of lives can be achieved in one moment if there is an opportunity to meet a saintly person.
Manu then proceeds to the main reason for his visit:
“O great sage, graciously be pleased to listen to the prayer of my humble self, for my mind is troubled by affection for my daughter. My daughter is the sister of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. She is seeking a suitable husband in terms of age, character and good qualities.
The moment she heard from the sage Nārada of your noble character, learning, beautiful appearance, youth and other virtues, she fixed her mind upon you. Therefore please accept her, O chief of the brāhmaṇas, for I offer her with faith and she is in every respect fit to be your wife and take charge of your household duties.”(SB 3.22.8-11)
Prabhupada explains in his purport:
“The grown-up daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu, Devahūti, had good character and was well qualified; therefore she was searching for a suitable husband just befitting her age, qualities and character. The purpose of Manu’s introducing his daughter as the sister of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, two great kings, was to convince the sage that the girl came from a great family. She was his daughter and at the same time the sister of kṣatriyas; she did not come from a lower-class family. Manu therefore offered her to Kardama as just suitable for his purpose. It is clear that although the daughter was mature in age and qualities, she did not go out and find her husband independently. She expressed her desire for a suitable husband corresponding to her character, age and quality, and the father himself, out of affection for his daughter, took charge of finding such a husband.”
Devahuti was a very qualified lady, and she was at the right age for marriage. She was also intelligent enough to choose a qualified man to be her husband, based not on just superficial attraction, but on his qualifications, hearing about him from Narada Muni. However, it is not proper for a lady to approach a man directly, this should be done through her guardians. After understanding the desire of his daughter and desiring her well, Svāyambhuva Manu approaches Kardama Muni, describing the good qualities of his daughter and offering her hand in marriage to the great sage, stating that she will be a good wife for him.
However, Manu could see that Kardama was engaged in practicing austerities. Maybe he could argue that he intended to be a Brahmacari and not accept a wife. To counter this possible objection, Manu stated:
“To deny an offering that has come of itself is not commendable even for one absolutely free from all attachment, much less one addicted to sensual pleasure. One who rejects an offering that comes of its own accord but later begs a boon from a miser thus loses his widespread reputation, and his pride is humbled by the neglectful behavior of others.” (SB 3.22.12-13)
Manu understood that Kardama Muni was not completely free from material desire and that he had a desire to marry. Although he was practicing austerities, he had not taken a vow of perpetual celibacy and it was thus appropriate for him to accept a qualified lady as his wife. Such an opportunity had come to him unsought. The most qualified girl was being offered in marriage to him in the most auspicious circumstances, therefore he should accept it.
Manu then adverted that if he would be short-sighted and reject his daughter, thinking that he would be better as a Brahmacari, he would regret it later, as his desire would force him to later seek a wife, and he would not have such a good opportunity again. He would end up having to chase a wife, going to someone to beg for his daughter in marriage and his position would be reduced.
As Prabhupada mentions:
“The general procedure of Vedic marriage is that a father offers his daughter to a suitable boy. That is a very respectable marriage. A boy should not go to the girl’s father and ask for the hand of his daughter in marriage. That is considered to be humbling one’s respectable position. Svāyambhuva Manu wanted to convince Kardama Muni, since he knew that the sage wanted to marry a suitable girl”
Manu then concludes:
“O wise man, I heard that you were prepared to marry. Please accept her hand, which is being offered to you by me, since you have not taken a vow of perpetual celibacy.” (SB 3.22.14)
The Marriage of Kardama Muni and Devahuti
Kardama Muni had also heard about the qualities of Devahuti, and he, of course, remembered the words of the Lord. He was therefore ready to accept her:
“The great sage replied: Certainly I have a desire to marry, and your daughter has not yet married or given her word to anyone. Therefore our marriage according to the Vedic system can take place.
Let your daughter’s desire for marriage, which is recognized in the Vedic scriptures, be fulfilled. Who would not accept her hand? She is so beautiful that by her bodily luster alone she excels the beauty of her ornaments.
I have heard that Viśvāvasu, the great Gandharva, his mind stupefied with infatuation, fell from his airplane after seeing your daughter playing with a ball on the roof of the palace, for she was indeed beautiful with her tinkling ankle bells and her eyes moving to and fro.
What wise man would not welcome her, the very ornament of womanhood, the beloved daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu and sister of Uttānapāda? Those who have not worshiped the gracious feet of the goddess of fortune cannot even perceive her, yet she has come of her own accord to seek my hand.” (SB 3.21.15-18)
Devahuti was so beautiful that even inhabitants of the celestial planets would become mesmerized by seeing her, without even mentioning her other qualifications. However, the main goal of Kardama Muni was still self-realization. He desired to accept a wife to fulfill the order of his father to beget a few good children, but he didn’t plan to remain in family life until his last days. He therefore honestly mentioned this fact to Svāyambhuva Manu:
“Therefore I shall accept this chaste girl as my wife, on the condition that after she bears semen from my body, I shall accept the life of devotional service accepted by the most perfect human beings. That process was described by Lord Viṣṇu. It is free from envy.” (SB 3.21.19)
Kardama Muni accepted Devahuti in marriage with the condition that after begetting a son, he would leave home to dedicate the rest of his life to the practice of devotional service. As he argued, this was not a whimsical decision, but the process recommended by the Lord in the scriptures. Ideally, one should be trained in spiritual practice as a Brahmacari for the first quarter of his life, stay in family life for the second quarter, using this time to beget at least one qualified son who can take charge of the family, and then leave home to dedicate his remaining years for spiritual cultivation, instead of staying at home and gradually becoming a burden.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport, the perfection of family life in Krsna Consciousness is to bring to our planet a ray of Vishnu, an enlightened child who can bring people to Krsna Consciousness. Kardama Muni realized this ultimate purpose by begetting Lord Kapila, and then he gave the perfect example by, after concluding his family duties, leaving home to dedicate himself to the service of the Lord.
As Prabhupada mentions:
“Kardama Muni desired to beget a child who would be a ray of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should beget a child who can perform the duties of Viṣṇu, otherwise there is no need to produce children. There are two kinds of children born of good fathers: one is educated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that he can be delivered from the clutches of māyā in that very life, and the other is a ray of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and teaches the world the ultimate goal of life. As will be described in later chapters, Kardama Muni begot such a child — Kapila, the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead who enunciated the philosophy of Sāṅkhya. Great householders pray to God to send His representative so that there may be an auspicious movement in human society. This is one reason to beget a child. Another reason is that a highly enlightened parent can train a child in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that the child will not have to come back again to this miserable world.”
After saying this, Kardama Muni remained silent. Because he was meditating on the Lord, he had a gentle smile on his face, which captured the mind of Devahuti. After the marriage was celebrated, Svāyambhuva Manu affectionately embraced his daughter and cried in anticipation of separation. He then left back to his capital, followed by his retinue.
The last verses of the chapter speak about Barhiṣmatī, the capital, as well as about the life of Manu. The city received this name because hairs from the body of Lord Varaha had fallen there when He sook his body after raising Bhu-Mandala from the ocean. The hairs of the Lord also originated the kuśa and kāśa grasses, which are considered pure.
Each Manu lives for 71 Divya-yugas or 306.72 million years. However, they are not just ordinary kings who spend their time merely enjoying their royal opulence. Svāyambhuva Manu spent his time listening to the pastimes of the Lord and executed all his activities in a Krsna Conscious atmosphere, without being disturbed by unwanted principles contrary to the process of religion.
Most of the first cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam are dedicated to describing the descendants of Svāyambhuva Manu and their families, starting the story of Kardama Muni and Devahuti, which led to the appearance of Lord Kapila, who transmitted the system of Sankhya, or the analytical study of the material nature with the goal of understanding the process of devotional service. This is an extremely ancient system of knowledge that was originally transmitted at the beginning of the current day of Brahma, during the reign of Svāyambhuva Manu, billions of years ago. Despite being so ancient, this philosophical system is still transmitted through disciplic succession and we can study it through the description included in the Srimad Bhagavatam. There is also a more recent philosopher, the impostor Kapila, who taught an atheistic version of the Sankhya, that focuses on the study of the material elements excluding all devotional aspects. Although the teachings of this materialistic Kapila are not relevant to us, it’s important to keep in mind that there are two Kapilas and two versions of the Sankhya philosophy: the real one, described in the Srimad Bhagavatam, and the impostor, who appeared much later.