Chapter 12: Lord S'iva Prays to See Mohinî Mûrti, Gets Bewildered and Restores

(1-2) The son of Vyâsa said: 'When the one riding the bull [S'iva] heard how Lord Hari had assumed the form of a woman [8.9] in order to enchant the Dânavas and had caused the Suras to drink the nectar, he mounted his bull and went together with his goddess [Umâ] and surrounded by his ghosts to the abode of Madhusûdana [Vishnu] to see Him. (3) The Supreme Personality welcomed him cordially with all due respect and when Lord Bhava and Umâ were comfortably seated, S'iva offered Lord Hari his obeisances and with a smile spoke the following words.

(4) S'rî Mahâdeva [S'iva] said: 'Oh God of Gods, oh All-pervading Lord and Master of the Universe who are the universe, for all forms of existence You are the true self, the soul and therefore You are the Supreme Controller. (5) Of what exists in the beginning, in the middle and the end of this creation, of the 'I' and of the rest [of the world of 'mine'] outside of it, You my Lord, are the Inexhaustible Truth of Brahman, the Absolute Spirit free from these differences. (6) Those who are wise and free from personal objectives desire the supreme welfare, worship Your lotus feet and forsake their attachments in both respects [concerning this life and a life hereafter]. (7) You as the cosmic complete of eternal life beyond the [influence of the] modes, as the One free from grief perpetually residing in bliss, are changeless and exist apart from all in existence while You are everything that exists. You as the cause of the rise and maintenance of  this universe, are the Self and Master of all self control, the Independent One upon whom all others depend [see also  B.G. 9: 15]. (8) You the One present as a temporal as also an eternal manifestation, are Yourself without that duality because You in this world do not differ as for substance, just as gold does not differ from the gold in the different forms it may have. Out of  ignorance people have different notions about You, differences that are created by the modes whereas You do not depend on those physical inessentials [see also B.G. 7: 4-5]. (9) Some think of You as the Supreme Spirit, some consider You to be dharma, some say that you are the Original Person, the Supreme Controller beyond cause and effect while others think of You as the Transcendence endowed with nine potencies [see 7.5: 23-24]. Still others think of You as the independent and imperishable Supreme Personality. (10) Neither me nor the man endlessly living in the beyond [Brahmâ], nor the sages headed by Marîci really know the one [You] who has created this universe, even though we [know that we] generated from goodness. And what to say about the Daityas and the other mortal beings oh Lord whose hearts constantly being bewildered by mâyâ are moved by the lower [motives of passion and ignorance, see B.G. 2: 45]. (11) As the air that enters us as also is present in the sky, You are involved and free at the same time, and do, from Your presence as the all-pervading one, know everything about the creation, maintenance and resolution of this world in its entirety, about the living beings and their endeavors and about everything that moves and not moves. (12) I have seen all kinds of avatâras of You in various pastimes displaying Your qualities. I, S'iva, would like to see the incarnation of You in which You assume the body of a woman. (13) We have come here very eager to see with our own eyes the form of the incarnation that captivated the Daityas and fed the Suras with the nectar.'

(14) S'rî S'uka said: 'Vishnu, the Supreme Lord thus being asked by the one holding the trident in his hand, smiled and gave Giris'a ['the man of the mountain'] a reply of deep significance. (15) The Supreme Lord said: 'In the interest of the Suras I deemed it necessary to bewilder the Daityas who had taken away the vessel filled with nectar and assumed thereto the form of a beautiful woman. (16) I shall now oh best of the enlightened ones, show you who long to see it, this object of adoration that is so very much appreciated by those who are lead by lust.'

(17) S'rî S'uka continued: 'Having said this Lord Vishnu immediately disappeared from the sight of His company, leaving S'iva and Umâ with their eyes spying everywhere. (18) Thereupon they saw on a beautiful spot in the forest a delightful woman who, wearing a shining sari with a belt around Her hips, in the midst of pink leafed trees and all sorts of flowers was engaged in playing with a ball. (19) With her bouncing the ball Her beautiful breasts and Her garlands vibrated along that because of their weight waved to Her fragile waist with every step She made here and there with Her feet as red as coral. (20) Her eyes anxiously followed the ball that was restlessly moving in all directions, She had glittering earrings on Her ears and gleaming bluish hair that decorated the cheeks of Her radiating face. (21) Striking the ball with Her right hand Her hair slackened while She with Her left hand charmingly tried to keep Her loosening sari together. The spiritual potency [of the Lord] thus captivated everyone in the universe [compare B.G. 7: 14]. (22) Seeing Her thus playing with the ball and sending a hardly noticeable bashful smile, the god was bedazzled by the glances of the ravishing beauty. Under Her spell not being able to keep his eyes off Her, he could no longer think of himself nor of the nearby Umâ or his associates [compare 5.5: 8]. (23) When the ball once jumped far away from Her hand in Her pursuit, directly before the eagerly following eyes of S'iva, the fine dress and belt blew away that covered the woman. (24) Thus seeing the complete of Her well-formed glory so pleasing to the eye, S'iva thought that She thereupon giving him a look, indeed would fancy him. (25) Because of Her actions and smiles he, bereft of good sense, was perturbed and shamelessly went after Her, despite of the fact that Bhavânî witnessed what happened. (26) The completely naked woman saw him coming and most embarrassed with a smile ran here and there to hide behind the trees. (27) Lord S'iva, Bhava, distracted by his senses, fell victim to lust like he was a male elephant running after a she-elephant. (28) Speeding after Her he caught Her by the braid of Her hair and pulled Her close against Her will to embrace Her. (29-30) She, the she-elephant, with Her hair scattered being captured by him, the bull that was the Lord's devotee, squirming like a snake managed to free Herself oh King.  Having escaped from the tight grip of the Lord of the demigods She ran quickly away, with Her heavy hips so expressively exhibiting the illusory potency of the Lord. (31) Like being haunted by the devil Rudra engaged in the pursuit of Him whose acts so wondrously were taking place in front of him. (32) Chasing Her like a mad bull going for a female, the semen was discharged of him who never spills his semen in vain. (33) Each and every place where his semen fell on the earth oh great ruler, those places became mines for silver and gold. (34) At the shores of the rivers and lakes, in the mountains and in the forests, in the gardens and wherever the sages were living, Lord S'iva was present. (35) With his semen discharged he oh best of kings, understood that he personally had been fooled by the illusory potency of the Lord and therefore he refrained from chasing the illusion any longer. (36) Thus convinced of his own greatness and the greatness of the Soul of the Universe who is of an unlimited potency, he did not consider what had happened that surprising. (37) Seeing that he was not perturbed or ashamed about it, Madhusûdana very pleased with that assumed His male form again and spoke.

(38) The Supreme Lord said: 'I wish you all good fortune oh best of the demigods. With Me appearing as a woman, you were spontaneously enchanted by My external potency, yet you remain firmly fixed in your self. (39) Once being drawn by the senses, which person other than you can surmount My mâyâ? Those who are unable to control their senses have great difficulty to overcome the material reactions that overwhelm them. (40) The moment one [living] with the time and all its different elements, is joined with Me in the form of Eternal Time [or the pure Time Spirit], that illusory energy of the modes of nature [the goddess Durgâ in sum*] will no longer be able to bewilder you.'

(41) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus complimented by the Supreme Personality of Godhead with the S'rîvatsa-mark on His chest oh King, S'iva circumambulating Him took leave of Him and together with his associates turned back to His abode. (42) Oh descendant of Bharata, the mighty Lord Bhava then in jubilation addressed his wife Bhavânî who by the sages is accepted as an integral part of the illusory potency of the Lord: (43) 'Oh, did you see how I myself, against my will, despite of being the best of all His portions, got bewildered by Her, the illusory energy of the Unborn Supreme Person of the Demigods? Do I have to speak of others then who totally depend on the material illusion? (44) When I ceased with a yoga practice that took a thousand years, I was approached by you to inquire after Him [upon whom I was meditating]. He indeed is the One who is now personally present here as the Original Personality beyond the grasp of the Vedas and the grip of time.'

(45) S'rî S'uka concluded: 'I thus spoke to you my best one, about the prowess of S'ârnga-dhanvâ [Vishnu with His bow] who [as Kûrma] held the great mountain on His back for churning the ocean. (46) He who takes time to recite or to listen to this [story], will never be disappointed in his endeavor because the description of the qualities of Uttamas'loka, the One Praised in the Scriptures, puts an end to the misery of one's material existence. (47) For the One who is not understood by the godless ones, for the feet that are known by the devotees of surrender, for Him who only allowed the immortals to drink from the nectar that was produced from the ocean, for Him who appearing in the disguise of a young girl captivated the enemies of the gods, for Him who fulfills the desires of the devotees, I bow myself down [compare B.G. 9: 29-34].'