Shloka 31
Diti’s Untimely Desire and the Birth-Cause of the Asura Line
Prelude to Hiranyākṣa–Varāha
स विदित्वाथ भार्यायास्तं निर्बन्धं विकर्मणि । नत्वा दिष्टाय रहसि तयाथोपविवेश हि ॥ ३१ ॥
sa viditvātha bhāryāyās taṁ nirbandhaṁ vikarmaṇi natvā diṣṭāya rahasi tayāthopaviveśa hi
Comprenant l’intention de son épouse, il fut contraint d’accomplir l’acte interdit. Puis, après s’être incliné devant le destin digne de vénération, il s’unit à elle en un lieu retiré.
It appears from the talks of Kaśyapa with his wife that he was a worshiper of Lord Śiva, and although he knew that Lord Śiva would not be pleased with him for such a forbidden act, he was obliged to act by his wife’s desire, and thus he offered his obeisances unto fate. He knew that the child born of such untimely sexual intercourse would certainly not be a good child, but could not protect himself because he was too obligated to his wife. In a similar case, however, when Ṭhākura Haridāsa was tempted by a public prostitute at the dead of night, he avoided the allurement because of his perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the difference between a Kṛṣṇa conscious person and others. Kaśyapa Muni was greatly learned and enlightened, and he knew all the rules and regulations of systematic life, yet he failed to protect himself from the attack of sex desire. Ṭhākura Haridāsa was not born of a brāhmaṇa family, nor was he himself a brāhmaṇa, yet he could protect himself from such an attack due to his being Kṛṣṇa conscious. Ṭhākura Haridāsa used to chant the holy name of the Lord three hundred thousand times daily.
FAQs
This verse shows that even when one knows an act is improper (vikarma), yielding to pressure can still happen—implying karmic consequences and the need for dharmic restraint.
Kaśyapa understood Diti’s intense insistence and, feeling overruled by providence (diṣṭa), privately consented—setting the stage for the narrative consequences that follow in this chapter.
Recognize pressure toward unethical choices early, strengthen boundaries, and choose dharma over impulse—because “knowing better” must be supported by disciplined action.