Shloka 21
Diti’s Untimely Desire and the Birth-Cause of the Asura Line
Prelude to Hiranyākṣa–Varāha
न वयं प्रभवस्तां त्वामनुकर्तुं गृहेश्वरि । अप्यायुषा वा कार्त्स्न्येन ये चान्ये गुणगृध्नव: ॥ २१ ॥
na vayaṁ prabhavas tāṁ tvām anukartuṁ gṛheśvari apy āyuṣā vā kārtsnyena ye cānye guṇa-gṛdhnavaḥ
ឱ ម្ចាស់ផ្ទះដ៏ជាទីគោរព យើងមិនអាចប្រព្រឹត្តដូចអ្នកបានទេ; ហើយអំពើដែលអ្នកបានធ្វើ យើងមិនអាចសងគុណបាន ទោះប្រើអាយុកាលទាំងមូល—សូម្បីក្រោយស្លាប់—សូម្បីអ្នកស្រឡាញ់គុណធម៌ក៏មិនអាចសងបាន។
So much glorification of a woman by her husband indicates that he is henpecked or is talking lightly in joke. Kaśyapa meant that householders living with wives enjoy the heavenly blessings of sense enjoyment and at the same time have no fear of going down to hell. The man in the renounced order of life has no wife and may be driven by sex desire to seek another woman or another’s wife and thus go to hell. In other words, the so-called man of the renounced order, who has left his house and wife, goes to hell if he again desires sexual pleasure, knowingly or unknowingly. In that way the householders are on the side of safety. Therefore husbands as a class cannot repay their debt to women either in this life or in the next. Even if they engage themselves in repaying the women throughout their whole lives, it is still not possible. Not all husbands are as able to appreciate the good qualities of their wives, but even though one is able to appreciate these qualities, it is still not possible to repay the debt to the wife. Such extraordinary praises by a husband for his wife are certainly in the mode of joking.
FAQs
This verse criticizes attachment to material qualities and enjoyment, implying that such greed blinds one from higher conduct and makes true imitation of saintly behavior impossible.
In the narrative, Diti is overwhelmed by desire and speaks in a self-justifying yet revealing way, acknowledging that those driven by the guṇas cannot rise to a higher standard of restraint and purity.
It teaches honest self-assessment: if we notice our choices are driven by pleasure, status, or impulse, we should seek discipline and devotion rather than pretending to follow elevated ideals.