Category:Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Kasyapa Muni
- Kaśyapa Muni is the 16th top speaker of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with 94 verses at Vanisource. He speaks only in the 3rd (24 verses), 6th (20 verses), and 8th canto (50 verses).
Theme Analysis
Kaśyapa Muni plays a pivotal role in cosmic history as the father of both the demigods (through Aditi) and the demons (through Diti). His teachings in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are characterized by a blend of strict ritualistic authority, deep psychological insight, and practical instruction on how to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the context of household life. When his wife Diti approaches him with lust at an inauspicious time, Kaśyapa Muni warns her about the presence of Lord Śiva and the ghosts, predicting the birth of the twin demons Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu. Later, he acts as a spiritual master to his wives, instructing Diti in the difficult pumsavana vow—nominally to kill Indra, but designed to purify her—and teaching Aditi the payo-vrata sacrifice to regain the lost opulence of her sons. His instructions provide a detailed manual for Deity worship (arcana), emphasizing cleanliness, celibacy, and the distribution of prasāda to all living entities.
- The Danger of Untimely Desire: Kaśyapa Muni warns Diti that sex life at the time of dusk, which belongs to Lord Śiva, is forbidden and inauspicious. He explains that the mind's pollution at the moment of conception determines the nature of the offspring.
- Prophecy of Demons and Devotees: While predicting the birth of two terrible demons due to Diti's negligence, he also foretells the advent of the great devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja, who will purify the entire lineage.
- The Payo-vrata Sacrifice: He instructs Aditi on the process of worshiping Lord Viṣṇu by subsisting only on milk. He establishes that the only solution to material distress is to worship the Supreme Lord, who is the master of the universe.
- The Pumsavana Vow: Kaśyapa gives Diti a "double-edged" vow: if she follows the strict rules of purity and non-violence, her son will kill Indra, but if she fails, her son will become Indra's friend. This shows his expertise in using rituals to control and purify material desires.
- Psychology of Women and Marriage: He offers blunt assessments of female nature, comparing a woman's heart to a razor blade, yet simultaneously glorifies the chaste wife as the better half of a man's body and a partner in dharma.
- Rituals of Deity Worship: His instructions contain precise details on arcana, including the bathing of the Deity, the chanting of the twelve-syllable mantra, and the importance of feeding brāhmaṇas and even distinct classes like caṇḍālas.
- Explore the synthesized essence of the category in this Vanipedia article: Kaśyapa Muni - The Progenitor and Preceptor of Vows.
Pages in category "Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Kasyapa Muni"
The following 108 pages are in this category, out of 108 total.
A
- A conscientious wife should be chaste and should abide by the orders of her husband. She should very devoutly worship her husband as a representative of Vasudeva
- A husband represents the Lord as the object of worship for a woman
- A wife is so helpful that she is called the better half of a man's body because of her sharing in all auspicious activities. A man can move without anxiety entrusting all responsibilities to his wife
- A woman's face is as attractive and beautiful as a blossoming lotus flower during autumn. Her words are very sweet, and they give pleasure to the ear, but if we study a woman's heart, we can understand it to be extremely sharp, like the blade of a razor
- After eating, you (Diti) should not go out to the street without having washed your mouth, hands and feet
- After offering water to wash the Lord's feet, one should again worship the Lord with fragrant flowers, incense and other paraphernalia
- After touching to one's head all the flowers and water offered to the Deity, one should throw them into a sacred place. Then one should feed at least two brahmanas with sweet rice
- All the demigods, as well as the goddess of fortune, engage in the service of His lotus feet. Indeed, they respect the fragrance of those lotus feet. May the Supreme Personality of Godhead be pleased with me
- Although no one in the material world is equal to or greater than Siva & although his unimpeachable character is followed by great souls to dismantle the mass of nescience, he nevertheless remains as if a devil to give salvation to all devotees of Lord
- As a fort commander very easily conquers invading plunderers, by taking shelter of a wife one can conquer the senses, which are unconquerable in the other social orders
- As one can cross over the ocean with seagoing vessels, one can cross the dangerous situation of the material ocean by living with a wife
- At that time the Lord of the universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the well-wisher of all living entities, will descend and kill them, just as Indra smashes the mountains with his thunderbolts
B
- By chanting all these mantras, welcoming the Supreme Personality of Godhead with faith and devotion, and offering Him items of worship (such as padya and arghya), one should worship Kesava, Hrsikesa, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- By distributing prasada one should satisfy everyone assembled, including even the lowest of men, the candalas (eaters of dog flesh)
- By worshiping the fire and the brahmanas, a householder can achieve the desired goal of residing in the higher planets, for the sacrificial fire and the brahmanas are to be considered the mouth of Lord Visnu, who is the Supersoul of all the demigods
D
- Demigods like Brahma also follow the religious rites observed by him. He is the controller of the material energy, which causes the creation of the material world. He is great, and therefore his devilish characteristics are simply imitation
- Do not eat anything brought or touched by a sudra nor anything seen by a woman in her menstrual period. Do not drink water by joining your palms
- Due to matured devotional service, he (Prahlada) will certainly be situated in transcendental ecstasy and will enter the spiritual sky after quitting this material world
- During this period, one should not unnecessarily talk of material subjects or topics of sense gratification, one should be completely free from envy of all living entities, and one should be a pure and simple devotee of Lord Vasudeva
E
- Even though it is not possible to repay you (Diti), I (Kasyapa) shall satisfy your sex desire immediately for the sake of begetting children. But you must wait for only a few seconds so that others may not reproach me
- Every day from pratipat to trayodasi, one should continue the ceremony, to the accompaniment of dancing, singing, the beating of a drum, the chanting of prayers and all-auspicious mantras, and recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam
- Everyone will be pleased with him (Prahlada) because the Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller of the universe, is always satisfied with a devotee who does not wish for anything beyond Him
F
- For that night, one should observe strict celibacy, and the next morning, after bathing again, with purity and attention one should bathe the Deity of Visnu with milk and worship Him according to the methods formerly stated in detail
- From pratipat until the thirteenth day of the next bright moon (sukla-trayodasi), one should observe complete celibacy, sleep on the floor, bathe three times a day and thus execute the vow
H
- He (Prahlada) will be a virtuously qualified reservoir of all good qualities; he will be jolly and happy in others' happiness, distressed in others' distress, and will have no enemies. He will be a destroyer of the lamentation of all the universes
- Homes from which guests go away without having been received even with an offering of a little water are like those holes in the field which are the homes of jackals
I
- I (Kasyapa Muni) offer my obeisances unto You (the Supreme Personality of Godhead), whose heart and soul are the three Vedic rituals (karma-kanda, jnana-kanda and upasana-kanda) and who expand these rituals in the form of sacrifice
- I (Kasyapa Muni) promised to give her (Diti) a benediction, and this promise cannot be violated, but Indra does not deserve to be killed. In these circumstances, the solution I have is quite suitable
- I offer my (Kasyapa Muni) respectful obeisances unto You, Lord Siva, or Rudra, who are the reservoir of all potencies, the reservoir of all knowledge, and the master of everyone
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the Supreme Person. Being very subtle, You are never visible to material eyes. You are the knower of the twenty-four elements, and You are the inaugurator of the sankhya-yoga system
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have two heads (prayaniya and udayaniya), three legs (savana-traya), four horns (the four Vedas) and seven hands (the seven chandas, such as Gayatri)
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are situated as Hiranyagarbha, the source of life, the Supersoul of every living entity. Your body is the source of the opulence of all mystic power. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are the original Personality of Godhead, the witness in everyone's heart, and the incarnation of Nara-Narayana Rsi in the form of a human being. O PG, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You
- I wonder whether because of being too attached to the members of your family, you failed to properly receive uninvited guests, who therefore were not welcomed and went away
- If a husband is pleased, what desires are difficult for his wife to obtain, either in this world or in the next?
- If dirt dug up by a boar is available, on the day of the dark moon one should smear this dirt on his body and then bathe in a flowing river. While bathing, one should chant the following mantra
- If one can afford to, one should offer the Deity fine rice boiled in milk with clarified butter and molasses. While chanting the same original mantra, one should offer all this to the fire
- In order to follow in his (Prahlada's) footsteps, saintly persons will try to emulate his character by practicing freedom from animosity, just as the purifying processes rectify gold of inferior quality
- In the beginning, the devotee should chant the dvadasaksara-mantra and offer flower garlands, incense and so on. After worshiping the Lord in this way, one should bathe the Lord with milk and dress Him with proper garments, a sacred thread, and ornaments
- In the bright fortnight of the month of Phalguna (February and March), for twelve days ending with Dvadasi, one should observe the vow of subsisting only on milk and should worship the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead with all devotion
- In this way, until twelve days have passed, one should observe this payo-vrata, worshiping the Lord every day, executing the routine duties, performing sacrifices and feeding the brahmanas
K
- Kasyapa Muni continued to Diti: If there is any discrepancy in the discharge of this vow, the son will be a friend to Indra
- Kasyapa Muni continued: If you (Diti) perform this ceremony called pumsavana, adhering to the vow with faith for at least one year, you will give birth to a son destined to kill Indra
- Kasyapa Muni continued: What is this material body, made of five elements? It is different from the spirit soul. Indeed, the spirit soul is completely different from the material elements from which the body is made
- Kasyapa Muni said: If you (Diti) deviate from this vow of following the Vaisnava principles, you will get a son who will be favorable to Indra
- Kasyapa Muni said: My dear gentle wife, if you follow my instructions regarding this vow for at least one year, you will surely get a son who will be able to kill Indra
- Kasyapa Muni said: My dear wife (Diti), to follow this vow, do not be violent or cause harm to anyone. Do not curse anyone, and do not speak lies. Do not cut your nails and hair, and do not touch impure things like skulls and bones
- Kasyapa Muni said: O beautiful woman, O irreproachable lady, since I am very much pleased by your behavior, you may ask me for any benediction you want
- Kasyapa Muni said: When I desired offspring, I placed inquiries before Lord Brahma, who is born from a lotus flower. Now I shall explain to you the same process Lord Brahma instructed me, by which Kesava, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is satisfied
- Kasyapa Muni thought: Alas, I have now become too attached to material enjoyment. Taking advantage of this, my mind has been attracted by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a woman (my wife)
- Kasyapa said: Because of your lamentation, penitence & proper deliberation & also because of your unflinching faith in the SPG and your adoration for Siva & me, one of the sons (Prahlada) of your son (Hiranyakasipu) will be an approved devotee of Lord
- Knowing that Lord Visnu is very pleased when everyone is sumptuously fed with visnu-prasada, the performer of yajna should then take prasada with his friends and relatives
L
- Lord Siva regards no one as his relative, yet there is no one who is not connected with him; he does not regard anyone as very favorable or abominable. We respectfully worship the remnants of his foodstuff, and we vow to accept what is rejected by him
- Lord Siva, the king of the ghosts, sitting on the back of his bull carrier, travels at this time, accompanied by ghosts who follow him for their welfare
M
- My dear Aditi, engage in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of everything, who can subdue everyone's enemies, and who sits within everyone's heart
- My dear gentle lady, follow this ritualistic vow, strictly observing the regulative principles. By this process, the Supreme Person will very soon be pleased with you and will satisfy all your desires
- My dear gentle wife, because you have worshiped me with great devotion, considering me a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I shall reward you by fulfilling your desires, which are unobtainable for an unchaste wife
- My dear gentle wife, never enter the water while bathing, never be angry, and do not even speak or associate with wicked people. Never wear clothes that have not been properly washed, and do not put on a garland that has already been worn
- My Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are dressed in yellow garments, whose bodily hue resembles the marakata gem, and who have full control over the goddess of fortune. O my Lord Kesava, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You
O
- O afflicted one, I shall forthwith gratify whatever desire is dear to you, for who else but you is the source of the three perfections of liberation?
- O chaste and auspicious woman, when I left home for other places, were you in so much anxiety that you did not offer oblations of ghee into the fire?
- O gentle lady, it is the essence of all austerities, and it is the process of giving charity and pleasing the supreme controller
- O great-minded lady, are all your sons faring well? Seeing your withered face, I can perceive that your mind is not tranquil. How is this so?
- O haughty one, you will have two contemptuous sons born of your condemned womb. Unlucky woman, they will cause constant lamentation to all the three worlds
- O most auspicious lady, one should perform all the ceremonies under the direction of learned acaryas and should satisfy them and their priests. By distributing prasada, one should also satisfy the brahmanas and others who have assembled
- O most exalted and worshipable Lord, best of those who bestow benediction, You can fulfill the desires of everyone, and therefore those who are sober, for their own welfare, worship the dust of Your lotus feet
- O most fortunate lady, establishing your mind in a good spirit, execute this process of payo-vrata and thus worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kesava, who is inexhaustible
- O most gentle one, I wonder whether anything inauspicious has now taken place in regard to religious principles, the brahmanas or the people in general, who are subject to the whims of death
- O mother earth, you were raised by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a boar because of your desiring to have a place to stay. I pray that you kindly vanquish all the reactions of my sinful life. I offer my respectful obeisances unto you
- O my wife, who are very much attached to household life, if the principles of religion, economic development and satisfaction of the senses are properly followed in household life, one's activities are as good as those of a transcendentalist
- O queen of the home, we are not able to act like you, nor could we repay you for what you have done, even if we worked for our entire life or even after death. To repay you is not possible, even for those who are admirers of personal qualities
- O Supreme Personality of Godhead, greatest of all, who lives in everyone's heart and in whom everyone lives, O witness of everything, O Vasudeva, supreme and all-pervading person, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You
- One is regarded as a husband or son because of bodily attachment. These illusory relationships are caused by misunderstanding
- One should distribute visnu-prasada to everyone, including the poor man, the blind man, the nondevotee and the non-brahmana
- One should offer all the prasada to a Vaisnava or offer him some of the prasada and then take some oneself. After this, one should offer the Deity acamana and then betel nut and then again worship the Lord
- One should perfectly honor the respectable brahmanas one has fed, and then, after taking their permission, one should take prasada with his friends and relatives
- One should perform his daily spiritual duties and then, with great attention, offer worship to the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and also to the altar, the sun, water, fire and the spiritual master
- One should please them by offering them clothing, ornaments and cows. This is the ceremony called visnu-aradhana, or worship of Lord Visnu
- One should satisfy the spiritual master (acarya), who is very learned in Vedic literature, and should satisfy his assistant priests (known as hota, udgata, adhvaryu and brahma)
- One should satisfy the spiritual master and assistant priests by giving them cloth, ornaments, cows and also some monetary contribution
- One should silently murmur the mantra 108 times and offer prayers to the Lord for His glorification. Then one should circumambulate the Lord and finally, with great delight and satisfaction, offer obeisances, falling straight like a rod (dandavat)
- Only that Supreme Person - Krsna, or Vasudeva - can bestow all auspicious benedictions upon everyone, for He is the spiritual master of the universe
T
- That topmost devotee of the Lord (Prahlada) will have expanded intelligence and expanded influence and will be the greatest of the great souls
- The learned Kasyapa said: Because of your mind's being polluted, because of defilement of the particular time, because of your negligence of my directions, and because of your being apathetic to the demigods, everything was inauspicious
- The pregnant wife should worship her husband and offer him prayers. She should meditate upon him, thinking that he is situated in her womb
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vasudeva, the husband of the goddess of fortune, is situated in everyone's heart and is worshiped through the various names and forms of the demigods by fruitive workers
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is very merciful to the poor, will fulfill all of your desires, for devotional service unto Him is infallible. Any method other than devotional service is useless. That is my opinion
- Thereafter, following the directions of the sastra with help from brahmanas who know the sastra, on the thirteenth day of the moon one should bathe Lord Visnu with five substances (milk, yogurt, ghee, sugar and honey)
- They (Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu) will kill poor, faultless living entities, torture women and enrage the great souls
- This is the best process for pleasing the transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Adhoksaja. It is the best of all regulative principles, the best austerity, the best process of giving charity, and the best process of sacrifice
- This is the religious ritualistic ceremony known as payo-vrata, by which one may worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I (Kasyapa Muni) received this information from Brahma, my grandfather, and now I have described it to you (Aditi) in all details
- This particular time is most inauspicious because at this time the horrible-looking ghosts and constant companions of the lord of the ghosts are visible
- This payo-vrata is also known as sarva-yajna. In other words, by performing this sacrifice one can perform all other sacrifices automatically. This is also acknowledged to be the best of all ritualistic ceremonies
- This woman, my wife, has adopted a means that follows her nature, and therefore she is not to be blamed. But I am a man. Therefore, all condemnation upon me! I am not at all conversant with what is good for me, since I could not control my senses
- To satisfy their own interests, women deal with men as if the men were most dear to them, but no one is actually dear to them
U
- Unfortunate, foolish persons, not knowing that he is engaged in his own self, laugh at him. Such foolish persons engage in maintaining the body - which is eatable by dogs - with dresses, ornaments, garlands and ointments
- Upon hearing Diti's request, Kasyapa Muni was very much aggrieved. "Alas," he lamented, "now I face the danger of the impious act of killing Indra"
W
- With flower garlands, sandalwood pulp, ornaments and other paraphernalia, a woman following this vow should worship women who have sons and whose husbands are living
- With great attention, one must prepare an oblation of grains boiled in ghee and milk and must chant the Purusa-sukta mantra. The offerings of food should be of varieties of tastes. In this way, one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Women are supposed to be very saintly, but for their own interests they can kill even their husbands, sons or brothers, or cause them to be killed by others
- Worshiping Lord Visnu with great faith and devotion and living only by drinking milk, one should follow this vow. One should also offer oblations to the fire and feed the brahmanas as mentioned before
Y
- You (Diti) should not go out in the evening or with your hair loose, nor should you go out unless you are properly decorated with ornaments. You should not leave the house unless you are very grave and are sufficiently covered
- You (Diti) should not lie down without having washed both of your feet or without being purified, nor with wet feet or with your head pointed west or north. You should not lie naked, or with other women, or during the sunrise or sunset
- Your (Diti's) grandson (Prahlada) will be able to see, inside and outside, the SP of Godhead, whose wife is the beautiful goddess of fortune. The Lord can assume the form desired by the devotee, and His face is always beautifully decorated with earrings