SB 8.9.11 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच इति ते क्ष्वेलितैस्तस्या आश्वस्तमनसोऽसुरा: । जहसुर्भावगम्भीरं ददुश्चामृतभाजनम् ॥ ११ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca iti te kṣvelitais tasyā āśvasta-manaso ’surāḥ jahasur bhāva-gambhīraṁ daduś cāmṛta-bhājanam

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; iti — thus ; te — those demons ; kṣvelitaiḥ — by speaking as if jokingly ; tasyāḥ — of Mohinī-mūrti ; āśvasta — grateful, with faith ; manasaḥ — their minds ; asurāḥ — all the demons ; jahasuḥ — laughed ; bhāva — gambhīram — although Mohinī-mūrti was full of gravity ; daduḥ — delivered ; ca — also ; amṛta — bhājanam — the container of nectar .

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: After the demons heard the words of Mohinī-mūrti, who had spoken as if jokingly, they were all very confident. They laughed with gravity, and ultimately they delivered the container of nectar into Her hands.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Their minds comforted by the joking words of Mohinī, the demons laughed in a mysterious manner and delivered the container of nectar to her. They were pacified by her joking (kṣevelitaiḥ). They laughed in such a way that their intentions could not be understood by the unintelligent (bhāva-gambhiram). They thought as follows. “O woman with all qualities! Are you testing us? We are not faithless and impure in heart. Take the pot of nectar. Divide it and give it to us. Or drink it. Or throw it somewhere else. Do as you please. Know that we have become yours, because of your good qualities.”

Purport

The Personality of Godhead in His form of Mohinī was certainly not joking but talking seriously, with gravity. The demons, however, being captivated by Mohinī-mūrti’s bodily features, took Her words as a joke and confidently delivered the container of nectar into Her hands. Thus Mohinī-mūrti resembles Lord Buddha, who appeared sammohāya sura-dviṣām — to cheat the asuras. The word sura-dviṣām refers to those who are envious of the demigods or devotees. Sometimes an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cheats the atheists. Thus we see here that although Mohinī-mūrti was speaking factually to the asuras, the asuras took Her words to be facetious. Indeed, they were so confident of Mohinī-mūrti’s honesty that they immediately delivered the container of nectar into Her hands, as if they would allow Her to do with the nectar whatever She liked, whether She distributed it, threw it away or drank it Herself without giving it to them.