Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for MankindChapter 17: Mother Pārvatī Curses Citraketu

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.17.4-5

ekadā sa vimānena

viṣṇu-dattena bhāsvatā

giriśaḿ dadṛśe gacchan

parītaḿ siddha-cāraṇaiḥ

ālińgyāńkīkṛtāḿ devīḿ

bāhunā muni-saḿsadi

uvāca devyāḥ śṛṇvantyā

jahāsoccais tad-antike

SYNONYMS

ekadā — one time; saḥhe (King Citraketu); vimānena — with his airplane; viṣṇu-dattena — given to him by Lord Viṣṇu; bhāsvatā — shining brilliantly; giriśam — Lord Śiva; dadṛśehe saw; gacchan — going; parītam — surrounded; siddha — by the inhabitants of Siddhaloka; cāraṇaiḥ — and the inhabitants of Cāraṇaloka; ālińgya — embracing; ańkīkṛtām — sitting on his lap; devīm — his wife, Pārvatī; bāhunā — with his arm; muni-saḿsadiin the presence of great saintly persons; uvācahe said; devyāḥ — while the goddess Pārvatī; śṛṇvantyāḥ — was hearing; jahāsahe laughed; uccaiḥ — very loudly; tad-antikein the vicinity.

TRANSLATION

One time while King Citraketu was traveling in outer space on a brilliantly effulgent airplane given to him by Lord Viṣṇu, he saw Lord Śiva, surrounded by Siddhas and Cāraṇas. Lord Śiva was sitting in an assembly of great saintly persons and embracing Pārvatī on his lap with his arm. Citraketu laughed loudly and spoke, within the hearing of Pārvatī.

PURPORT

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says in this connection,

bhaktiḿ bhūtiḿ harir dattvā

sva-vicchedānubhūtaye

devyāḥ śāpena vṛtratvaḿ

nītvā taḿ svāntike 'nayat

The purport is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead wanted to bring Citraketu to Vaikuṇṭhaloka as soon as possible. The Lord's plan was that Citraketu be cursed by Pārvatī to become Vṛtrāsura so that in his next life he could quickly return home, back to Godhead. There have been many instances in which a devotee acting as a demon has been brought to the kingdom of God by the mercy of the Lord. For Pārvatī to be embraced by Lord Śiva was natural in a relationship between husband and wife; this was nothing extraordinary for Citraketu to see. Nonetheless, Citraketu laughed loudly to see Lord Śiva in that situation, even though he should not have done so. Thus he was eventually cursed, and this curse was the cause of his returning home, back to Godhead.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness