Text 17] The Subterranean Heavenly Planets 387

demon, the son of Maya Danava named Bala, who created ninety-
six kinds of mystic power. Some so-called yogis and svamis take
advantage of this mystic power to cheat people even today. Simply
by yawning, the demon Bala created three kinds of women, known
as svairini, kamini and pumscali. The svairinis like to marry men
from their own group, the kaminis marry men from any group,
and the purnscalis change husbands one after another. If a man en-
ters the planet of Atala, these women immediately capture him and
induce him to drink an intoxicating beverage made with a drug
known as hataka [cannabis indica]. This intoxicant endows the
man with great sexual prowess, of which the women take advan-
tage for enjoyment. A woman will enchant him with attractive
glances, intimate words, smiles of love and then embraces. In this
way she induces him to enjoy sex with her to her full satisfaction.
Because of his increased sexual power, the man thinks himself
stronger than ten thousand elephants and considers himself most
perfect. Indeed, illusioned and intoxicated by false pride, he
thinks himself God, ignoring impending death.

TEXT 17

Tass A ATA | aIMAETATET:
HATTA aT Te we TT Aaa:

wat | afer mat | OAT TT
aaaaatan area staan fiat atagad

geared Bt ||| yMATaRTAT TEM: ae getraeated
oll

tato ‘dhastad vitale haro bhagavan hatakesvarah sva-parsada-bhita-
gandavrtah prajdpati-sargopabrihanaya bhavo bhavanya saha mithuni-
bhita aste yatah pravrtta sarit-pravara hataki nama bhavayor viryena
yatra citrabhanur matarisvand samidhyamana ojasa pibati tan
nisthyiitam hatakakhyam suvarnam bhisanendsurendrdvarodhesu
purusah saha purusibhir dharayanti.

tatah—the planet Atala; adhastat—beneath; vitale—on the planet;
harah—Lord Siva; bhagavén—the most powerful personality: hdfa-
