Text 6] Mother Parvati Curses Citraketu 169

uvaca—he said; devyah—while the goddess Parvati; srmvantyah—was
hearing; jahdsa—he laughed; uccaih—very loudly; tad-antike—in the
vicinity.
TRANSLATION

One time while King Citraketu was traveling in outer space on a
brilliantly effulgent airplane given to him by Lord Visnu, he saw
Lord Siva, surrounded by Siddhas and Caranas. Lord Siva was sit-
ting in an assembly of great saintly persons and embracing Parvati
on his lap with his arm. Citraketu laughed loudly and spoke,
within the hearing of Parvati.

PURPORT

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in this connection,

bhakti bhitirn harir dattva
sva-vicchedanubhitaye

devyah sapena vrtratvam
nitvd tam svantike ‘nayat

The purport is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead wanted to bring
Citraketu to Vaikunthaloka as soon as possible. The Lord’s plan was that
Citraketu be cursed by Parvati to become Vrtrasura 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 Parvati to be
embraced by Lord Siva was natural in a relationship between husband
and wife; this was nothing extraordinary for Citraketu to see. Nonethe-
less, Citraketu laughed loudly to see Lord Siva 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.

TEXT 6
Ata

Oy ARTS: ANTSA TAT TAT |
MS HET: THAT Peg TA ATAAT UN &
