118 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 8, Ch. 12

Therefore the word bhava-gambhiram is used here. The illusory, ma-
terial energy is represented by Durgadevi, who is the wife of Giriga, or
Lord Siva. Durgadevi could not captivate Lord Siva’s mind, but now that
Lord Siva wanted to see Lord Visnu’s feminine form, Lord Visnu, by His
mystic power, would assume a form that would captivate even Lord Siva.
Therefore Lord Visnu was grave and at the same time was smiling.

TEXT 15

ATA SAA
atagert Zerat afew qa TA: |
THA SEAT Ta TATA HRI

Sri-bhagavan uvaca
kautithalaya daityanam

yosid-veso maya dhrtah
pasyata sura-karyani

gate piytisa-bhajane

Sri-bhagavaén uva@ca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;
kautihalaya—for the bewildering; daityanam—of the demons; yosit-
vesah—the form of a beautiful woman; mayad—by Me; dhrtah—
assumed; pasyata—seeing that it is necessary for Me; sura-karyani—for
executing the interests of the demigods; gate—having been taken away;
piyisa-bhajane —the jug of nectar.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: When the demons
took away the jug of nectar, I assumed the form of a beautiful
woman to bewilder them by directly cheating them and thus to act
in the interest of the demigods.

PURPORT

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead assumed the form of the
beautiful woman Mohini-miarti, the demons were certainly captivated,
but the demigods present were not. In other words, those who maintain a
demoniac mentality are bewildered by the beauty of a woman, but those
