Seeing through the eyes of the Sastra

It was almost 1 AM, Saturday morning, the streets were still busy with vehicles. But the street where we live was calm and quiet and the only sound was the melodious bhajan Sri Rupa Manjari pada,playing on our car stereo. We had yet another late Bhakti Vriksha gathering and were just pulling into the drive way when the hysterical screams of  a female voice penetrated the still, spring air. Not expecting other souls to be around, we quickly alighted and went indoors, but managed to hear the words and see the couple who were having a fight in the middle of the street. The woman was probably in her early 40's and the man in his mid 40's.. The woman, still dressed in work clothes, her hair a  frizzy mass, was right at the bend of the road under the glare of the street lamp and kept screaming " I am your wife, your equal, not your puppet,"  The man appeared later, his voice was subdued, and he appeared to be calming down his wife. Drawing the curtains, I was musing on the pastime that lead to the birth of Kapila dev, the Prayers of Kardama Muni, the Marriage of Kardama Muni and Devahuti and the lamentation of Devahuti and thought of the reversal of roles in Kali Yuga. Being asked to speak to a small group of Vaisnavis, I had recently heard and read the pastime and seeing this explosion and battle between the sexes took me back to the Bhagavatam pages which describe the ideal conduct between man and wife. In the following paragraphs I will make an attempt to summarize from what I heard and read on this topic, for my own self purification.
In this post I will summarize the desire of Kardma Muni. In the following posts we will see the ideal relationship between Grhastha couples, based on the example of Sri Kardama Muni and Devahuti, from the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Background
After mother Earth was rescued from the demon Hiranyaksha and restored to her former position, Lord Brahma entrusts his sons , including Kardama Muni, with the task of populating the Earth. Kardama Muni is a perfected being, an Astanga Yogi, a liberated soul who apart from being an expert yogi is also a devotee of Lord Visnu engaged in devotional service to the Lord. He has no inclination to engage in family life but agrees to follow the instructions of his father and engages himself in prayers to the Lord. 
The narration of his austerities spanning a period of 10,000 years was recounted by sage Maitreya to Vidura, who though was not interested in mundane affairs was interested in hearing about the procreation and creation of exemplary population, as it is acceptable to all sages and authorities of scriptures and because one becomes enlightened by hearing such activities.

Conversation between Manu and Kardama Muni -Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 21
The first part of this chapter discusses the role of material desires in life, whom one must approach to fulfill the desires and the reciprocation of the Lord, through the example of Kardama Muni.

• Kardama Muni being a liberated soul and a yogi could have made his own arrangements to procure a suitable wife to carry out the orders of his father, instead he chooses to pray to Lord Visnu and performs austerities on the banks of the river Saraswati, for 10,000 years.
• Material desires are due to our being in the mode of passion. If we let the desires to dominate us, then desires take over leading to attachment, anger and eventually complete illusion, which is the mode of ignorance. This section of the Bhagavatam explains what one must do if not aspiring for pure devotional service, but has material desires. It explains how when the desires are engaged devotional services, the desires and senses get purified and we become situated in the mode of goodness.
• At the end of 10,000 years, when the Lord appears before Kardama Muni, pleased with his austerities, Kardama Muni though embarrassed to request the Lord for such a material benediction still requested the Lord to fulfill his desire for a suitable wife. Srila Prabhupada mentions that Kardama Muni could have approached Uma Devi for a suitable wife but he shows the path for others by approaching Lord Visnu who is anyway the beneficiary for all sacrifices, thereby establishing His superiority and showing the ideal behaviour of a devotee. Involving Krishna in all major decisions of life reflects the level of surrender of a person and Kardama Muni exemplified this.
• The Lord appears before his devotee to reciprocate with him. This illustrates that when Kardama Muni attained perfection through the method of worship prescribed in his times viz.Satya Yuga, the Lord appeared before him.Only someone with a purified heart can see the Lord! There was effort and this was noticed by the Lord who provided His mercy. Perfection of our sense of sight is vision of the Lord,sense of hearing is hearing the Lord etc., and Kardama Muni had attained this perfection!
• Whether one has no desires for sense gratification, has desires or is desirous of liberation, one must always approach the Supreme Lord, because he is the ultimate source and enjoyer of all sacrifices.
• The Lord informs Kardama Muni that Svyambhuva Manu, the illustrious emperor of the seven worlds, also the son of Brahma, who was a powerful Kshatriya would approach Kardama Muni with his wife Shatarupa and daughter Devahuti and would offer her in marriage to Kardama Muni. Lesson- When the Lord is involved, the result is always sweeter than what we could have arranged for, using our own intelligence.
• After the Lord's departure, on the foretold day, the emperor Svyambhuva Manu arrives with his wife and daughter Devahuti, at lake Bindu Sarovara which was created by the tears of the Lord that flowed from His lotus eyes on seeing Kardama Muni. 
• Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purports, how the parents of the girl have to involve themselves in the selection of a suitable groom for their daughter and never allow the daughter to make their own decisions because the decision could be flawed by superficial considerations.
• The next verses talk of the sweet exchange that took place between Manu and Kardama Muni and Kshatriya and a Brahmana and how there was so so much respect and mutual love between the different varnas, and also provides a beautiful description of the surroundings of Lake Bindu Sarovara.
• The chapter ends with Kardama Muni wanting to know the reason for the visit of the Emperor to his hermitage.

We will now take a quick peek into the next chapter but delve more in detail in the coming days.
Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 3, Chapter 22

• The talks lead to verses where Svyambhuva Manu offers his daughter Devahuti in marriage to the sage Kardama. Princess Devahuti has her heart set on marrying Kardama Muni,after hearing all about his glories from the celestial sage Narada.
• Kardama Muni also reveals how the mind of the Sadhaka has to be fixed on the goal i.e pure devotional service to Sri Radha and Krishna while still being in the material world, and carrying out the responsibilities.He accepts Devahuti as his bride but vows to leave family life as soon as their union produces suitable progeny.
• Svyambhuva Manu returns to his kingdom after entrusting his daughter to the care of Kardama Muni and performs his duties in perfect Krishna consciousness.

The Bhagavatam surely is the ripened fruit of vedic knowledge and has the cure for the myriad situations that we find ourselves in life. This series is an attempt to look at things through the eyes of the Sastra, with Sastra Caksusa!, in the hopes that it will inspire us to live it!
To be continued.