du'i daṇḍa bhari brahmāṇḍa bhītara kāmakṛta kautuka ayaṁ. 4.
When even Yogis (ascetics) and Tapas (those who were practicing austerities and
penance) had become a victim of Kaam (lust, passion and desire for sensual
gratification) and were virtually possessed by these negative traits, what can be said of
those who were naturally low-minded and inherently lustful and wicked. [When those
who were highly self-restrained and observed continence in their lives had fallen
victims of lust and passions, it is natural that those who were already lustful and
passionate would slide further down and fall headon in the chasm of laschiviousness
and promiscuity.] (Chanda line no. 1)
Those who had been as highly wise and enlightened as to have seen the
supreme Brahm (the all-pervading Lord of creation and the cosmic Consciousness) in
every creature and aspect of this world had now begun to see the world as being full
of females^1. (Chanda line no. 2)
Women perceived the whole world as being full of men, and men saw the
world as being full of women^2. (Chanda line no. 3)
The magic played by Kaamdeo lasted in the entire length and breath of the
universe (world; creation) for a time period of approximately “two Dandas”^3. (Chanda
line no. 4)
[Note—^1 Refer: Ram Charit Manas, Uttar Kand, (i) Chaupai line no. 1, and Chanda
line no. 1 that precede Doha no. 99; (ii) Chaupai line nos. 1 and 10 that precede Doha
no. 100; and the general description of the era of Kaliyug as described from Doha no.
97—to Doha no. 102 Ka.
(^2) The implied meaning is this: women and men had become so blind in their drive
for seeking sensual pleasures, had become so extremely sensousness, lustful and
passionate that they did not distinguish between a legitimate relationship and
illegitimate liason. Sexual perversion and promiscuity ruled the land, and the people
failed to distinguish between a mother and a father, a brother and a sister, a wife and a
casual friend. No morality existed, and one felt free to have a sexual relationship with
anyone with whom he or she took fancy.
(^3) 1 “Danda” = 1 hour. Hence, 2 Dandas = 2 hours. It ought to be noted here that
these “2 Dandas” are only symbolic representation of time, with ‘1 Danda’ standing
for ‘1 day’. Therefore, 2 Dandas refer to approximately 2 days.
In Chaupai line no. 1 that precedes Doha no. 86 herein below, it is said that the
time during which this miracle happened was “two Gharis”. Now, 1 Ghari is
technically equivalent to 24 minutes, but when used in poetry it can stand for a period
of time that can be measured in minutes and has a component of 24 attached to it.
Hence, 1 Ghari can mean a period of time that is equivalent to 24 hours (instead of 24
minutes), or ‘1 day’. Hence, “2 Gharis” would be roughly “2 days”.
It is said that the influence of Kaamdeo extended throughout the whole universe
or the entire creation. This means it was not limited to the earth, but extended to the
heaven and the nether worlds also. Measurement of time on earth is different than in
heaven. For instance, 1 day in the life of Brahma the creator who lives in heaven is
equivalent to 1 Kalpa. In human years, 1 Kalpa is equivalent to 4.32 billion (4.32 x
109 ) years.
Thus, the main idea behind the time period mentioned in these verses is that the
bad effect of Kaamdeo’s intervention lasted for quite some time, but it was only a
short duration when measuring it against the scale of creation which runs into
millions and trillions of years. It may also mean that the promiscuity and
lashiviousness propagated by Kaamdeo was limited to one generation of creatures
represented by a period of one day (i.e. one lifetime). That ended soon because Lord
Shiva would burn Kaamdeo to death, thus bringing the curtain down on the drama
that Kaamdeo had stage-managed to camouflage his attack on Shiva.]