Kaamdeo resides in the heart of all living beings, he keeps nudging at the ascetics and
hermits, instigating these ascetics and hermits to waver from their vows of austerity
and penance, and instead swerve towards the basic pleasures and comforts that are
sought after by their sense organs. Once Kaamdeo, their greatest hidden enemy, was
destroyed, the ascetics, hermits and other spiritual aspirants felt that the greatest
‘thorn’ or hurdle was removed from their path.
On the other hand, those creatures who were not spiritually inclined but preferred
to wallow in the slushy world of lust and passion felt miserably because their
protector and patron Kaamdeo was no more. Who will now support them; how will
they now enjoy sensusous pleasures of the world once their hearts had become bereft
of passions and lust and their driving force, the god of love and passion known as
Kaamdeo? This worried such creatures a lot.]¿¢U0. ¡ÙªË •∑¢§≈U∑§ ÷∞ ¬Áà ªÁà ‚ÈŸÃ ⁄UÁà ◊ÈL§Á¿Uà ÷ß ̧– 1–
⁄UÙŒÁà ’ŒÁà ’„ÈU ÷Ê°Áà ∑§L§ŸÊ ∑§⁄UÁà ‚¢∑§⁄U ¬®„U ªß ̧H 2H
•Áà ¬ ̋◊ ∑§Á⁄U Á’ŸÃË Á’Á’œ Á’Áœ ¡ÙÁ⁄U ∑§⁄U ‚ã◊Èπ ⁄U„UË– 3–
¬ ̋÷È •Ê‚ÈÃÙ· ∑Χ¬Ê‹ Á‚fl •’‹Ê ÁŸ⁄UÁπ ’Ù‹ ‚„UËH 4H
chanda.
jōgī akaṇṭaka bha'ē pati gati sunata rati muruchita bha'ī. 1.
rōdati badati bahu bhām̐ti karunā karati saṅkara pahiṁ ga'ī. 2.
ati prēma kari binatī bibidha bidhi jōri kara sanmukha rahī. 3.
prabhu āsutōṣa kṛpāla siva abalā nirakhi bōlē sahī. 4.
[The first line of this Chanda picks up the thread from the last line no. 8 of the
previous set of Chaupais by citing the ascetics who felt glad that Kaamdeo had been
destroyed by their patron deity, Lord Shiva, because the former had been constantly
disturbing them during their meditation sessions.]
The ascetics (“Yogis”) felt that a great thorn had been removed from their
way. When Rati^1 , the consort of Kaamdeo, heard or learnt of the ill fate of her
husband (that he had died when Shiva burnt him to ashes)^2 , she fainted. (Chanda line
no. 1)
Wailing loudly and lamenting in various ways, she approached Lord Shiva.
(Chanda line no. 2)
She joined her hands in prayerful supplication and most humbly stood before
the Lord (in a silent gesture asking the Lord to show mercy, compassion, kindness and
grace upon her as well as her husband). (Chanda line no. 3)
The merciful and gracious Lord Ashutosh Shiva (i.e. Lord Shiva who is easy
to please and eternally contented)^3 observed the lady standing before him helplessly
and in abject despair. (Chanda line no. 4)
[Note—^1 Rati is said to be a daughter of Daksha Prajapati because she was born from
the sweat of his body. She was believed to be the most beautiful damsel in creation.
She aroused passion and lust even in the hearts of gods, and hence she got the name
“Rati” which means sensual arousal.
(^2) It is said here that Rati ‘heard or learnt of the ill fate of Kaamdeo’. This means
she was not present at the site where her husband, Kaamdeo, was causing nuisance to
Shiva. The question is: how did Rati come to know that her husband has died? The
first sign is given in Chanda line no. 1 itself—she learnt of it when she saw or heard
that the ascetics had become happy because a thorn from their way was removed.