devas tān āha saṁvigno

devas tān āha saṁvigno

mā māṁ jakṣata rakṣata

aho me yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi

prajā yūyaṁ babhūvitha

Frightened, Brahmā said, “O Yakṣas and Rākṣasas! You are my sons. Do not eat me. Protect me.”

Devaḥ means Brahmā. Do you eat me but protect me. Aho indicates astonishment. O Yakṣas and Rākṣasas!

|| 3.20.22||

devatāḥ prabhayā yā yā

dīvyan pramukhato ’sṛjat

te ahārṣur devayanto

visṛṣṭāṁ tāṁ prabhām ahaḥ

Shining with his effulgence, Brahmā then created the chief devatās. The devatās accepted that effulgence which Brahmā gave up, and which became the day, and they played with it.

Brahmā shone with an effulgent body composed of sattva. He created the chief devatās. Yāḥ refers to te. They accepted that effulgent body which he gave up, which took the form of the day. Why? They accepted the day in order to play with it. Just as the night resides with the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, the day is the abode of the devatās. Jīva Gosvāmī says that div, belonging to the cur class of verbs, means “to wish for.” The devatās wished for or requested the day. Purity, the mentality of sattva appeared in the mind of Brahmā. From that the devatās appeared. That purity became the day. The devatās then accepted the day. That is the sequence.

 

|| 3.20.23||

devo ’devāñ jaghanataḥ

sṛjati smātilolupān

ta enaṁ lolupatayā

maithunāyābhipedire

Brahmā’ created the Daityas from his buttocks. They were lusty for women and, desiring sex, pursued Brahmā.

Then in Brahmā’s mind lust, the mentality of rajas, appeared. From that the demons appeared. That mentality became the sandhyā. The demons accepted that sandhyā.  Adevān refers to the demons. Śruti says sa jaghanād asurān asṛjata: he created the demons from his buttocks. From lust arises great evil: they pursued Brahmā.

|| 3.20.24||