Identifying Demoniac Tendencies

A concise summary of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3 Chapter 17

We don’t see demons in today’s world, however, demoniac tendencies are predominant and in existence in many. Sage Maitreya explains to Vidura how to spot demoniac tendencies by observing the behavioral tendencies and circumstances of Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha, the two sons of Diti, the wife of Sage Kashyap.

• Natural disturbances occur on the planet when influential people with demoniac tendencies take birth. In the present age the number of demoniac people is increasing; therefore natural disturbances are also increasing

• Donkeys are very respectable as a race, and when they run in flocks crazily, it is understood to be a bad sign for human society

• Many planets are considered pious, and others are considered impious. Saturn and Mars are considered impious. When the pious planets shine very brightly, it is an auspicious sign, but when the inauspicious planets shine very brightly, this is not a very good sign

• To check the increase of demoniac population, the Vedic civilization enacted so many rules and regulations of social life, the most important of which is the garbhādhāna process for begetting good children. People are very anxious for peace in the world, but there are so many children born without the benefit of the garbhādhāna ceremony. If each and every householder in every family observes the Vedic system, then there are good children, not demons, and automatically there is peace in the world

• There are two classes of men in the world: one is called the demon, and the other is called godly. The godly people concern themselves with the spiritual and material upliftment of human society, whereas the demons are concerned only with physical and material upliftment. The two demons born of Diti began to make their bodies as strong as iron frames, and they were so tall that they seemed to touch outer space. They were decorated with valuable ornaments, and they thought that this was success in life. The focus on physical attraction alone is a demoniac quality

• In the demoniac way of civilization, people are interested in getting a strong body to control and subjugate others. If a race appears strong in body, their country is materially considered to be among the highly advanced nations of the world

• Materialistic demons sometimes appear to be very powerful and are seen to establish their supremacy throughout the world. A demoniac person always challenges others and tries to occupy others’ property by force. It was the Lord’s plan to teach people that even Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was so powerful and strongly built, could not live more than his destined duration of life. One may become as strong and puffed up as Hiraṇyakaśipu and bring under his control all the three worlds, but there is no possibility of continuing life eternally or keeping the conquered body forever. So many emperors have ascended to power, and they are now lost in oblivion; that is the history of the world. Aggressive materialistic warriors are actually punished by the Supreme Lord for their policy of unnecessarily disturbing world peace.

The Conception of Twins

There is an authoritative Vedic literature called Piṇḍa-siddhi in which the scientific understanding of pregnancy is very nicely described. It is stated that when the male secretion enters the menstrual flux in the uterus in two successive drops, the mother develops two embryos in her womb, and she brings forth twins in a reverse order to that in which they were first conceived; the child conceived first is born later, and the one conceived later is brought forth first. The first child conceived in the womb lives behind the second child, so when birth takes place the second child appears first, and the first child appears second. In this case it is understood that Hiraṇyākṣa, the second child conceived, was delivered first, whereas Hiraṇyakaśipu, the child who was behind him, having been conceived first, was born second.