The mystic powers of Kardama Muni

After many years of austerity, Devahūti wanted a child from her husband, Kardama Muni. There were, however, a few obstacles to that, which he solved with the help of his mystical perfections.

After many years of austerity, Devahūti wanted a child from her husband, Kardama Muni. There were, however, a few obstacles to that. Devahūti's body was emaciated due to austerities, and therefore, she thought it would not be attractive to him. She was also not in very good health. The sattvic atmosphere of their hermitage was also not very favorable for sexual life; therefore, she asked her husband to make the necessary arrangements.

In our current society, the problem is usually that people are too sexually inclined, and therefore, they need to learn to restrict it. In Vedic societies, however, it was often the opposite; people were so sattvic that they would study the Kama-sastra, the portion of the Vedas that describes arrangements for sexual life, to make arrangements for increasing their passion and thus get into the proper state of consciousness for begetting children. Kardama Muni certainly knew this science; therefore, Devahūti asked him to prepare everything, including improving her health, preparing a suitable house, etc. These are all duties of a husband.

Normally, securing a house and all the other things needed to maintain a family are not very easy for a man, but for Kardama Muni, it was not a problem at all. Just by using his yogic powers, he was able to create a flying palace that not only had all the necessities, including nice rooms, furniture, clothes, ornaments, different types of food, and even servants, but that could also travel to any part of the universe at will.

One could question how it is possible that Kardama Muni could create not only material objects but also people. To understand that, it's interesting to study the eight mystic perfections that great yogis like Kardama Muni can achieve. In essence, all these mystical perfections come from contact with the Supreme Lord in some of His forms or features; therefore, pure devotees can also often achieve these powers, although they will be reluctant to use them.

Krsna is the source of all mystic powers; therefore, one who is strongly connected with Krsna in any of His aspects may start exhibiting such powers, just like a bar of metal in contact with fire becomes hot and acquires the potency of burning. The point is that supernatural powers like this can easily make one proud, and thus make one fall. Yogis are generally conditioned souls, and thus they are anxious to prove themselves, but devotees are the opposite; therefore, they are not anxious to acquire such powers, and are reluctant to use them even when they are naturally acquired. Kardama Muni had all mystic powers for a long time, but he decided to use them only when there was a need.

These eight mystic perfections are:

1) Aṇimā-siddhi: allows one to become very small and thus enter into hidden or closed places. Just like Paramātmā can enter everywhere, a yogi in possession of this power can also enter everywhere, even inside a stone.

2) Laghimā-siddhi: Using this perfection, one can become very light and thus fly to distant places without difficulty. Once, in a TV interview after disembarking the plane, Srila Prabhupada started describing different ways this siddhi can be used for flying (using a stick, a carpet, etc.) When the reporter asked why he was flying on American Airlines, he answered: To be one with you!

The highest perfection for this siddhi, however, is to be able to fly in space using the rays of the sun, which work like cosmic roads connecting all different parts of the universe. By this process, a yogi can go from his planet to the sun, and from there reach any other part of the universe. Prabhupada mentioned on occasion that he was testing this power at night, traveling in space like the yogis.

3) Mahimā-siddhi: This perfection allows the yogi to increase his size and physical power. This mystic perfection is often used by demons while fighting their opponents. Hiranyaksa, for example, was so powerful that he could assume a form that was many times bigger than our planet to fight Lord Varahadeva.

4) Prāpti-siddhi (acquisition): By this perfection, a yogi can bend space and reach any distant object. Using this power, a yogi can touch or grab objects from distant places (or even distant planets) by bending space and then reaching them by just extending his hand. He can grab a fruit from a tree thousands of kilometers away, or even touch the moon with his finger. By using this perfection, one can also enter into the senses of others through the predominating deities of the senses, and thus enjoy anything they enjoy.

5) Iśitva-siddhi: By this potency, a yogi can manipulate the sub-potencies of māyā, and thus create any kind of wonderful material object. At the highest level, this perfection can be used to even create planets or annihilate them at will. Krsna is the Supreme Controller, and by mastering his yogic perfection, one becomes a smaller controller inside this universe.

6) Vaśitva-siddhi: By this power, one can interfere with another’s free will and thus bring others under his control. Just like Maya can seduce almost everyone inside this material world, by using this siddhi, a yogi can do similarly. Prabhupada explains that vaśitva works like a type of hypnotism that is almost irresistible. Sometimes, people who achieve a small degree of such power become fashionable gurus or speakers who can bring masses of people under their control, and thus exploit them for their purposes. This, however, doesn’t have any purpose in spreading Krsna Consciousness, because devotional service implies one deciding to serve Krsna under their own free will. By using vaśitva, one can also, conversely, keep oneself above the control of the three modes of nature, resisting the spell of the illusory energy.

7) Prākāmya-siddhi: By this perfection, one can satisfy any desire he or she has under the scope of the laws of nature. He can enjoy any kind of material object, acquire any kind of material knowledge, and so on. This power of achieving desirable things reaches its highest level in the siddhi called kāmāvasāyitā.

8) Kāmāvasāyitā-siddhi: The difference between prākāmya (the previous level) and kāmāvasāyitā is that prākāmya allows one to obtain things that are within the scope of the physical laws, while kāmāvasāyitā allows one to contradict nature and do things that are ordinarily impossible. Saubhari Muni, for example, was able to change the shape of his body, becoming a young and handsome man, and then expand himself into eight forms to simultaneously marry all eight daughters of King Māndhātā. Another yogi used this siddhi to create a tree that produced men instead of coconuts.

It seems that Kardama Muni utilized this ultimate mystical perfection to create his flying castle for Devahūti. Normally, a castle can't fly, what to say about reaching the celestial planets. Apart from the palace and the paraphernalia, he also created numerous celestial girls to serve Devahūti. Of course, this means he created the material bodies, which were then occupied by souls with corresponding mentality, but it is still an incredible feat.

As you can imagine, one can use these mystical perfections to achieve wonderful things in this material world and to enjoy his senses to the highest degree. However, these mystical perfections don’t help one to become free from Maya, and thus devotees are usually not interested in them. On the contrary, these siddhis are more like a test, a temptation that can make one fall and become a separate enjoyer of this material world instead of becoming free from it. Kardama Muni, however, being completely in control of his senses, decided to use these mystical perfections to please Devahūti.

If you read this article to the end, give it a like. This helps it to reach more people.
If you have questions, use the comments; I will answer as possible. They may even become the topic for another article. Your thoughts and opinions are also very welcome. ⤵️