Cleopatra

Expressions researched:
"Cleopatra"

SB Canto 1

As far as the women class are concerned, they are accepted as a power of inspiration for men. As such, women are more powerful than men. Mighty Julius Caesar was controlled by a Cleopatra.

SB 1.9.27, Purport:

As far as the women class are concerned, they are accepted as a power of inspiration for men. As such, women are more powerful than men. Mighty Julius Caesar was controlled by a Cleopatra. Such powerful women are controlled by shyness. Therefore, shyness is important for women. Once this control valve is loosened, women can create havoc in society by adultery. Adultery means production of unwanted children known as varṇa-saṅkara, who disturb the world.

SB Canto 3

There are many instances in the history of the world of a great conqueror's being captivated by the charms of a Cleopatra. One has to study the captivating potency of woman, and man's attraction for that potency.

SB 3.31.38, Translation and Purport:

Just try to understand the mighty strength of My māyā in the shape of woman, who by the mere movement of her eyebrows can keep even the greatest conquerors of the world under her grip.

There are many instances in the history of the world of a great conqueror's being captivated by the charms of a Cleopatra. One has to study the captivating potency of woman, and man's attraction for that potency. From what source was this generated? According to Vedānta-sūtra, we can understand that everything is generated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is enunciated there, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Supreme Person, Brahman, the Absolute Truth, is the source from whom everything emanates. The captivating power of woman, and man's susceptibility to such attraction, must also exist in the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the spiritual world and must be represented in the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.

The Lord is the Supreme Person, the supreme male. As a common male wants to be attracted by a female, that propensity similarly exists in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also wants to be attracted by the beautiful features of a woman. Now the question is, if He wants to be captivated by such womanly attraction, would He be attracted by any material woman? It is not possible. Even persons who are in this material existence can give up womanly attraction if they are attracted by the Supreme Brahman. Such was the case with Haridāsa Ṭhākura. A beautiful prostitute tried to attract him in the dead of night, but since he was situated in devotional service, in transcendental love of Godhead, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was not captivated. Rather, he turned the prostitute into a great devotee by his transcendental association. This material attraction, therefore, certainly cannot attract the Supreme Lord. When He wants to be attracted by a woman, He has to create such a woman from His own energy. That woman is Rādhārāṇī. It is explained by the Gosvāmīs that Rādhārāṇī is the manifestation of the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the Supreme Lord wants to derive transcendental pleasure, He has to create a woman from His internal potency. Thus the tendency to be attracted by womanly beauty is natural because it exists in the spiritual world. In the material world it is reflected pervertedly, and therefore there are so many inebrieties.

Instead of being attracted by material beauty, if one is accustomed to be attracted by the beauty of Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa, then the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59), holds true. When one is attracted by the transcendental beauty of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, he is no longer attracted by material feminine beauty. That is the special significance of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa worship.

SB Canto 4

However great a hero one may be in the material world, he can be immediately conquered by the lumps of flesh and blood known as the breasts of women. In the history of material activities there are many examples, like the Roman hero Antony, who became captivated by the beauty of Cleopatra.

SB 4.25.25, Translation and Purport:

Purañjana, the hero, became attracted by the eyebrows and smiling face of the very beautiful girl and was immediately pierced by the arrows of her lusty desires. When she smiled shyly, she looked very beautiful to Purañjana, who, although a hero, could not refrain from addressing her.

Every living entity is a hero in two ways. When he is a victim of the illusory energy, he works as a great hero in the material world, as a great leader, politician, businessman, industrialist, etc., and his heroic activities contribute to the material advancement of civilization. One can also become a hero by being master of the senses, a gosvāmī. Material activities are false heroic activities, whereas restraining the senses from material engagement is great heroism. However great a hero one may be in the material world, he can be immediately conquered by the lumps of flesh and blood known as the breasts of women. In the history of material activities there are many examples, like the Roman hero Antony, who became captivated by the beauty of Cleopatra. Similarly, a great hero in India named Baji Rao became a victim of a woman during the time of Maharashtrian politics, and he was defeated. From history we understand that formerly politicians used to employ beautiful girls who were trained as viṣa-kanyā. These girls had poison injected into their bodies from the beginning of their lives so that in due course of time they would become so immune to the poison and so poisonous themselves that simply by kissing a person they could kill him. These poisonous girls were engaged to see an enemy and kill him with a kiss. Thus there are many instances in human history of heroes who have been curbed simply by women. Being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the living entity is certainly a great hero, but due to his own weakness he becomes attracted to the material features.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Julius Caesar, he was a great soldier, and he became captivated by one beautiful woman. What is that? Cleopatra? You see? She's an ordinary woman, but because she had some... Every woman is beautiful, but it is through the eyes I see that "This woman is beautiful." Woman's nature is fair sex. By nature she is beautiful. But I see "This is beautiful." I am entrapped. Is it not?

Lecture on SB 2.9.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

Prabhupāda: So the māyā is acting very nicely to keep us under her control. Māyayā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī (BG 7.14). Māyā wants to keep you under her control, every one of us. Why? Because we are offender to Kṛṣṇa, she wants to punish us, kick us very nicely. That is her business. And therefore she wants to keep under her control everyone. And therefore she has three qualities, tri-guṇa. Just like tri-guṇa. Guṇa means rope also. You have seen? In the rope there are three fibers. And three fibers, if it is twisted nicely and again twisted together, it is very strong rope. Tri-guṇa. So guṇa means rope. So we are bound up. The verse, that? Na te viduḥ svārtha gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ..., te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Īśa tantra. By the stringent laws of superior authority, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. You are bound up, uru-dāmni. Uru means strong, dāmni means rope. Uru-dāmni, very strong rope. Just like big ship. Immediately bound up on the pier by some rope. You have seen it?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: A ship carrying thirteen thousand tons of goods, but the strong rope brings it on the pier. Then he cannot move. In spite of having good machine and in spite of so much strength, it is baddhāḥ, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Julius Caesar, he was a great soldier, and she(he) became captivated by one beautiful woman. What is that? Cleopatra? You see? She's an ordinary woman, but because she had some Every woman is beautiful, but it is through the eyes I see that "This woman is beautiful." Woman's nature is fair sex. By nature she is beautiful. But I see "This is beautiful." I am entrapped. Is it not? There is a Bengali proverb, dekha yāra lāge bhāla... If I like somebody, it doesn't matter what he is or she is. There are so many instances. The attachment, there is attachment. There is no such hard and fast rules and regulation that "This man should be attached with this..." No. It is māyā's action. I become attached with somebody. That is going on. So māyā is acting so nicely, māyayā bahu-rūpayā ramamāṇa, and we are enjoying, ramamāṇa. Guṇeṣu asyā. Actually, that individual living entity is enjoying the influence by guṇeṣu asyā, influence by one kind of modes of material nature. Mamāham. And in that way he has form. The whole world is going on.

General Lectures

If you have got beauty, you can conquer over very stalwart, very strong men. Just like Cleopatra. She was very beautiful, and she conquered many great warriors. So beauty sometimes can conquer even the greatest man, but that does not mean beauty can conquer God.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 2, 1968:

Janma means birth, aiśvarya means wealth, and śruta means education, and śrī means beauty. So for God realization these things are not essential, but Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can utilize everything. So nothing is neglected. That is another point. But if somebody thinks that "I have got all these opulences; therefore God realization is very easy for me," no, that is not. So God realization depends on God, because God, you cannot oblige God by some force. Just like if you have got money, oh, you can do anything nowadays. If you have got strength of wealth, you can have any power, you can do anything. But that does not mean that you can purchase God. No. That is not possible. If you have got beauty, you can conquer over very stalwart, very strong men. Just like what is the... Cleopatra. You have heard the Grecian history. She was very beautiful, and she conquered many great warriors. So beauty sometimes can conquer even the greatest man, but that does not mean beauty can conquer God. No. That is not possible. So the vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga (CC Madhya 6.254). To conquer God is bhakti. If you are advanced in devotional service, then you can conquer God. Just like the gopīs, as I was speaking, their parentage was not very high, not at all high. Village, agriculturists, farmers, no education, practical... No education at all. And they were not rich at all. Agriculturists, farmers, they are not very rich. So how they conquered Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa was just a play toy in their hands. Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī. They conquered Kṛṣṇa simply by devotional service. That's all.